Custom white-label items are the foundation of print-on-demand businesses, which work by collaborating with a supplier to create products that are then sold under their own brand on a per-order basis.
T-shirts, baseball caps, and tote bags are all popular items for print-on-demand. When it comes to this business, it has expanded by 12% in the last four years. It’s a proven strategy that’s gaining traction.
Use of Shopify
Creating an internet store to sell your print-on-demand products is the only major hurdle in getting started, especially if you are not tech-savvy. Shopify, on the other hand, streamlines the process.
When you use Shopify, you can quickly create an attractive online store. After adding your products, you can connect with white-label suppliers.
Shopify stores look great, and the examples below will motivate you to get your own online store. See this print-on-demand website tool from Placeit by Envato to help you get started.
1. Famous IRL
Laughter and shared interests can be found in pop culture, which is a pleasant phenomenon. Famous IRL (In Real Life) uses these pop culture-based designs to highlight the individuality and interests of their clients.
Learning Outcomes
Photographs in a slideshow
Pictures of your products are essential if you want customers to decide whether they should buy them. Famous people in real life are well aware of this, as seen by a gallery page showcasing examples of their charms in action.
Having a gallery on your website allows you to display all your products in an appealing and user-friendly manner.
Have a product that is a mystery
It can be difficult to buy a new shirt when there are so many designs to choose from. Because of this, Famous IRL offers a mystery shirt option, in which you can buy a shirt from their collection and have it mailed to you at random.
What could it be? It’s exciting to find out and adds a fun twist to the sale.
This is a great opportunity to give your customers a mystery product you pick. It’s all about having a good time and incorporating the brand’s sense of humor.
2. The Happy Givers
Non-profit POD store The Happy Givers sells clothing and accessories. They raise money for The Happy NPO, which builds homes for underprivileged people in Puerto Rico.
Learning Outcomes
Use of the store to help another business
To be successful, these NGOs rely on the support of other nonprofit organizations with similar goals. As a result, if one nonprofit is a success, the other will follow suit.
Try to include your other business interests in your POD ventures. This makes it even easier for your customers to help you in more ways.
Use an incentive system for ambassadors
People that are most invested in your brand should be recognized and rewarded.
As a result, customers may receive exclusive products or discounts to promote your company’s goods on their own.
It’s a terrific opportunity to share your achievement with those who helped make it happen, and you can be in charge of what they can and can’t do.
3. GearBunch
Women’s yoga trousers and leggings from GearBunch are well-known. It was a research project to find the best workout pants. But as it turns out, finding the solution to that question can be lucrative.
You can decorate most of the leggings because of the large surface area available to deal with. They are popular because of their focus on workout pants and giving them a unique style.
Learning outcome
Images of the products
For example, if you look at a legging’s photograph, customers will be able to see how the garment looks, which helps them decide whether to buy it or not.
Many products only have a frontal view when you see them. With this concept, sellers can show more views of it from different perspectives. The purpose is to give customers a better idea of how it would look in real life.
4. Black Fathers Exist
A single father by the name of Charles founded the Black Fathers Exist. He was fighting against the stereotype that African-American communities lack father figures. All because of no parental obligations, which he thought was offensive.
Aware of the unfairness of this thinking, Charles wants to show the world that his culture’s adults can be supportive and responsible. To prove to their children that they are good fathers, they’ve designed t-shirts with their names and images on them.
Learning outcomes
Have a strong message to convey
Emotions are a part of every great story. There were so many cliches about forsaking a new family. Charles was fighting that notion. Demonstrating it through his network of African American fathers who are always there for their families.
Talking about the things that frustrate you in your field might also help you convey a powerful message.
Have a simple way to go about
When using any website, you’ll have to click around on buttons to arrive at your desired result. The header of Black Father’s Exist is basic and orderly, making it easy to browse and buy their designs.
Make it easy for visitors to identify the most important pages on your site by making your header as simple as possible.
5. Afro Unicorns
Founded by a single African-American mother. Afro Unicorns aims to give people a sense of belonging via their clothing by drawing inspiration from motherhood as well as women of her culture.
Because of their coherent designs and compelling message of support for other women like her, they have been able to achieve success. There are many advantages to apparel, including a community-driven effect that can help the company achieve its goal.
Learning outcomes
Expressive and powerful wording
Words like Unique, Divine and Magical fascinate Afro Unicorn. They were able to tie in their theme of unicorns and empowerment for women of color with their identity.
That’s because it makes their intended audience feel better about themselves. It allows them to wear their clothing and trust in the power of sense magic.
Consistency in Color
The browns and blacks used by Afro Unicorns are striking. They used reds and blues to enhance the vibrancy of the brighter hues in comparison to the darker ones.
You can do this by limiting the use of particular hues, such as red. Your customers will notice this hue when you have something essential to say in your store. You won’t have to use capital letters or other methods of expression.
6. Ferris Built
After losing her event production company due to COVID-19, Lindsey had to review her life, so she started Ferris Built.
Inspired by current events and concerns affecting women, she used her artistic talents to begin her own clothing line, utilizing POD to create a catalog she could be proud of.
Learning outcomes
Make your ‘why’ clear
This indicates that businesses aren’t running for the sake of producing money; they do so for a variety of reasons. As with COVID-19, Lindsey’s story is around grief and adjusting to a new way of life.
Ferris Built stands on the premise that stories about people overcoming difficulty are popular.
Assisting a worthy cause
A business isn’t what people want to support. They want to support people who are making a positive impact with their business. Ferris Built is a good example of a company that has a commitment to raising public awareness about issues such as autism and mental health.
Autism Empowerment will receive a quarter of its revenue, which is a big part of its brand perception that helps you feel like your money is spent on a good cause.
Bottom Line on Print-on-Demand stores
With this information, you should be able to pinpoint exactly what made these six successful POD businesses so profitable now.
They are not just simple stores but some of the top print-on-demand Shopify stores on the internet. It’s likely that the success of these sites is due to the fact that they all offer simple, smooth, and excellent user experiences.
It’s crucial to note that not all the features discussed here are available in every store. Most of the time, there is a lack of awareness of the problem. one of the solutions may not be beneficial or connect with their goals.
Find out what works for you, as well as what your customers want, and go from there! Also, don’t be scared to try new things; this is a journey, not a destination.
Valeria Santalla is a content marketer that loves to write helpful marketing insights for all kinds of business owners. She currently collaborates at Placeit, one of the largest logo maker and design template libraries on the internet.
