It’s hard to believe that you can launch an eCommerce business with minimal up-front investment, zero on-hand inventory or a place to store your items.
But, that’s the beauty of print on demand business ideas (aka “POD”). Whether you’re a designer looking to sell your art on t-shirts, or a musician looking to sell custom merch—POD offers a low-risk way to get started.
In this article we’ll cover all the essential steps of building a print-on-demand business. From sourcing the right products to listing them for sales, here’s what you need to know.
You, the seller, are responsible for providing the design for these items and listing them to a sales channel.
Meanwhile, your POD partner provides you with a catalog of items to choose from, and usually offers a mockup generator so that you can design your products exactly as you want.
What is print on demand?
Print on demand is when you work with a print on demand dropshipping service to design, sell and ship custom items.
You, the seller, are responsible for providing the design for these items and listing them to a sales channel.
Meanwhile, your POD partner provides you with a catalog of items to choose from, and usually offers a mockup generator so that you can design your products exactly as you want.
Be inspired by our guide to print design.
Creating and selling custom products has never been easier. With Wix’s on demand printing, powered by Printful, you can design and launch personalized apparel, accessories, home goods and more—made to suit any style, niche or need. No extra tools, no complex setup. Just pick a product, upload your design and start selling—all from your Wix dashboard. With seamless Printful integration, you get a streamlined way to build, brand and sell—without ever leaving Wix.
01. Choose your niche
Your print-on-demand business can’t be all things to all people. That’s why the first step is choosing the right niche for your business.
A niche may include people in a certain profession (like nurses or teachers), folks who share a particular passion (like foodies or yoga enthusiasts), or people who participate in shared activities (like cyclists or pet owners).
You’ll want to be as specific as possible about your niche, while still reaching an audience that’s wide enough to let you earn profits. For example, you may want to sell to wine enthusiasts. But rather than targeting everyone over the age of 21 in the U.S., you may hone in on millennial moms who enjoy wine. This will help you to better define products, styles, and campaigns that speak directly to your buyers.
You may already have an ideal niche in mind. If not, here are several good places to start your research:
- Scroll through your social media feeds: See what’s trending on TikTok or Twitter. Or, participate in Facebook Groups or Reddit forums to immerse yourself in conversations among potential buyers.
- Ask the internet: Leverage free tools like Google Trends to gauge interest in particular topics. Keep an eye out for trends that show steady growth over a multi-year period, versus those that are short-lived fads.
- Do keyword research: SEO software like Moz or Semrush can help you measure the amount of search traffic that shopping-related queries attract. Similarly, a solution like JungleScout can help you gauge interest and sales for items based on data from online marketplaces like Amazon.
- Do a product search on popular marketplaces: Read product descriptions and reviews on Etsy, eBay, or Amazon and get intel into who’s buying what on each platform.
- Follow your competitors: Visit competitors’ websites and catalogs. See who they’re targeting with their products and use that as a way to shape your own messaging or to identify a niche that’s not currently being served.
02. Decide what to sell
There’s a chance that you landed on this blog with a certain product, like t-shirts, in mind. But POD platforms will give you access to a plethora of other items: hoodies, leggings, caps, water bottles, or smartphone cases (just to name a few).
For more inspiration, here’s a list of the top print-on-demand products to consider selling.
It goes without saying that the products you choose should be tightly aligned with your niche. If you’re targeting people who enjoy yoga and mpreditation, your product line may include full-print yoga pants, mats, and towels. If you’re creating products that appeal to beach lovers, you may choose to put your designs on beach chairs, blankets, and swimwear.
Another option: offer sustainable products. Eco-friendly and ethically-sourced items are especially appealing to today’s Gen Z consumers. Several print-on-demand suppliers offer a range of eco-friendly printed products, from apparel to lunch totes to pillowcases.
