How to Start a Print-on-Demand Business on Shopify

Our content is reader-supported. If you click on our links, we may earn a commission. How we review.

Print-on-demand is a popular business model where you don’t have to carry any inventory. The print-on-demand provider prints and ships the product to the customer only when the order is made. Therefore, you don’t have to think about storing products, packing orders, or shipping stuff. In this blog post, I will show you how to start a print-on-demand business on Shopify. 

From $29 per month

Start a free trial & get three months for $1/mo

Starting a print-on-demand business can be a great way to make money online. You can start such a business with just a little upfront investment and no experience. Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that makes it easy to set up and run an online store.

What is Shopify?

shopify homepage

Shopify is an all-in-one commerce platform that makes it easy to set up, run, and grow an online business. With Shopify, you can sell products online, in person, and through social media.

Reddit is a great place to learn more about Shopify. Here are a few Reddit posts that I think you’ll find interesting. Check them out and join the discussion!

Shopify offers a wide range of features and tools that are designed to help you succeed, including:

  • A wide range of products: Shopify offers a wide range of products that you can sell, including t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, and more.
  • A user-friendly interface: Shopify has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to set up and manage your store.
  • Powerful marketing tools: Shopify offers a variety of powerful marketing tools that you can use to promote your store, including SEO, PPC, and social media marketing.
  • A secure payment processor: Shopify uses a secure payment processor to protect your customers’ information.

Shopify is a great platform for businesses of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. Shopify is also a great platform for print-on-demand businesses. With Shopify, you can easily set up an online store and start selling products without having to worry about inventory or shipping.

Shopify $1/month Free Trial
From $29 per month

Start selling your products online today with the world’s leading all-in-one SaaS e-commerce platform that lets you start, grow, and manage your online store.

Start a free trial & get three months for $1/mo

Here are some of the benefits of the Shopify platform:

  • Low upfront investment: Shopify is a relatively affordable platform to use. You can start a Shopify store for free and there are a variety of pricing plans to choose from.
  • No experience required: Shopify is easy to use, even if you have no experience with e-commerce. Shopify offers a variety of tutorials and resources to help you get started.
  • Flexible business model: Shopify is a scalable platform that can grow with your business. You can start small and then expand your store as your business grows.
  • Global reach: Shopify is a global platform that can be used to sell products to customers all over the world.
  • Powerful marketing tools: Shopify offers a variety of powerful marketing tools that you can use to promote your store. These tools can help you reach a wider audience and increase sales.

How to Start a Print-on-Demand Online Business

shopify print-on-demand

How to Choose a Print-on-Demand Provider

There are many different print-on-demand providers to choose from. When choosing a provider, you should consider the following factors:

  • The products they offer: Make sure the provider offers the products you want to sell.
  • Their pricing: Compare the pricing of different providers.
  • Their customer service: Make sure the provider has good customer service in case you have any problems, especially if it’s a drop shipping company.

How to Design Your Products

You can design your own products or use pre-made designs. If you are designing your own products, you will need to create high-quality artwork. You can use a variety of tools to create artwork, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Canva.

How to Set Up Your Shopify Store

Setting up a Shopify store is easy. You can create a free Shopify account and start setting up your store in minutes. Shopify offers a variety of templates that you can use to design your store. You can also add products, customize your store settings, and more.

How to Market Your Store

Once your store is set up, you need to start marketing it to potential customers. There are a variety of ways to market your store, such as:

  • Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO is the process of optimizing your store so that it appears higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  • Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: PPC advertising is a type of online advertising where you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
  • Social media marketing: Social media marketing is a great way to reach a large audience. You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your store.

Here are some tips for starting a print-on-demand business at Shopify:

  1. Choose a niche. It’s better to focus on a specific niche than to try to sell everything. This will help you target your marketing efforts and create a more cohesive brand.
  2. Do your research. Before you start designing products, make sure there is a demand for them. You can use tools like Google Trends and Amazon to research popular products and trends.
  3. Create high-quality designs. Your designs are the key to selling products, so make sure they are high-quality and visually appealing. You can use tools like Photoshop or Canva to create your designs. You can even explore using AI art generators to give designs,
  4. Price your products competitively. You want to make a profit, but you also don’t want to price your products too high and scare away customers. Do some research to see what similar products are selling for.
  5. Market your store. Once you have your products and prices set, you need to start marketing your store. There are a variety of ways to market your store, such as social media, email marketing, and paid advertising.
  6. Provide excellent customer service. No matter how good your products and prices are, if you don’t provide excellent customer service, you will lose customers. Make sure to respond to customer inquiries promptly and resolve any issues quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction.

Here are some additional tips:

  • Choose a reliable print-on-demand provider. There are many different providers to choose from. 
  • Use high-quality images. When you are designing your products, make sure to use high-quality images. This will help your products look their best and make them more appealing to customers.
  • Optimize your store for search engines. When you set up your Shopify store, make sure to optimize it for search engines. This will help your store appear higher in search results, which will lead to more traffic and sales.
  • Use social media to promote your store. Social media is a great way to promote your store and reach a wider audience. Make sure to post interesting and engaging content on social media and promote your products regularly.
  • Run paid advertising campaigns. Paid advertising can be a great way to reach a wider audience and increase sales. When running paid advertising campaigns, make sure to target your ads to your target audience and track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.

So, thinking about starting a print-on-demand business? Try out Shopify! It is a great platform that can help you make your dreams a reality. To get started, simply create a free Shopify account and start setting up your store.

Reviewing Shopify: Our Methodology

When we review website builders we look at several key aspects. We assess the intuitiveness of the tool, its feature set, the speed of website creation, and other factors. The primary consideration is the ease of use for individuals new to website setup. In our testing, our evaluation is based on these criteria:

  1. Customization: Does the builder allow you to modify template designs or incorporate your own coding?
  2. User-Friendliness: Are the navigation and tools, such as the drag-and-drop editor, easy to use?
  3. Value for Money: Is there an option for a free plan or trial? Do paid plans offer features that justify the cost?
  4. Security: How does the builder protect your website and data about you and your customers?
  5. Templates: Are the templates of high quality, contemporary, and varied?
  6. Support: Is assistance readily available, either through human interaction, AI chatbots, or informational resources?

Learn more about our review methodology here.

References

Mathias Ahlgren is the CEO and founder of Website Rating, steering a global team of editors and writers. He holds a master's in information science and management. His career pivoted to SEO after early web development experiences during university. With over 15 years in SEO, digital marketing, and web developmens. His focus also includes website security, evidenced by a certificate in Cyber Security. This diverse expertise underpins his leadership at Website Rating.

The "WSR Team" is the collective group of expert editors and writers specializing in technology, internet security, digital marketing, and web development. Passionate about the digital realm, they produce well-researched, insightful, and accessible content. Their commitment to accuracy and clarity makes Website Rating a trusted resource for staying informed in the dynamic digital world.

Share to...