From Ideas to Profits: Is Print On Demand Worth It ?

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the online e-commerce market has been rapidly developing and its momentum is unstoppable. This not only includes the surge in sales of epidemic prevention supplies, but also the explosion of consumer demand for daily household goods.

Taking the United States as an example, let's look at a reliable statistical data from Statista: The following chart shows the trend of the proportion of online e-commerce in overall retail sales in the United States from the 1st quarter 2010 to 1th quarter 2023.

It is not difficult to see that the turning point appeared in the first quarter of 2020, when the pandemics began to spread. Its proportion soared from 11.4% in the first quarter to 15.7% in the second quarter, a quarter-over-quarter growth of 37.72%. Although it fell back later, it was still much better than the market in 2019 (according to reliable data from eMarketer, the scale of the US online retail market was already 623.9 billion US dollars in 2019).

This trend will continue to strengthen and expand in the next few years, and the dividend period will still exist.

Where to start ?

I would like to introduce a very trendy industry. which is low-cost, low-risk, suitable for Beginners to try low-cost and rapid trial and error. You can also leverage your strengths and gain experience from it.

This is the Print On Demand model. It is very popular nowadays, and the United States is the largest market for POD business. According to The Deloitte Consumer Review, more than 50% of consumers are interested in buying personalized products for themselves, friends, and family, and more than 20% of consumers are willing to pay 30% more for personalized or customized products.

In addition, Google Trends data shows that the search volume of the keyword "Print on Demand" is on the rise, which indirectly confirms the overall demand and strong response of consumers to print on demand products.

What is Print On Demand?

Print on Demand (POD) is an on-demand production e-commerce model that differs from traditional product design, production, and sales processes. With print on demand, production and transportation only occur after the consumer pays for the purchased product.

This means that there is no need to purchase product in advance, stockpile inventory, occupy cash flow, or expend a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources before actual sales occur. The highlight of Print On Demand is zero inventory, Zero Fulfillment Efforts, low investment and low risk, so everyone can quickly test new designs and products in combination with market trends. And there is more time to focus on promotion.

Some of the best print on demand products include T-shirts, hats, masks, phone cases, mugs, pillows, canvases, tote bags, greeting cards, photo albums, and so on. Different POD suppliers have different product focuses that support print on demand.

PrintKK has more than 900 products that you can put your ideas on. and we does all the heavy lifting – printing, packaging, and shipping the final product directly to your customer's doorstep.

It is worth mentioning that, unlike ordinary Dropshipping with highly similar products and intense competition, Print on Demand competes through personalized and customized products, effectively avoiding price wars. All you need to do is create eye-catching designs.

If you happen to work in a design-related field, then you already have the most core strengths of this model - creative design.

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How does print on demand work

There are currently two types of print on demand models:

Model One: Print On Demand Marketplace

Suitable for: Designers, Artists, Anyone who can use basic design tools.

Also known as the pure design mode, you do not need to be involved in any product procurement, logistics, customer service and other sales links, because the on-demand printing market will help you fulfill these operations. And all you need to do is create, upload your designs and receive corresponding rewards when sales are generated.

Therefore, whether you are a designer who wants to create a permanent passive income, or a boss with investment vision who solves design problems through outsourcing, the on-demand printing market will be a platform where you can fully demonstrate your strengths.

Related marketplaces include Merch by Amazon, Redbubble,Zazzle, etc. These platforms come with traffic and gather a large number of high-quality customer resources. Good designs can attract global consumers' attention, while you only need to focus and play in your best field-design.

Model Two: Print On Demand Service

Suitable for: Designers, Artists, Blogers, Influencers

After becoming familiar with the first model of the print on demand market, many friends want to further improve and create their own business by establishing an print on demand brands.

By cooperating with POD suppliers, they allow you to sell your own branded products on your website or through third-party marketplaces such as Amazon and Etsy.

For example, with PrintKK integrations, if a buyer purchases a personalized hoodie in your Amazon or Etsy store, the relevant order information will be directly synchronized to the PrintKK system, and then we will complete a series of operations such as printing, production, packaging, and delivery of the hoodie.

Therefore, you can start your eCommerce business at a low cost, low risk, and quickly without the need to pre-purchase any inventory. You only need to pay the purchase and fulfillment costs of the relevant goods when real sales are generated.

Is Print on Demand Profitable?

Many of my friends (mostly designers) have achieved passive income ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per month, and it's truly "passive income": the platform algorithm helps good designs sell better without requiring any additional time or effort (since it doesn't involve any product procurement, logistics, customer service, etc.).

In comparison, some designer friends who take orders on crowdsourcing platforms are severely underpriced, have to revise their work to the point of doubting their lives, and only earn hard-earned money on a project-by-project basis with no compounding value. Additionally, Switching back and forth between different clients and projects is not conducive to long-term growth or the creation of one's own career.

However, it's important to know that not only designers can work in this industry. With the development of technology, creating images has become simpler. Websites like CANVA and PIXLR can easily transform your ideas into high-quality designs. Additionally, with the development of AI, this process is becoming even simpler day by day.

So the most important thing is finding a niche market and generating ideas.

Summary

Overall, the trend of customized products is still on the rise. However, before starting your own business, it is important for you to carefully plan by conducting research, selecting a good niche market, and trying our best. Success is always possible with effort.I hope this article has motivated people who want to use their skills to create passive income with minimal cost and risk, and build a business from it.