13 Mistakes People Make With Print on Demand Merch

Print on Demand (POD) merch gives anyone the power to sell custom merchandise and earn a profit with extra hassles (printing, shipping, fulfillment). All you have to do is customize your products and effectively market to your audience. However, the path to a successful POD business isn’t without its potential pitfalls.

Common and avoidable mistakes prevent a lot of people from meeting their merch goals. Understanding and addressing these issues is crucial for any POD business to achieve long-term success. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into the top 13 mistakes people make in the POD industry. We’ll also offer solutions to help you achieve long-term success!

1. Just Think Merch is Nice to Have

Social media is a vital tool for your POD business. You need to use it daily as a marketing channel for your merch to help drive growth. The power of platforms lies in their ability to connect directly with your customer base.

A common mistake people make is treating these platforms as secondary to the main business. However, in the digital age, they are often the frontline of customer engagement and brand representation. How will users become educated about your POD business otherwise?

What to do instead: Develop a comprehensive social media strategy that encompasses consistent content creation, customer interaction, and paid advertising. Use analytics to track engagement and tailor your strategy to what works best for your brand.

Remember, each platform has its own nuances and audience preferences; tailor your content accordingly. It’s important to regular update your followers and make them feel like they’re apart of your POD business. Behind-the-scenes looks, new product launches, and interactive content on your socials fosters a community around your brand.

2. Lack of a Defined Niche or Identity

Many POD sellers make the mistake of trying to cater and appeal to everyone. In a saturated market, specificity is your best friend. Find a niche that you’re passionate about and allows you to create a unique space with your brand. This makes it easier for your target audience to find and connect with you.

What to do instead: Identify your passions and expertise areas — this could be anything. There are all types of POD businesses that thrive. Next, research the market to ensure there’s an audience for your niche. Use this information to craft a brand identity that resonates with your target demographic.

This includes your brand’s tone of voice, visual style, and overall messaging. Consistency across all platforms and products strengthens your brand identity and helps build trust with your audience.

3. Don’t Understand Your Audience

A deep understanding of your audience is critical in creating products that sell and crafting messages that resonate. Without this understanding, your products might miss the mark, resulting in low sales and low engagement rates. Knowing your audience goes beyond simple demographics; it involves understanding their values, interests, challenges, and motivations.

What to do instead: Use social media and customer feedback to gain insights into your audience’s needs and preferences. Create buyer personas to visualize your typical customers and tailor your marketing and product development to suit their preferences.

Have regular engagement with your community. Ask for comments, generate interactive polls, and respond to direct messages. This can provide invaluable feedback and help you build a product line that truly resonates with your audience.

4. Bad Quality Merch Designs

The visual appeal of your merch is often the first thing a potential customer will notice. Poorly designed merch can turn customers away before they even consider making a purchase. Investing in high-quality, professional designs is non-negotiable for a successful POD business.

What to do instead: When drafting ideas for your merch designs you need to consider the message you want to communicate with your designs. Make sure that they fit and are cohesive with the overall aesthetic of your brand. If graphic design isn’t your thing, consider hiring freelance designers or utilizing professional design services.

Canva is a free and easy tool that’s beginner-friendly. They have a wide array of graphics and fonts to help you create high-quality merch designs. Just download your designs as JPG or PNG files and customize products in your shop.

If you’re still struggling on your own, find a professional designer that suits your needs and can help fulfill your vision. Freelance services like Fiverr have thousands of designers waiting for design requests to come in. Paying a flat-rate fee for designs that have the potential to sell and resonate with your audience is worthwhile.

Use customer feedback and sales data to understand which designs resonate most with your audience. Remember, what you personally like may not always align with what your customers want; put their needs first.

5. Drop All Your Designs at Once

Releasing all your designs at once can overwhelm your audience and leave you with no new content to engage them with later. This approach also makes it difficult to analyze and understand which designs resonate the most with your audience.

What to do instead: Develop a content calendar to plan your merch drops strategically throughout the coming months or year. This can align with seasons, holidays, or events relevant to your niche. Tease upcoming releases to build excitement and use feedback from each drop to improve on future designs and marketing. Consider creating limited-edition releases to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

Our recommendation: Drop 1 to 2 new designs a month to keep your audience in the loop and drive traffic to your shop.

6. Neglect Quality Control

The quality of your products is a direct reflection of your brand. Customers expect high-quality, durable items that are worth their hard-earned cash. Neglecting this aspect can lead to dissatisfied customers, negative reviews, and high return rates.

This can be detrimental to your business’s reputation and longevity. People don’t want to purchase from someone they can’t trust; the customers needs should come first.

What to do instead: Establish a stringent quality control process. Select reputable POD suppliers with high-quality production standards. Order samples of your own products to assess quality firsthand to help you make an assessment.

Stay up-to-date with customer feedback on the quality of the products they’ve received. Address any quality issues with your supplier immediately and consider switching suppliers if problems continue to persist.

7. Overlook SEO and Online Marketing

Many POD businesses underestimate the power/potential of SEO and online marketing. You can’t rely solely on the visibility of sales platforms and social media for longtime success. Optimizing your online presence for search engines can increase your visibility and bring more organic traffic to your store.

What to do instead: Research keywords related to your niche and incorporate them into your product descriptions, and content. Utilize SEO best practices on your website to improve its ranking in search results. Consider starting a blog related to your niche to drive more traffic to your site and establish yourself as an authority in your field.

8. Ignore Customer Service Concerns

Exceptional customer service can set your POD business apart from competitors. Many online businesses lose sight of the importance of human interaction and responsive customer service. This can lead to unsatisfied customers and cause potential damage to your brand’s reputation.

What to do instead: Implement a clear, easy-to-find, and responsive customer service system. This can include a FAQ section on your website, a dedicated customer service email, and live chat support. Train yourself or your team to handle inquiries professionally and efficiently.

It’s important to always follow up with customers to ensure their issues have been resolved. Having satisfied customers is top-priority.

If you don’t have time to handle customer service, find a POD providers that has their own customer service team. They’ll work on your behalf to address order or product concerns to find a solution.

9. Inadequate Pricing Strategies

Pricing your products correctly is crucial for ensuring profitability while still being attractive to your customers. Incorrect pricing can deter potential buyers or cut into your margins.

What to do instead: Conduct thorough market research to understand the pricing landscape within your niche. Consider your costs, including production, shipping, and any additional fees, and then add a reasonable profit margin. Don’t forget to factor in promotional offers and discounts.

Regularly review your prices to ensure they remain competitive and profitable.

10. Fail to Adapt and Evolve

The POD industry is ever-changing, with new trends and customer preferences emerging constantly. Sticking rigidly to your original plans without adapting to market changes is a recipe for stagnation and decline.

What to do instead: Stay informed about industry trends and shifts in consumer behavior. Be open to experimenting with new product types, designs, or marketing strategies. Collect and analyze data from your sales and customer feedback to identify what’s working and what isn’t. This proactive approach allows you to adapt your business strategy effectively to meet the evolving demands of the market.

By understanding and avoiding these ten common mistakes, you can position your Print on Demand business for success. Remember, a successful POD venture requires more than just creative designs. It demands a strategic approach to niche selection, audience understanding, marketing, and customer service.

With dedication, adaptability, and attention to detail, you can build a thriving POD business that stands out in the crowded online marketplace.

11. Ignore the Importance of Brand Storytelling

One of the most overlooked aspects of a successful Print on Demand business is the power of storytelling. A compelling brand story can connect emotionally with your audience, and allow you stand apart from competitors. This helps build long-term customer loyalty. However, many POD sellers focus solely on their products without conveying the story behind their brand or the inspiration behind their designs.

What to do instead: Craft a compelling brand narrative that encompasses your mission, values, and the unique aspects of your journey. Share this story through your website, product descriptions, and social media platforms. Incorporate storytelling into your marketing campaigns, highlighting the people, ideas, or causes behind your products. Engaging your audience with a narrative that resonates with them can transform passive shoppers into passionate brand advocates.

12. Fail to Leverage Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is an invaluable resource for any business, yet many POD entrepreneurs fail to capitalize on it. Whether positive or negative, feedback provides direct insights into your customers’ experiences, preferences, and pain points. Ignoring this feedback can lead to repeated mistakes, unsatisfied customers, and missed opportunities for improvement and innovation.

What to do instead: Actively seek out and encourage customer feedback through surveys, reviews, and social media engagement. Monitor and analyze this feedback to identify common themes and areas for improvement.

Show your customers that their opinions are valued by acknowledging and responding to their feedback. Implement changes based on customer insights to refine your products, improve customer service, and enhance the overall shopping experience.

13. Neglect Upselling and Cross-Selling Opportunities

Upselling and cross-selling are effective strategies for increasing the average order value and boosting overall sales. However, many POD sellers miss out on these opportunities by not suggesting related products or upgrades to their customers. This oversight can lead to lost revenue and lessened customer engagement.

What to do instead: Develop a strategic approach to upselling and cross-selling by identifying products that complement each other. Consider offering premium versions of existing products. Highlight these opportunities on your product pages, in your shopping cart, and during the checkout process.

Use targeted email campaigns to promote related products to customers based on their purchase history. By making relevant suggestions, you can enhance the shopping experience while increasing your revenue.

We hope identifying these common mistakes makes it easier to navigate the POD world and set your merch shop up for success. Finding a niche you’re passionate about is a core pillar to your POD business. This makes it easier to connect with your audience and allows you to have fun while you earn with your merch!