The year 2023 came to us as a challenge for creativity to stand out from the competition with a print-on-demand business. This year we are once again here to predict the future for this industry in 2024! With the increase in content creators, more and more influential channels are looking to make profits from a POD business model this year.
Jump Ahead to a Section:
- How to Sell T-Shirts this Year
- 14 Print-on-Demand Business Trends this Year
- 1. Diversify Your Products
- 2. Solid Brand Image
- 3. TikTok
- 4. Offer Personalized Products
- 5. Sustainable Brands
- 6. Fast Shipping
- 7. Expand Your Marketing Strategies
- 8. Keep an Eye on Trends
- 9. Voice eCommerce is on the Raise
- 10. Omnichannel Shopping is Becoming a Regular Practice
- 11. New Payments Option
- 12. Mobile Users are Growing
- 13. Visual eCommerce is a Biggy
- 14. Invest in Cool Designs
- Constant Evaluation is Key
How to Sell T-Shirts this Year
Print on demand trend has only shown to grow over the last few years:
All this goes hand in hand with a steady growth in online sales. Take Amazon, for instance; you can purchase any product and get it delivered to your door as soon as the next day, no need to ever leave your house!
Digital buyers predicted to hit 2.05 billion in 2020, and rise to 2.14 billion by 2021.
eCommerce businesses are definitely proliferating, and this is why it’s super important, more than ever, that you get your business online, join the most relevant marketplaces, advertise on your social media, set up your eCommerce store, and basically do anything you can to help your overall online presence. Every day more and more retailers are making the move into online shops!
Let’s Remember the Benefits of Print-on-Demand Business
Mockup of two sisters taking a selfie while wearing t-shirts
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No Upfront Cost = Low Investment
You will only pay for products you’ve actually sold. All you need to pay for is your eCommerce platform.
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No Inventory Needed
You won’t need to have stock, pay for warehouse fees, and more.
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You can Sell as Varied as You Want
You can offer as many product variations as you want.
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No Packing, No Shipping
Your supplier handles these while you get to focus 100% on your brand and your customer’s service.
Ok, so with that said, there are a few things you must try this year to raise up to the challenge like:
- Get prepared with more niche-focused products for Gen Z, for example.
- Use better promotion tools and channels for marketing your products on the right platforms, for example, TikTok!
- You need an adaptable, user-friendly platform that adjusts to all kinds of users.
🌱🌎✨ Looking for green print-on-demand companies that are positively impacting the planet? Then read the top 5 Eco-Friendly Print-On-Demand Sites to discover the alternatives.
With that said, we are ready to look more in-depth into a few trends that will really help you uplift your print-on-demand services:
14 Print-on-Demand Business Trends this Year
1. Diversify Your Products
Apparel no longer holds the majority share in sales; there is a clear trend that indicates diversifying products is beneficial for brands. Fast-changing trends are pushing all business entrepreneurs to diversify their products, their designs, and even their audiences. A wider range of products will allow you to sell to different niches and adjust to trends as soon as they come.
Currently, some of the trending print-on-demand products are sweatshirts, leggings, sportswear, eco-friendly products, cloth bags, phone cases, mugs, and wall decorations. ( Printful )
There is a significant increase in home goods, and clothing trends are tilting towards comfy clothing or home fashion. People are looking for ways to make their homes cozier because they are spending so much time in them. This applies to home offices too, so there is a big opportunity for office products to be sold this year.
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Mainstream POD product ideas (the Evergreen):
- T-Shirts
- Backpacks
- Hoodies
- Mugs
- Yoga Clothing
- Phone Covers
- Neckties
- Hats
- Socks
- Cosmetic Bags
- Compact Mirrors
- Luggage Tags
Homeware
Stationery for Home office
2. Solid Brand Image
Building a solid brand is essential at this point. Customers tend to trust and remember brands where they’ve had positive experiences. You can create a solid brand not only by getting your design style in order but also by diversifying channels like social media, marketplaces, and more.
3. TikTok
Social media is a crucial tool to get your POD brand promoted. It is essential for your brand building, community, and sales. Specially building a strong community with your followers can give the advantage in a saturated niche.
Using TikTok to connect with your customers is a great move in 2022. People are spending tons of time on the platform. It is not yet saturated with brands and ads, so talking about your business can really come naturally.
Use fun, casual, short videos to post on TikTok. Basically, let your air down! You can use this platform to drive traffic to your other social media like Instagram, YouTube, and even to your online shop!
You can partner up with influencers, create a hashtag challenge, there is advertising too, and so on.
4. Offer Personalized Products
People are willing to pay more for a product if they can customize it! Refresh your designs, including your website, often so that you can stand out from the crowd. It is useful if you are promoting the best print-on-demand websites.
5. Sustainable Brands
More and more consumers are highly interested in buying from sustainable brands, and this is now becoming an important purchase decision. This may include products made with organic materials, eco-friendly packaging, recyclable packaging, and so on.
6. Fast Shipping
More availability on supply chains allows you to offer better and faster shipping periods.
7. Expand Your Marketing Strategies
There are plenty of new opportunities to try this year. When something works great, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try new things. Expand your marketing efforts to new social media, new audiences, and new marketplaces, and track your efforts to see results!
🔥 You might like:10 of the Best Print on Demand Sites for Sellers
8. Keep an Eye on Trends
Global trends on search engines, like political movements, ecological lifestyles, and more, are continuously growing interested in your audience.
The ability to predict market trends can really give you a headstart on your competition.
9. Voice eCommerce is on the Raise
Why is this relevant? In order to get your products on the radar is super important that you use the right keywords on your titles and descriptions, as well as on your online store.
Voice commerce sales are anticipated to reach $40 billion by 2022.
Virtual assistants are making it easier for buyers to purchase online, which means you can get your products in there with the right optimizations!
10. Omnichannel Shopping is Becoming a Regular Practice
Using different platforms is becoming a common practice. It’s like when buying a flying ticket, you will search on a popular cheap price search engine that will redirect you to the airline’s page or some other page. You can purchase your ticket on many platforms. Using different shopping channels before making a purchase is called omnichannel shopping.
To get better results for your product:
- Optimize all your shopping channels for mobile, please!
- Offer personalized customer experience at every step.
- Use smart tools to help you track your sales journey.
- Offer different buying CTA (call to action) options.
11. New Payments Option
Most eCommerce shops will be accepting digital wallets like PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and more, as well as Cryptocurrency.
Overstock partnered with Coinbase, a Bitcoin platform, to allow customers to use Bitcoin as a payment method.
Price Your Product Right!
Dynamic pricing is the adjustment of your prices according to analytic data of your performance and your competition. This requires you to keep in the loop for market trends and prices accordingly. By setting dynamic prices for your products, you can ensure you are asking for the right price at the right time.
12. Mobile Users are Growing & Growing
Use Search Console to test your website’s mobile-friendliness and make any optimizations needed.
13. Visual eCommerce is a Biggy
Using high-quality images is a must. You can’t go around this anymore. You not only need beautiful images for your products but also to create visually appealing ads on social media like Pinterest to redirect traffic to your online shop.
If you’re selling on a print-on-demand platform like Spring, use Placeit to customize your shop and stand out with amazing graphics!
Print on Demand: Dropshipping!
Dropshipping is a super popular form of print-on-demand business in which a customer places an order, and your supplier takes care of storing and shipping. No need for inventories; find out more on how to start dropshipping. Also, find out more about the differences between print-on-demand and dropshipping.
14. Invest in Cool Designs
Remember, you can always use a pre-made template tool to create stunning designs, even if you have no design skills or background!
Ask Your Audience What They Want from You!
Use social media to learn what your audience is looking for from you. The more you know and understand your audience, the easier you can sell and promote.
Constant Evaluation is Key
Keep a close eye on your customers, evaluate your product’s performance, and ask for constant feedback! There is no better way to improve your brand’s value than to track and analyze your performance in order to raise the bar!
Final Thoughts on This Year’s Print-on-Demand Business
If you are thinking this might be the time to start your own eCommerce business, you are right! 2022 promises an exciting year for all print-on-demand industry enthusiasts.
Is print-on-demand still worth it! Yes, definitely; however, it is no business for lazy people. You have to set yourself apart from the competition, offering value, creating a solid brand, and using effective promotion channels. Print-on-demand might be a touch-saturated market, but if you are smart about your marketing approach, you can really stand out from the crowd with a low-investment business model. To keep your products relevant, always keep an eye on market trends!
What are your thoughts? Got something to say? Leave a comment for us!
