What is print-on-demand and how it work?
POD is a great option – you don’t have to invest in expensive printing equipment or risk unsold products. A POD Service Partner takes care of the technical side of running an online business from fulfillment to delivery.
The on-demand part of this business model means that all products are only made and shipped when an order is received. This means that you pay for the product after it is sold, so there is no risk of creating a leftover product that no one will buy.
About choosing a niche.
Step 1: Choose your niche
A niche is a market segment defined by its own unique needs and interests.
You need to focus on a small group of people. Identify your interests and hobbies and use them as the basis for your niche. If you build your store around what you are passionate about, it will be easier for you to do business in the long run.
Step 2. Select Products
Choosing the right products is important for one simple reason: the quality of your final design depends on the product and its features. Here’s what to consider when choosing products for your store.
Starting Slowly
Think of a few products first, and add more as your current products start to sell. Wall art is a great place to start. The wall décor market is growing rapidly, with a value of US$60.7 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach US$78.5 billion by 2025.
When designing clothing, you must consider the type of fabric you choose, the transparency of the color in your design, and the color matching. However, with a product category like wall art, you will have more control over how the final design looks because there are fewer things that can affect the outcome.
Order product samples
Getting your own product samples is an investment to check the design layout, color and overall product quality.
Some print-on-demand companies, such as Printful, offer free samples. You can place one sample order per month, up to a maximum of three items, when you sign up with Printful. When you complete other milestones, such as reaching a certain number of monthly sales, you get more free samples!
Plus, you can use the samples to create amazing product photos and videos, or use them in giveaways.
There are other design tools out there you can use. Photoshop, there are budget-friendly design tools like Canva, Krita, and Photopea.
Two rules to keep in mind to make sure that the final result looks flawless.
Be careful with small details and tiny texts
If using a dark font on a light background, 5pt is the lowest size you should go for. Anything smaller than 5pt will be hard to read unless it’s all capitalized. When you have light text on a dark background, keep font size around 7pt or larger, if the letters are very thin.
If you’re in doubt about whether or not your text will be readable, print your design on a printer 100% scale.
Double-check if the DPI is high enough
DPI stands for dots per inch. Digital devices display images in pixels, and printers print images in dots. The more dots the higher the quality of the print, meaning—your final design will be sharp and detailed when it has a high DPI. You should aim for 150 DPI at least.
Step 4: Choose your eCommerce platform or marketplace
As an online store owner, you can either sell your products on an e-commerce platform or a marketplace.
An e-commerce platform is a single-seller website where the store owner sells only their products. A marketplace is a website where products from multiple vendors are compiled into one well-organized catalog. Think Etsy, eBay, or Amazon where you can pick products from a variety of different sellers.
There are pros and cons to each that you should take into account.
Marketplaces
Opening a store on a marketplace is pretty straightforward—you won’t have to build an entire website from scratch or worry about the technical side of running a store, like paying for a domain, setting up a payment processor, and so on. A marketplace is a great choice for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time on store setup and maintenance.
Keep in mind that in most marketplaces, there is little, if any, customization offered to individual brands. This makes it extremely difficult to build brand awareness and differentiate your business from your competitors.
Ecommerce platforms
When you run your own e-commerce website, you have total control over what it looks like, what it says, and how it works. Ecommerce platforms are an ideal option to grow your own brand. From store design to promotional emails, you control how your customers see you.
One of the drawbacks of a standalone website is that it’s more difficult to get your store in front of a large audience. Marketplaces like Etsy or eBay get millions of visitors, so if you open a store on an e-commerce platform, you’ll have to invest more time and money promoting your products.
Step 5: Promote Your Products
It’s time for marketing magic. While your POD provider and e-commerce platform or marketplace will help you with the technical side of running your store, you must promote your products. To increase sales, here’s what you need to do:
Create visually appealing product photos. If customers can imagine the products you sell, they are more likely to buy them. You can choose a product mockup or a photo shoot of your products.
Set up social media accounts. A strong social media presence will drive traffic to your store and increase sales. You can share all sorts of content on social media: product images, special offers, behind-the-scenes videos or photos of your designs, coupons, and so on.
Simplify the process of leaving product reviews. The more you show other people how they use and enjoy your products, the more likely it is that a new customer will be interested in your product. Product reviews from other buyers are proof that buyers can trust your website.
Learn internet marketing.
Last but not least, never stop learning! The world of online marketing is constantly changing and it’s always good to be one step ahead.
Final Thoughts
I hope reading this article has inspired you to create a beautiful product with POD. While creating your own design may seem like a daunting task, remember that there are resources available to help you! With thousands of graphics from Creative Market and a great tool like Printful’s Design Maker, creating a custom product is easier than ever.
/Tip shared by Marta Muižniece, Content Marketing Specialist at Printful./
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nata-shemshur
https://society6.com/artnatashemshur/all
https://www.redbubble.com/people/natastemshur/shop?asc=u
My Greet Card
Success in your business
Nata Shemshur
https://www.instagram.com/artnatashemshur/
#art #artcollector #acrylicpainting #artgallery #artist #artfair #artnatashemshur #video #print #artwall #printful
Art is life 
Leave a comment