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The dream of running a print-on-demand mega store is very real. It's a very low-cost type of business with super low overheads, and as a result, you can get quite high-profit margins. Hence, why the industry is really booming right now - it's really taken off in recent years.
But, before you get down to the nitty-gritty of actually creating your online store, you have to ensure that you're fully prepared for what's about to happen. In this article, we're going to go through the 10 steps you need to take before starting a print-on-demand business. The best print on demand companies all follow these steps. Here goes!
1. Decide What You Want Your Store To Be About
Before you even think about launching an online store, you first have to decide exactly what kind of business you want to run. What kind of products do you want to sell? Do you want to offer just one product or many? How much will you charge per item? These questions all help you determine whether you should start out selling only one type of product, or if you should create an entire catalog of items.
2. Choose Your Products
Now that you know what you want your store about, it's time for you to choose which products you'll sell. The good news is that when it comes to print on-demand products, there are literally thousands of different products available. So, you don't necessarily have to limit yourself to just one category.
However, you do want to make sure that you pick something that people would buy. If you're not sure what they'd buy, try looking at similar stores like Amazon or eBay to see what types of things they're selling.
And remember, there's no need to only sell t-shirts. These days, print on demand can be done on just about anything!
3. Avoid Copyrights And Check if Your Written Phrases Are Trademarked
If you're planning on using any written phrases or images from other websites, then you'll need to check if those are trademarked. This means that you won't be able to use them without first obtaining permission.
Thankfully, however, such things are usually something of a rarity, but it pays to do due diligence on this.
4. Get Your Domain Name And Website Hosting Ready
It's important to come up with a catchy name for the store that is easy to remember. And get in and buy that domain up before someone else beats you to it. Then you must choose a reliable company to host your website for you.
5. Create An Online Store
Now that you've decided what you want your store to be about, it's time to actually build it. This means choosing a platform, installing WordPress (or another content management system), choosing your template, adding some pages and categories, and then finally uploading your files.
6. Set Up Your Shipping Options
If you're planning on shipping your products internationally, you'll need to set up international shipping options. There are plenty of companies that provide international shipping services, but they usually come with extra fees. So, it might be worth considering using a company like Shipstation instead. They offer free worldwide shipping, plus you can track shipments, change delivery dates, and cancel orders.
7. Add Payment Methods
Once you've got your site ready, it's time to add payment methods. As well as accepting credit cards, you may also want to consider offering PayPal payments too. Although these days most people prefer paying via their bank accounts, PayPal still has its place. Plus, it's great for small businesses because it doesn't require them to pay any fees.
8. Start Drumming Up Interest
There are few things more motivating than a successful launch day. But in order to make that happen, you have to get people interested before the business takes off. This means running social media marketing campaigns and generally making a lot of noise.
9. Make Sure You Have Enough Stock
The last thing you want is to find out after launch day that you don't have enough stock to meet customer demands. This is why it's so important to plan ahead and get plenty of stock ready.
10. Launch Day Is The Perfect Time For Promotion
Launch day is the perfect opportunity to promote your new venture. It's when everyone will be looking at your print-on-demand store, so you should take advantage of that by getting your message across.
Then, finally, it’s just a case of the day-to-day running of your business!