What are some effective strategies for running a successful print-on-demand store?

[2-b]

Using a print-on-demand service might be easier than managing your own inventory, but there are some considerations unique to this approach that you should be aware of. Luckily, for most of the challenges, you’ll face, there are creative solutions.

1. Always order samples
Quality assurance is essential when you’re using print-on-demand services to sell online. It's always possible that something gets lost in translation from the design you see on your screen to your printed product. But you can just reach out to your vendor's customer support for advice on how to fix any issues.

You want to ensure your physical product looks and feels as you intended, and the best way to do that is to be your own customer so you can experience first-hand what it’s like to receive your products. Some services, like Printful, even offer a sample discount of up to 20% off or free shipping, so be sure to take advantage of that if it’s available.

Beyond ensuring product quality, samples are also good to have on hand for making your own product photos for your website and social media profiles.

2. Be strategic about shipping
Even when you’re not shipping products yourself, shipping still offers some complexity in the form of shipping times and costs and setting the right expectations with customers.

You’ll want to be sure that you’re accounting for printing times when it comes to shipping. Whatever the shipping times are, be sure to add anywhere from 2 to 4 days for production, or more depending on the product.

Always be upfront about shipping times or you’ll wind up with a support inbox full of shipping questions. Outline what to expect on your FAQ page or consider creating a separate Shipping page to explain shipping to customers.

3. Create mockups or watermark that show off your products

While models can help you snap compelling photos of your products, mockups are also an effective alternative and will be a prominent part of your product pages.

Many print-on-demand services can help you create your own mockups, showing your products on a person or as a flat lay. But there are other services and plenty of free mockup templates that can also bring your products to life.

Besides, a store of POD is indispensable as a watermark. With a beautifully designed and creative watermark, maybe this will be the part to help you impress your viewers strongly. In addition, the copyright stamping on the product image is also considered a creative highlight of your store.

Refer to the Super Watermark app to be able to mass attach watermark to product images.

4. Focus on a niche to make marketing easier

Marketing is what ultimately determines the success of your business. But if you're targeting everyone, you're not really marketing to anyone. That's why focus is so important, regardless of the tactics you employ.

Having a clearly defined audience (e.g. dog owners) can actually help you create products that are in demand, lower the costs to acquire customers, and maximize your potential profits because your targeting decisions will be that much more precise.

Better yet, if you can build an audience of your own through marketing, you can create a permanent asset for your business even if your products change.

Source: Shopify blog, Super Watermark

[2-b · Accepted solution]

For example, a POD store uses the Super Watermarks app to protect product images

[harry-kewell]

Hi @2-b 

Awesome, thank you for sharing.