Launching a new print-on-demand product on your online store? The excitement is real, but so is the challenge. To ensure you don’t get lost in the maze, I’ve crafted the ultimate guide for you: a print-on-demand product launch checklist.
With this product launch checklist, navigating the bustling avenues of the print-on-demand business becomes a breeze. Whether you’re exploring who your potential customers are or mapping out a marketing plan—I’ve got you.
Ready to start this journey on the right foot? Let me show you the way!
Table of Contents
1. Do audience research
This is one of the most important steps during your product launch journey. Through market research, you’ll uncover online shopper likes, challenges, and buying behaviors. Analyze your audience thoroughly, as you’ll need to return to these findings further down the checklist.
Social media can be your compass in this part of the adventure. Use these channels to follow trends, initiate polls, and engage directly with your target audience. It’ll help you understand the needs and pain points of the people most likely to buy your product.
This clarity ensures your product resonates right where it should, eliminating the risk of launching to an indifferent crowd.
2. Craft your product idea
With the insights from your market research, it’s time to bring your print-on-demand product to life. Audience research and social media findings should be the backbone of your product idea.
Think of it as solving a puzzle. You’ve identified what your target audience desires; now, shape your print-on-demand product to fit those preferences.
For example, you noticed that your audience is becoming more sustainability-conscious. That signals the need to add an eco-friendly product to your catalog. And, if it aligns with your brand, the design could also include a nod at eco-awareness.
Source: Printful
By truly understanding your target audience, you set the stage for a product they’ll love and want to buy. If you already have an established connection with your audience, don’t hesitate to ask them directly. You’ll get exact ideas for products your customers want, and they, in turn, will feel heard.
3. Choose product blanks and a supplier
Before venturing into designs, think about the base. Even the most captivating design will fail if printed on the wrong product.
In the print-on-demand business, t-shirts and hoodies often take center stage. Why? Due to their universal appeal across all ecommerce niches. If you want these as your new product, research the best t-shirts and hoodies for printing. Look into:
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Customization techniques—DTG printing will be best for photographic images, while all-over printing will complement large-scale designs and patterns
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Materials—DTG prints look best on cotton, while all-over printing is better on polyester blends
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Reviews—look for products with positive feedback, highlighting qualities your audience wants (check in with your market research findings!)
Next up, find a trustworthy supplier. It’s crucial for maintaining things that keep your customers happy: product quality and fast deliveries.
To explore different print-on-demand products, check out our guides:
4. Create product designs
Once you’ve got your product idea, blank, and supplier, it’s time for the most fun part of the adventure. The designs!
However, if you find yourself in a creative dead end, here are some clues for drawing your next inspiration:
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Check what’s trending—look into what’s gone viral on social media or creating a buzz on runways
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Come back to your target audience—align your design with their interests, needs, and style
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Go with the season—tailor your design to upcoming holidays
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Browse our ideas—when in doubt, check out our latest t-shirt design ideas, hoodie design ideas, and other style trend compilations
For the design process, pick the tools you’re most comfortable using. If you can navigate Photoshop blindfolded, great! But if you’re still new to the design landscape, check out our Design Maker.
We’ve got thousands of pre-made graphics to bring your idea to life. Build a design from the ground up, putting together clipart, text, and other elements. Or take the fast track and use our fully customizable Quick Designs.
Source: Vera Wang Bride
13. Gather and implement customer feedback
The launch journey is over. Time to reflect and gather learnings to make your next adventures even better. And much like in post-launch communication, your customer feedback is key.
One of the best benefits of print-on-demand is its flexibility. With traditional manufacturing, your product, or at least the first batch of it, is set in stone. If you make any adjustments, you still need to sell out the first version, or you’ll end up with dead stock.
But with print-on-demand, you can adjust and improve at any time without missing a beat. Check your customer reviews for any complaints about your products and see how you can improve the customer experience:
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Make clearer product visuals
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Add any missing details to your description
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Create an FAQ section for your product
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Tweak the design
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Update sizing info
When making changes, communicate them and thank your customers for their feedback. While, ideally, your product would’ve been perfect from the start, acknowledging the need to improve will humanize your brand and make you more relatable.
14. Analyze your product launch performance
After your product’s been live for a while, it’s time to see how it did. Post-launch analytics help you make sense of your product’s performance.
When it comes to analytics, some metrics stand out:
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Sales data—see how many sales you got and how your other product launches compare
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Conversion rate—measure how effectively you turned visitors into buyers
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Customer feedback—check how your customers rated the product and how it compares to your other items
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Traffic sources—where did most customers find you?
To measure this, you can use external tools like Google Analytics, built-in analytics on your ecommerce platform/marketplace, or data from your product supplier. If you fulfill your orders with Printful, go to Dashboard > Statistics.
Source: Printful
There, you’ll find data about:
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Average fulfillment time—use this to provide accurate order processing and delivery estimates to your customers
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Paid orders—see how many unique orders you had
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Total order costs—check how much you paid for fulfillment and shipping
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Profit—see how much money you made
Aside from sales performance, be sure to also check your social media analytics. This will help you finetune future marketing campaigns by picking the exact content your customers engage with.
Time to embark on your print-on-demand journey
With your checklist complete and a great product idea in hand, it’s time to start your print-on-demand adventure. From audience research to launch analytics, you’ve covered the basics.
Remember, this journey is about continuous growth. Stay connected with your audience, seek advice, and improve based on feedback and data. These insights will guide your decisions and shape your future product launches.
Best of luck!
