Spooky season is officially over and the Holidays are nearly here!
If you want to make some extra money for gifts (for loved ones or yourself, we don’t judge), opening up a print on-demand shop is a great idea. You don’t have to worry about storing inventory and shipping out your own products with print on-demand. We take care of all that. All you have to do is upload some awesome designs and start promoting your products!
Holiday merch is some of the hottest selling items all year. Custom-printed funny T-shirts, ugly Holidays sweaters for parties, cozy socks, and ornaments are just a few of those must-have items, especially when they’re made to order!
See why you should be selling print on-demand merch this season.
Make Sales AND Please Your Family!
Holiday merch is a big crowd pleaser and there are a lot of opportunities to make sales. Between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31, there are at least 13 gift giving days!
But your merch isn’t going to sell itself; you’ve got to promote it on your socials. Instagram offers Reels and carousel posts that allow you to showcase multiple images. TikTok is another place to show and promote your merch in quick video format. Use trending songs in your videos so the algorithm will boost your content. Capcut is a great video editing tool that allows you to easily cut clips, add music, and more.
All of these socials are great places to attract a new audience hungry for Holiday gifts and quality merch.
Custom gifts searches have grown by 60% in the last couple of years.
Customized gifts are prized by their recipients and feel extra special. We know giving a gift card is easy, but it doesn’t look like you put in any effort. People want to feel special and will love that you made something just for them! Capitalize on that by opening up your shop.
The opportunities are limitless when it comes to products, too. You can offer everything from hoodies and t-shirts, to coffee mugs, decals, and hats. There’s literally something for everybody. Pets, too!
Platform Options
If you’re concerned about upfront costs, platforms like Spreadshop and SPOD are FREE to use.
You’ll need an e-commerce platform like Order Desk or Shopify to connect to SPOD, and each have a small monthly cost. But a few sales will quickly pay for the monthly subscription fee. With Spreadshop, everything is built into the platform, which allows you to start selling in minutes! Learn more about the difference between Spreadshop and SPOD to see which one is right for you and your merch needs.
What about designs?
Spreadshop and SPOD both come loaded with FREE designs you can use on your merch. It’s easy to grab an image and customize it with the Customize Tool.
If you don’t want to use these options, try FREE design programs like Canva or Stencil. These apps are great to get you started and spark your creativity. They have thousands of images, graphics, and text options you can use to make your merch completely your own.
Once you’re up and running, you can event try to find a local designer to help with designs. Or use a service like Fivver where designers are ready and waiting to bid on projects, like making custom merch designs.
Artists, Bands, and Creators
Artists, bands, and creators can make special merch for the Holidays, too. 90s grunge rock legends Pearl Jam make a Halloween shirt for their fans every year. That makes one collectible item that brings buyers back again and again.
If you’re in a band or are an artist, your fans want to support you, and this is a great way to earn their support. Create something that resonates with your audience and speaks to them. Your fans truly want to support you. Why not create a New Year shirt while you’re at it?
Some Final Thoughts
Don’t try to make your merch about everything under the sun. Stick to a few classic designs and find your niche when you start. That’s especially important during the Holidays when everyone is looking for fun, specific gifts for their loved ones. We know you can’t disappoint with a good cat sweater, but if it doesn’t match your style or product, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to sell.
At the end of the day, sell what you love. Discover your niche, and what your audience wants. It’s not rocket science. It’s just T-shirts, so have fun with it!
