Launching or expanding a print business can be scary but; with the rise of excellent eCommerce platforms, such as WooCommerce, and innovative web-to-print product designer plugins, setting up your print-on-demand store has never been easier.
So, if you are a beginner thinking of tapping into the print-on-demand industry or an aspiring entrepreneur thinking big, you are at the right place because this guide will help you establish your WooCommerce print-on-demand online store in a way that you will embrace success in your printing journey.
Print-On-Demand Industry & its Road Ahead
Printing days that required large upfront investments or inventory are long gone. Today, with the introduction of the Print-on-Demand business model, the entire printing scenario has been flipped. Thanks to its nature, businesses and individuals need not have to invest in pre-production and storage as printing and customization happen only when the customer demands.
The future of the print-on-demand (POD) market appears incredibly promising, with an expected value of $10.73 billion by 2025 and a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 10.53%. This presents a highly profitable opportunity for business owners and entrepreneurs to embark on their own ventures. Consequently, the POD industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, and the outlook for the future remains highly optimistic as well.
How to Setup a Print-On-Demand Store?
Since you might be convinced by now that the future of print-on-demand business is bright ahead, here’s the groundwork that you must do to ensure a successful venture
Step 1 – Start by understanding your target audience’s preferences and needs. Identify a specific niche or market segment that you can cater to effectively.
Step 2 – Decide what popular products like t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and phone cases you will offer in your print-on-demand store.
Step 3 – Gather the required equipment like printers, heat presses, and cutting machines if you plan to do in-house printing. If not, explore the option of drop shipping printing.
Step 4 – Research and partner with reliable print-on-demand suppliers who can fulfill your orders with quality products and timely shipping.
Why Choose WooCommerce as Your Print-on-Demand Store Platform?
Catering to small to larger-sized online merchants, WooCommerce is a widely-recognized, free open-source eCommerce tool built on WordPress, the world’s most popular content management system. It is a free plugin that enables eCommerce capabilities and creates a complete online store with enhanced features.
With so many competitive eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, Squarespace, Wix, etc., in the market, deciding upon one can be daunting. However, WooCommerce is a step ahead of all when it comes to creating a print-on-demand store because, in comparison to other options, it offers what every print owner needs in the simplest way possible.
Reasons why WooCoomerce is wooing hearts all over:
● WooCommerce seamlessly integrates with WordPress, making managing your store and navigating its interface quick and easy.
● The user-friendly interface and management tools of WooCommerce make it easy to add products, manage inventory, and process orders without any technical assistance. Unlike BigCommerce, which some users find more complex.
● WooCommerce benefits from a large and active community of users and developers where you can find extensive documentation, tutorials, and forums to help troubleshoot issues and optimize your store.
● WooCommerce provides a high level of flexibility and customization options which a platform like Squarespace lacks when compared. You can choose from a wide range of themes and plugins to tailor your store’s design and features according to your specific needs with WooCommerce.
● WooCommerce is designed to scale your business. Whether you’re starting small or planning for significant growth, WooCommerce can accommodate your needs. It can handle a large number of products, transactions, and traffic without compromising performance which you may find difficult on a platform like Wix.
● WooCommerce is free to use and gives you the freedom to choose your hosting provider with affordable options to fit your budget. While, Shopify, a hosted solution, charges additional monthly fees for less customization.
● The SEO tools and add-ons provided by it are intended to bolster visibility in search engine results, thus improving the likelihood of attracting organic visitors and potential customers.
● WooCommerce’s built-in analytics and reporting tools help you understand your store’s performance as well as track sales, monitor customer behavior, and identify areas for improvement.
● With WooCommerce, your store will look and function well on smartphones and tablets thanks to responsive designs and optimized mobile experiences.
In general, WooCommerce is a comprehensive, flexible solution that gives you complete control over how you manage and build your print-on-demand store, unlike Magento which requires more technical expertise than WooCommerce due to its steep learning curve.
Guide to Start a Print-On-Demand Business Using WooCommerce
It is proven above that WooCommerce offers an excellent platform to support your goals if you want to start a print-on-demand business or expand it. Now, let’s see what steps you need to take to shape your WooCommerce print-on-demand store.
Step 1 – Choose an easy-to-remember domain name and a reliable hosting provider that offers WooCommerce support.
Step 2 – Install WordPress, followed by the addition of the WooCommerce plugin to your website.
Step 3 – Enhance the user experience and functionality of your print-on-demand store by adding other necessary plugins such as a payment gateway, shipping, and an SEO plugin.
Step 4 – Select a WooCommerce-compatible print-on-demand plugin that provides the specific features you need. Research and choose a plugin that offers print product customization, order management, and seamless order fulfillment.
Install the DesignO Web to Print WordPress plugin from within your WordPress dashboard: https://youtu.be/-I4FYysV2Bc
Step 5 – Configure general store settings, including store name, address, and currency. Set up appropriate currency conversions for international customers. Integrate a reliable payment gateway plugin to securely process customer payments. Set up shipping options and rates based on your print-on-demand products’ dimensions, weight, and shipping destinations.
Step 6 – Choose a WooCommerce theme that suits your print-on-demand business requirements. Customize colors, fonts, logos, and other visual elements of your chosen theme to create a unique and appealing store design and brand identity.
Step 7 – Configure the print-on-demand merchandise in WooCommerce, specifying product names, descriptions, pictures, and costs. Make sure that the product information is a true representation of the customizing prospects (e.g., shade, size) and offer clear directions to customers. Calculate your gains and establish sensible rates for your items. Introduce pricing regulations such as bulk reductions, promotional deals, or special discounts for frequent buyers to increase sales and motivate repeat orders.
Step 8 – Enhance the personalization aspect of your print-on-demand store by using the WooCommerce Product Designer Tool to create pre-designed customizable templates that customers can personalize with their own text, images, or artwork, and preview them before making a purchase.
Step 9 – Optimize your product pages for search engines by using relevant keywords, writing unique meta titles and descriptions, and ensuring proper URL structures. Include high-quality product images and optimize them by adding alt text that describes the image content to improve visibility and accessibility for search engines and visually impaired users.
Step 10 – Thoroughly test your store’s functionality, including product ordering, checkout process, payment processing, and order fulfillment. Optimize your store by analyzing customer behavior, monitoring conversion rates, and making improvements based on data-driven insights. Check the speed and performance of your website to ensure quick loading times, as slow websites can lead to higher bounce rates and lower conversions. Verify that your store’s design is responsive and optimized for mobile devices, as a significant portion of online traffic comes from mobile users.
Step 11 – Utilize order management features and notifications provided by WooCommerce to stay informed about incoming orders and keep customers updated on their order status. Maintain clear communication and coordination with your chosen print-on-demand service providers to ensure timely order fulfillment and minimize errors. Establish a customer support system to handle returns and exchanges, and regularly monitor customer feedback and reviews to address any concerns and continuously improve your store’s performance.
Step 12 – Implement analytics tools like Google Analytics to track and analyze your store’s performance. Regularly review sales data and customer behavior patterns to gain insights. Based on the data analysis, implement strategies to boost sales and improve conversion rates. This may include optimizing product pages, running targeted advertising campaigns, or offering special promotions to attract customers.
Step 13 – Continuously expand your product offerings to attract a wider range of customers. Identify new niches or market segments to target and create designs or products tailored to their interests. Implement strategies to build customer loyalty and encourage repeat sales. Offer incentives such as loyalty programs, personalized discounts, or exclusive content to reward and retain your existing customers.
Step 14 – Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to attract customers to your print-on-demand WooCommerce store. Utilize various channels such as social media, email marketing, content creation, influencer collaborations, and paid advertising to reach your target audience.
In Conclusion
Launching or expanding a print-on-demand business using WooCommerce is an accessible and lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs but it requires careful planning, execution, and ongoing optimization. With this ultimate blueprint, you have learned how to set up your store, integrate essential plugins, customize your theme, add products, optimize SEO, manage orders, analyze performance, and scale your business.
Thus, by following these steps and continuously improving your strategies using WooCommerce’s flexibility and extensive features of online design tools, you can create a unique and successful online store that meets the needs of your print-on-demand business.
