Shopify Print On Demand Guide & Best POD Apps

Did you know you can start a successful online business on Shopify without worrying about inventory or finding local manufacturers? With Shopify Print On Demand, you can sell custom products with your own or your customer’s designs and make money without taking risks or facing any hassles.

For this reason, we will dive into the exciting world of Shopify Print On Demand, showing you how to transform your creative ideas into a successful online store.

What Is Shopify Print On Demand? How Does It Work?

In a nutshell, Shopify Print on Demand is a hassle-free way for sellers to offer custom products with their designs without holding inventory. It’s cost-effective and risk-free, and the best thing is that it lets you experiment with different products.

Furthermore, it is straightforward: you upload your designs to your store and let a print on demand company do the rest.

For example, when someone orders a product, like a phone case with your design or logo, you only pay once the customer pays for the product.  Your print-on-demand partner handles printing and shipping for you.

Why You Should Start A Print On Demand Shopify Store

Print on Demand is a business model where unique designs are printed on items like t-shirts, mugs, and books only when someone places an order. This means you don’t have to keep an inventory of pre–printed items, saving you money.

It’s perfect for entrepreneurs who want to sell custom products without spending much money upfront.

Did you know that the Print on Demand market is growing rapidly? It’s currently worth $5.4 billion, but by 2032, it will be valued at over $43 billion.

This growth is due to the increasing popularity of personalized products that people can order online. As the digital store industry continues to expand, more and more people are looking for unique items that reflect their style or interests.

This is why many entrepreneurs choose Shopify for their Print On Demand stores: It’s highly profitable and user-friendly, and you don’t need coding skills to create a professional online store.

In addition, you can customize your store with many themes, add-ons, and excellent resources, making it unique and attractive to customers. 

To summarize, the reasons why you should start a Shopify Print on Demand store are the following:

• Easy to Start: Jumpstart with user-friendly platforms, ideal for beginners
• Low Investment: Start with minimal financial commitment; pay only when products sell
• No Inventory: No storage hassles
• Higher Profits: No inventory costs + competitive pricing = Profit margins

How To Start Your Shopify Print On Demand Business

Starting your Shopify Print on Demand store is easy. Here’s a guide to help you launch your store smoothly, from finding your niche to spreading the word about your unique products.

Find Your Niche

You must first pick the right niche, which is crucial for success. By doing market research, you’ll understand your audience, helping you choose a niche smartly.

Moreover, there’s a wide array of profitable niches to explore, from Phone Cases to Swimwear, Fashion, Home Decor, and more.

In summary, choosing a niche helps you stand out and design products that appeal directly to your target audience. 

Choose Your Products

With your niche in mind, it’s time to decide on the products you‘ll sell. It is crucial to highlight that your products must align with your selected niche, creating a better connection with your clients. 

For instance, here are some popular categories to kickstart your product selection:

• Apparel: T-shirts, hoodies, baby and plus-sized clothes
• Home Decorations: Mugs, wall art, and wallpaper are great options
• Accessories: Phone cases and calendars can be interesting

Creating Your Designs

Now that you have your niche and products figured out, it’s time to create some fantastic and one–of–a–kind designs. For inspiration, you can check out Pinterest or use Canva, which has ready-made and customizable designs.

In addition, it’s important to note that you shouldn’t use logos or images without permission. If you need more confidence in your design skills, consider partnering with a freelance designer to help create designs that resonate with your audience.

Moreover, your designs need to be of high quality for the best print results. Otherwise, the prints can come out very blurry. Most print on demand suppliers even won’t accept low-quality artwork.

Build Your Shopify Store

Now that we have our target audience and products, it is time to launch our online store.  The key is to pick a visually appealing platform that reflects your values and appeals to your audience, in this case, a Shopify store.

Starting your online store with Shopify is easy! Go to their website and click “Start Free Trial” to begin. They even offer a free month trial, so you can test it before committing.

Enter your email or sign in with your business Facebook or Apple account. Then, just follow the easy-to-understand instructions to continue.

To start your online store quickly and hassle-free, go for the AutoDS AI-pre-built Shopify store with winning products. This option uses advanced AI to pick the most successful products, which can help you enter the market quickly and with an advantage over your competitors.

Just click “Use AI pre-built Shopify Store,” and they’ll handle everything. You’ll get a fantastic website with excellent products that will sell well. It’s the perfect way to set your store up for success!

Market Your Shopify Print On Demand Products

If you want your store to be visible and attract traffic, you must actively market it. Here are some user-friendly tips to help you get started:

• Use social media platforms like TikTok to connect with users and organically promote your products 
• Ensure your products are visible in relevant search results with Google Ads to reach those actively searching in your niche 
• Collaborate with micro–influencers at the beginning of your journey to reach their audience and add credibility
• Offer discounts or promotions to attract buyers and boost sales with urgency or exclusivity
• Engage directly with your audience through personalized emails with email marketing 
• Create content through blog posts, videos, or infographics about the products that you offer
• You can also use the power of AI with tools like ChatGPT to generate unique content for your store, email newsletters, or social media posts. This can save you time and effort in crafting every piece of communication.

You can learn new and excellent marketing strategies that will help you attract and keep customers for your store.

Tip: You can use the AutoDS POD Feature, allowing you to add your logo or design easily. It is as simple as picking the product you want to personalize and uploading your art, and you’re all set.

Best Selling Product Ideas For Your Shopify POD Store

Here is a list of best–selling products you can consider adding to your Shopify Print on Demand store. By following these ideas, you’ll be off to a great start and have a better chance of making your customers happy.

Let’s dive into some great examples that you can start with:

Print On Demand Phone Cases

Offering print on demand phone cases on Shopify can be a great way to increase your sales since they are a popular accessory many people enjoy changing frequently.

Looking at the Google Trend chart, it’s clear that phone cases consistently remain in demand all year round.

However, there’s a peak in interest during November and December. This suggests phone cases are popular throughout the year and make great gifts during the holiday season, especially around Christmas.

Diving deeper into the trend, we find that “phone cases” is a hot search on Google, especially in the USA. This means there’s a lot of interest and potential for attracting visitors to your store.

Print On Demand Hoodies & Shirts

Hoodies are incredibly popular and versatile clothing items that appeal to a broad audience, making them a staple in many wardrobes.

In addition, you will be able to have a quick response to trends by being able to customize the hoodies you offer.

People in the US love hoodies; as you can see, the keyword is super popular, and many users search for it online every month. 

Moreover, interest in hoodies spikes towards the end of the year, particularly in November and December. This makes them an excellent product to offer for the holiday season. It’s a cozy and popular gift choice.

T-shirts are a universal favorite.  You also have more flexibility in design offerings, making it easy to keep up with trends, seasonal changes, or special events.

Like hoodies, t-shirts also follow a popularity pattern, but with a critical difference: they enjoy a more consistent demand throughout the year.

When we compare t-shirts and hoodies, we can see that both are popular among buyers all year round. However, hoodies tend to be most popular towards the end of the year.

For instance, shoppers opt more for hoodies when the weather is colder in December and January. 

Print On Demand Bedding Clothes

Bedding is something that people use to make themselves comfortable and show off their taste. It’s a very personal choice for shoppers.

You can offer many styles, colors, and designs to cater to people’s preferences. For example, this can range from simple, plain designs to more elaborate and colorful ones.

In addition, customized bedding clothes can also make for a great gift or add a special touch to someone’s home decor, making it look even better.

According to the Google Trend chart, people’s interest in bedding clothes changes yearly. Some months have more interest than others.

In addition, it is interesting to note that people’s interest in bedding clothes increases in June and continues to rise until October.

There could be many reasons, such as changes in the weather making people want to switch to more comfortable bedding or because the seasons are changing and people want to update their home decor.

Print On Demand Mugs

Everyone loves mugs. They can be found in almost every home and office. They hold our favorite drinks and can show our personality or inspire us.

In addition, you can choose from countless designs, such as catchy phrases, inspiring quotes, custom artwork, or personal photos.

Furthermore, personalized mugs make great gifts for any occasion, whether a birthday, holiday, or other occasion.

Mugs are always in demand, so they sell well throughout the year. People search for mugs online, especially in the US, where they have a lot of interest.

The Google Trends chart shows that mugs are always in demand, and their popularity doesn’t decrease.

There’s a slight increase in demand in the last few months of the year due to the holiday season, when people buy mugs as gifts because they’re practical and easy to personalize. But overall, mugs remain popular throughout the year.

Print On Demand Footwear

Shoes are a must–have for daily life. They combine practicality and style, and people love to add new and unique pairs to their collections.

You can offer a variety of styles and designs, from casual sneakers to fancy shoes, all personalized to match your customers’ varied preferences.

Many people in the USA search for “footwear,” which means they like shoes for all sorts of occasions – like sneakers or fancy shoes. 

Furthermore, India would be a great option if you consider selling shoes outside the US. People in India really like shoes, even more than in other countries.

Selling footwear online is great because there are only so many sellers. This means you can stand out and make a name for yourself.

If you sell high-quality shoes that can be customized with unique designs through Print on Demand, you can set yourself apart from others.

Of course, the best part is that you don’t have to worry about managing inventory or handling product customization using platforms like AutoDS Print on Demand feature that easily integrates with Shopify stores.

Tip: Check out this complete guide on The Best-Selling Print On Demand Products For 2024; it will help you better grasp what to offer in your dropshipping store.

Top Shopify Print on Demand Apps & Tools

AutoDS Dropshipping & POD

AutoDS is a fantastic all-in-one dropshipping solution that enables you to automate everything in your store, from sourcing to fulfillment.

In addition, you can dropship from significant suppliers like Amazon, Alibaba, and AliExpress. This will save you time, make your brand visible, and expand your store, getting clients worldwide.

You can sell unique, custom-designed products with the AutoDs Print on Demand feature.

Their Print on Demand section is organized into categories like accessories, decorations, and printed clothing apparel.

Moreover, adding your design is also easy – simply click on the product you want to customize, upload your logo or design, and you’re done.

You can learn more about fantastic Print On Demand Products in the AutoDS article, which will be published soon.

Benefits of AutoDS Dropshipping & POD:

• Automates store operations from sourcing to fulfillment with an all-in-one solution.
• Enables dropshipping from major suppliers like Amazon, Alibaba, and AliExpress.
• Helps save time, increase brand visibility, and attract global customers.
• AutoDS Print on Demand allows the selling of custom-designed products.
• Organized categories for accessories, decorations, and printed clothing apparel.
• Easy design upload: click the product, upload your design, and complete customization.

Apliiq ‑ Print On Demand

This app helps you design and sell high-quality clothing made by professionals, increasing your sales and profits. It takes care of everything from creating the product to ordering and shipping to save time.

In addition, you can save money and plan better because you only pay when you sell something. Plus, if you’re running a store in the USA, you can take advantage of fast shipping.

Benefits of Apliiq:

• Design and sell professional-quality clothing to boost sales and profits.
• Streamlines process from creation to shipping, saving you time.
• Pay only when you sell, aiding in budget management.
• Offers fast shipping for stores based in the USA.

Printify Print on Demand

With this app, you can customize a massive range of products quickly. Their free Mockup Generator lets you whip up unique designs to sell, whether clothing, accessories, home decor or something else.

Furthermore, you can tap into a worldwide network of print providers handling printing, packaging, and shipping straight to your customers.

Benefits of Printify:

• Quickly customize a wide variety of products.
• Use the free Mockup Generator for unique designs in clothing, accessories, home decor, etc.
• Access a global network of print providers for printing, packaging, and direct shipping to customers.

Gelato Print on Demand

Gelato is a platform that makes it easy for creators to get their products made and shipped without worrying about managing inventory.

In addition, with Gelato, you can place an order, and it will be automatically routed to the closest printing facility, so you don’t have to worry about anything. Plus, no minimum order is required.

Benefits of Gelato:

• Simplifies product creation and shipping for creators without inventory management.
• Orders are automatically sent to the nearest printing facility for hassle-free processing.
• No minimum order requirement, allowing for flexibility in order volume.

ShineOn Print On Demand

ShineOn is an app that allows you to find good quality print on demand products like personalized jewelry, necklaces, bangles, watches, and more.

In addition, your orders zoom out quickly from the USA and EU. They also get a training program from their support team to use the app better.  

Benefits of ShineOn:

• Offers high-quality print-on-demand products such as personalized jewelry, necklaces, bangles, and watches.
• Fast order fulfillment from the USA and EU.
• Includes a training program from the support team for optimal app usage.

Printful Print On Demand

Printful is a print on demand dropshipping partner. They handle fulfillment, printing, packaging, and shipping your products to your customers.

Printful allows you to create custom packaging to add a personal touch to every order with branded pack-ins, packing slips, and more. 

Benefits of Printful:

• Provides full-service fulfillment, printing, packaging, and shipping.
• Enables custom packaging for a personal touch, including branded pack-ins and packing slips.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Print On Demand Dropshipping Allowed on Shopify?

Absolutely! You can use Print On Demand dropshipping on Shopify, a popular and well-supported business model on the platform. Shopify works excellently with many services like AutoDS, Printful, Printify, and more, making integration easy.

Which Is The Best Print On Demand Company?

When picking a Print On Demand company, there are many things to consider. You want to make sure their products are high-quality, they ship things out quickly, and it’s easy to use their platform. AutoDS is usually thought of as a tool for people who do dropshipping, but their Print on Demand feature is great for anyone who wants to sell things online. 

Is Shopify Print On Demand Profitable?

Yes! Shopify Print On Demand can be a great way to make money. What matters most is choosing the right niche, high-quality products, and doing a great marketing job. Plus, you don’t need to keep inventory with Shopify Print on Demand, which is a huge benefit.

Conclusion

Setting up a Shopify Print On Demand store is more than just a business venture; it’s a creative outlet that turns your ideas into tangible products people love.

Furthermore, incredible tools and platforms, such as AutoDS, are available today, allowing you to automate your whole dropshipping store and easily customize your products with their Print on Demand feature.

In the long run, with dedication, creativity, and some strategy, you could be Print On Demand’s next big success story.

If you want to learn more about how to start and operate a successful dropshipping store, make sure to read the following guides:

• Print On Demand 101: A Full Guide To A Successful Start
• How To Get Products For Your Online Store Like A Pro
• 35 Shopify Dropshipping Store Examples to Learn From