In the dynamic print-on-demand business, success isn't just about creativity; it's a strategic dance of research, design skills, and e-commerce know-how.
I have learned quite a lot over the last twelve months. It has been exactly one year since I started my journey into e-commerce and truthfully, I made a lot of mistakes!!! But that's the beauty of this game of life, the mistakes we make are what makes us thirsty for success. They make up the mechanism that drives our motivation forward.
Here's my journey and the steps I take to turn designs into thriving products:
1. Market Research: Product Validation
Before diving into design creation, my initial step involves thorough market research. The goal is to ensure that every design created aligns with existing demand in its respective niche. It's about avoiding the effort of crafting products that might never find a buyer. There’s no sense in putting in the work if no one will purchase the item.
I’ve learned to do this through a couple methods that are both free to use though one of these also has several payment plans which help tremendously with research. I used the free plan for a long time, and it worked for me until I could justify the need for an upgrade!
- Etsy's Search Bar Magic
Etsy is a powerhouse for creators, and people looking for that special gift. In 2022, the company stated that the platform hosts 7.5 million active sellers and 95.1 million active buyers on the platform. Essentially Etsy is a specialized search engine.
With everyone collecting data since the early days of the internet, you can see how Etsy’s search bar can offer unique insights.
This method is pretty simple, I use the search bar as leverage by typing in what I want to research. As soon as I start typing something, suggestions of the top searches will show up. It's a goldmine for understanding what products are selling well and in any niche.
- A Tool To Analyze Successful Listings
After identifying potential trends, I explore the listings that appear on the first page of search results. I look at three major factors, high monthly revenue, low listing age, and high cart counts. Those listings become my focal point for inspiration.
To streamline this process, I turn to Everbee, a tool that allows me to quickly analyze around 70 listings and organize them as I see fit. This is a tool built specifically to work in combination with Etsy. It lets me have an inside look at other people’s listings. In a way it’s like spying!
I have not experimented with Everbee's full potential yet, but so far I.ve looked at a competitor’s full list of keywords, important SEO information, their monthly revenue, and how many people have that product in their carts. Since I’ve upgraded from the free plan my business has shown a great deal of growth and helped me create some evergreen designs that sell over and over again.
2. The Design Phase
With a clear understanding of market demands, I move on to the design phase. I happen to like designing and creating my own work. In this industry however, it isn’t a skill you really need… You can outsource your idea for someone else to design. Here, I use a variety of tools to create the images that will be printed (or die-cut) on different products.
Old School Designing
Canva and Photopea are my primary design/clean-up programs. One is a bit more like photoshop (and it’s free) while the other is a simplified version of an image editor, with all sorts of elements, shapes and images that can be used in your design simply by dragging them into the project you’re working on. I integrate AI wherever I see fit.AI Image Generation
Midjourney and Ideagram are the two image generators I use most, but in general AI images need some tweaking to get rid of imperfections and elements that don’t make sense visually. I send those images to photopea, fix everything I can, take out the background and eliminate unwanted elements in the design. I do have a few designs that were good enough to go live as they were, but not many.
3. Creating Products
Once satisfied with a design, I go back to the research I conducted earlier on because I need to know what products sell within my niche. I bring it to life by partnering with fulfillment companies that handle the printing (or cutting), packaging, and shipping aspects. I just love not having to hold an inventory!
- Production Partners
The job of a production partner is to fulfill the demand on your product. When it is set up correctly, the process is completely automated. As soon as someone purchases an item from my shop, the fulfillment company gets the green light to start producing the item. They sort of do all the work; print my design on the product chosen, package it, and send it to the customer.
I work with three companies, and they all have pretty different processes when it comes to creating a listing through them. One of them does not have a section in which I can put my keyword for optimization (SEO).
- Listing Products On Etsy
I start with the production partner. Some fulfillment companies have a comparable line of products, but it’s worth looking around to find the right company as some specialize in glassware or cutting boards for example. Eitherway the process involves selecting a product, uploading the design, and completing essential fields for the listing, including title, description, colors, and sizes. Typically the listing is published right at the source of the fulfillment partner and is populated on Etsy.
I have it all set up to populate in my "draft listings" over on Etsy. That way I can tweak all the parameters the fulfillment company doesn't touch, and add more images. The fulfillment companies I work with all have mock-ups I can use with the product I pick, but it's not enough. I want some product placement images that will pull people in.
There some important things I should point out. Etsy has very tight policies for the sellers. One is about production partners, we need to tell Etsy (within the listing) which production partner we're using. There's the obvious infringement rule.. just don't use other people's design especially not Disney and the such. And your mock-up images must be of the actual item you're selling.
- Mock-Ups, Listing Refinement, SEO
The journey doesn't end with design; like I mentioned earlier, close attention is given to creating captivating mock-ups (product placement images). Mock-up are images of products which have the ability to digitally import a design, and make it look like a photo of the actual finished product was taken.
This is where studying successful listings is part of my playbook—mimic the strategies that work, and strive to do it better. The same goes for the tags and keywords used for the listing. This includes the title and description because SEO is as important as creating something people want to buy.
For example Etsy looks at the first 5 words in your title to match customer searches, so it's in my interest to have a title that is as close to what my customer base would type into the search bar.
4. Advertise and Be Seen
After I publish a listing on Etsy a couple things happen. First Esty tests your product by giving you a little boost in “visibility”. And Second, I use Etsy’s internal advertisement system.
New Listing Boosts
I’m not really clear as to how exactly this is done. I couldn't find anything from Etsy, but most people report a boost in views after listing a new item. It could be because of a few different factors in the algorithm. There’s the idea that a new listing will rank higher in searches to see if it has demand (because remember, Etsy wants you to sell… That’s how they make money). When someone favorites your shop, they will get a notice when you list something new.Advertise on Etsy
Leveraging the internal advertising system is crucial. I start small, the aim is to secure a spot on that first page of search results to maximize visibility. It’s a loop, the more your listing is seen the more potential it has of being clicked on. The more clicks and sells it gets, the higher it will rank, the higher it ranks, the more people see it, giving it that feedback loop.
The algorithm is set up for Etsy to make as much as they can through our listings. So if there’s demand for your product they want it to be seen. The idea with advertising is that we can trick the system a little. It gets your listing to be shown on the first page of searches and the cycle can begin right away.
The beauty of it is that it’s only advertised right on Etsy, in the same marketplace you’re trying to sell.
5. Beyond the Basics: Marketing Tools and Strategies
While this overview touches on the essentials, there's a deeper layer involving email marketing tools and Etsy's internal automated services. It’s to my advantage to keep looking into this kind of thing because the more I can do to have the right people see my products, the more I sell.
Etsy’s Automated Customer Messages
This is a tool that targets customers who've favorited listings, abandoned carts, and even offer thank-you discounts to encourage repeat purchases. It is something I had to set up on Etsy, but it’s all right there and can be turned on individually. While you can choose which message Etsy sends, you cannot change the message.
Every time I hear the “favorite” notification coming from my Etsy app I get a little boost in dopamine because I know soon that listing will sell. Etsy offers a 10%Off discount in the message, and it does make people come back or become first time customers quite a bit, so I mark my prices accordingly.Everbee’s Email Marketing Tool
Everbee is an awesome research tool, but on top of that it has recently also become an email marketing must-have and it is geared specifically to work with Etsy. They have an email campaign template built for customers on four different occasions that allows me to create a funnel grow an email list.
These emails are sent at very strategic points throughout the customer experience. One is a thank you email, the next is when the product is shipped, another when it arrives and the last one a few days later to ask how they like it. I can customize these emails as I wish, so each one has a reminder to join our mailing list (for exclusive promotions, monthly giveaways, and special surprises). The last email is a more about asking for a product review on Etsy… Because as we all like to look at reviews before we buy something, it’s the same on Etsy.
The rest of Everbee’s email marketing tool works like any other. The difference is that it’s already integrated with Etsy and so I can easily plug in best selling listings, or any other listing from my shop with images and links with the click of a button.
The Short List for Success
1. Researche what sells (find a good niche)
2. Create quality designs/products
3. Understand Etsy's algorithms.
4. Be seen
5. Build an mailing
6. Rinse and repeat.
Final Words
The beauty of print-on-demand is its accessibility. With just an internet connection and a computer, anyone can embark on this entrepreneurial journey. While it's possible to start with no upfront costs, patience and dedication become the currency for those opting for a more time-intensive approach.
Success in print-on-demand is about mixing research, creativity, and savvy e-commerce strategies. With diligence, dedication, and a strategic mindset, anyone can navigate this e-commerce world, turning passion into profit.
I’ve been in it part time for one year and I’m still learning tons. I was all over the place in the beginning, but eventually I found my niche and that’s where I’m staying for a while. My goal for this year with this business is to triple last year’s revenue.
The hardest piece in all of this was starting. If I did it, you can do it too! So get out there and do you!