The global print industry is growing at a massive scale. A Smithers report states that the global printing market is predicted to be worth $821 billion by 2021. The technology being used is also changing, with digital storefronts and online ordering facilities (known as web-to-print) becoming the new norm.
This has given birth to the marketplace model, which several eCommerce giants are following successfully. For instance, Amazon has two separate commission models for larger vendors and vendors with less than 40 products for sale.
Airbnb, the hospitality giant, charges commissions from hosts who wish to offer their properties out for rent. And Etsy, the niche products seller, provides shipping to its vendors and charges relatively low commissions to encourage newbie sellers.
In the print industry context, web-to-print offers itself as the ideal way to replicate the marketplace model. The innovative technology enables you to set up an eCommerce storefront and have multiple vendors offer and sell custom print-ready templates for various products to a wide range of customers.
Before we discuss integrating the web-to-print solution with your eCommerce marketplace storefront, let us first discuss the products to boost your sales.
Print products that can be sold in the marketplace model
1. Standard signs
Signs can promote campaigns and generate awareness and are popular with businesses, property owners, parking lot owners, and local governments. Your print business can offer customizable templates with standard fonts and images already in place to edit as needed using the product design software. The designs can then be printed in appropriate sizes and a variety of materials.
2. T-shirts
In the pandemic age, comfortable loungewear is more popular than ever, and customizable T-shirts are a favorite, especially with millennials. Your print business can offer quirky designs that reference the quarantine life and enough templates for buyers to personalize their own T-shirts using the t-shirt design software.
3. Masks
Face masks have become an integral part of our lives in the pandemic era, which gives print businesses the perfect opportunity to turn them into a fashion statement. Individual customers will appreciate masks in quirky, unique designs, while corporate customers may want to buy them in bulk to promote a campaign or only the company logo.
Therefore, why not get multiple vendors to make a sale on your marketplace and ensure everyone gets to wear a mask customized by them?
4. Posters
Easier to manage and cheaper to commission than signs, posters are another way to get the message out. Individual customers may also order posters with quirky or funny text to hang up on their walls.
Posters can be offered in a variety of sizes and printed on durable paper or cardboard. Plus, it will be easier for them to personalize them with the product design software as per their liking and of course, budget.
How to integrate your web-to-print solution with a marketplace model
Credit: DesignNBuy
Trust us – as a leading provider of web-to-print solutions for the past decade, we say with surety that the technology will make it easier for you to reach a broader target market and drive more excellent sales in a short period.
1. Maximise your workflow efficiencies
A web-to-print solution allows you to work simultaneously with multiple vendors and enhance your customers’ shopping experience.
A single admin panel allows your vendors to keep track of all their orders. At the same time, the systematic backend system lets your team members communicate and coordinate better to help sales happen.
Most leading web-to-print solution providers such as Design’N’Buy can also tailor the solution to suit your specific business requirements.
2. Give your vendors a branded storefront
An attractively designed storefront instantly catches the customer’s eye and encourages him or her to browse more. Offering your vendors smart online storefronts is an excellent way to enable them to join your platform, as they do not have to invest extra effort in setting up their website.
Some features that you can offer in a web-to-print storefront are mobile responsiveness, multiple currency payment options, advanced browsing, testimonial pages, shipping integration, and recommended products.
Set up your vendors to hit the ground running as soon as they become a part of your marketplace model and start selling from your storefront.
3. Offer a top-notch design library
While many customers may be keen to design their products from scratch, many others might prefer to use existing templates and images. Thus, you should have a comprehensive library of designs to pick from so that every customer can find something to like.
Be sure your product design software includes basic editing functionality even for these ready templates, such as color changing or text editing.
Many businesses lose sales simply because customers do not find what they are searching for, so be sure to invest in a web-to-print solution that provides you with an extensive library of photos, clipart, and fonts that will delight your buyers.
4. Nudge your customers to buy more
In a day and age where eCommerce is the norm, customer expectations are sky-high. They assume that every online store they visit will have attractive designs, a smooth user experience, affordable prices, and fast delivery.
In this regard, small things that you do to improve the customer experience will help you stand out in their minds and encourage them to buy from you.
For instance, you could offer quick 3D previews of what their chosen design will look like on a T-shirt or mug on your product design software. You could also upsell them at checkout time with a premium version of their chosen product or an add-on product such as a matching poster or tote bag.
5. Enable faster order fulfillment
With a robust web-to-print solution, order assignment and tracking become easier for your customers. Your vendors can also review orders and track their production promptly.
With error-free automation and expedited delivery, customers can be delighted time and again by their purchases, which will encourage them to keep coming back and thus keep vendors motivated to serve them better. Everyone wins!
Wrapping it up
In short, the web-to-print marketplace solution model is the ideal way to provide your customers with the most extensive range of options and the best ordering experience when it comes to print products.
With tailored web-to-print solutions available and almost unlimited functionality, this is undoubtedly the way to go if you want your customers to keep returning for more and your vendors to keep growing by selling more on your storefront.
If you are looking for a web-to-print marketplace solution ideal for your business, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
