Is print on demand profitable? (Strategies and business ideas)

Print on demand (POD) is a low-risk business model that can be profitable if planned and scaled smartly.

The POD sellers earning consistent income have cracked a simple formula: they choose markets before designs, price based on perceived value rather than costs, and treat promotion as seriously as creation.

To answer the big question, let’s start with the strategies that drive POD profits.

How to make your print-on-demand business profitable

Successful print-on-demand businesses start with people, not products. So, get to know your target audience: what they care about, what kinds of designs they like, and which products they’re most likely to buy. 

Then, focus on a small and relevant product selection instead of trying to offer everything. This helps your brand feel more focused and makes it easier to connect with the right people.

It’s also important to choose a reliable POD provider. Look for one with good product quality, fair prices, fast shipping, and dependable support. Since your provider directly affects the customer experience, delays or poor quality can quickly hurt your reputation.

After setting the groundwork, the next step is making your business financially sustainable. Let’s take a closer look at how you can minimize costs while maximizing your revenue.

Reduce costs for your print-on-demand business

Lowering your expenses is one of the easiest ways to improve profit margins in a POD business. Here are some areas where you can cut costs without sacrificing quality:

• Product costs. Source affordable but high-quality suppliers and materials. Even small savings on each unit can add up over time, especially if you’re selling in volume. Additionally, regularly evaluate the pricing from your POD provider and look for opportunities to negotiate better rates.
• Marketing costs. Minimize your ad spend by focusing on organic traffic, collaborations, and social media engagement. Building a strong content strategy for your ecommerce marketing can help attract buyers without paying for every click.
• Sample and testing costs. While samples are important for quality control, order them strategically. Test multiple designs in a single batch to cut down on shipping and production charges.
• Operational costs. Start with free or low-cost tools for tasks like email marketing and inventory tracking. You can always upgrade to premium software later as your business grows.
• Shipping costs. Offer standard shipping options when possible, and work with your provider to find the most cost-efficient delivery methods for your main markets.
• Hidden costs. Keep an eye out for less obvious expenses, such as fees for shipping delays, excessive returns, or order processing. Preventing these can save you money and improve customer experience.

Implement profit strategies for your print-on-demand business

Now that you understand how to reduce costs, focus on strategies that will help maximize profits. Here are some key ways to drive success in your POD business:

Find and dominate a niche

Focusing on a niche market helps you stand out and avoid heavy competition. By targeting a specific audience, you can create designs that speak directly to their interests, which builds loyalty and makes your brand more memorable.

The easiest way to find profitable niches is to look up ecommerce trends or monitor social media. This is also a great way to gather design ideas and align them with what’s currently popular.

While our list of top affiliate marketing niches might not be directly related to print on demand, it still offers valuable insights into their profitability potential.

Utilize your personal strengths

If you have strong design skills, unleash your creativity and craft custom artwork that truly stands out, like Ben Aqua with his POD store, b3naqua. If marketing is your strength, invest time in promoting your store through organic channels like social media and email campaigns.

By focusing on what you do best, you can make the most of your time and efforts. The results? Reduced costs from not needing to hire externally and more revenue by maximizing your impact without spreading yourself too thin.

Use an intuitive website builder

Just like leveraging your personal strengths, using the right tool can simplify your store’s setup and management, making your business run more smoothly.

Hostinger’s AI website builder aims to meet POD needs by offering a range of AI tools and easy integration with the popular POD service provider, Printful. Build your store, connect it to Printful, and start selling without coding. This leads to fewer errors, faster order fulfillment, and an overall better customer experience.

The builder also comes with features to help scale your store. For example, you can encourage purchases by offering free shipping and including the cost in the retail price, which appeals to over half of shoppers. The AI Writer tool creates compelling product descriptions in seconds, while AI SEO Assistance improves your site’s visibility on search engines.

These are just a few of the many tools available on the Business Website Builder plan for $3.79/month. With a 14-day free trial, you can try all the features and see if it works for you before committing.

Provide excellent customer service

Positive experiences go a long way in encouraging repeat purchases and driving referrals. Keeping customers happy not only brings them back but also sparks word-of-mouth marketing, which boosts long-term profits.

Here are a few ways to improve ecommerce customer experience:

• Personalize every touchpoint, from the moment they land on your homepage to the checkout process.
• Simplify checkout by reducing the number of fields customers need to fill out and allowing them to make a purchase without creating an account.
• Offer multi-channel customer support to respond quickly to inquiries.
• Optimize the post-purchase experience with clear order tracking and timely delivery updates.

Price your products the smart way

Setting the right price is one of the most important strategies for profitability in your POD business. If your prices are too high, you might scare off potential buyers. Set them too low, and you risk losing money or undervaluing your products. It’s about balancing product pricing to reflect quality while staying competitive in your niche.

A simple formula for a typical POD product is:

Product price = (Base cost + Shipping) × Markup percentage

Let’s say a t-shirt with a base cost of $12 and shipping of $4 totals $16. With a 50% markup, the price becomes $24.

Our guide on how to price a product offers more strategies and tips to help you determine the best price for your products.

Profitable print-on-demand business ideas for your store

Your profit strategies are only as effective as the products you choose to sell, which makes selecting the right niche and understanding your target audience crucial.

The types of products you offer should also align with your business goals. Are you after quick wins with trending products or focused on building long-term revenue with evergreen items? This groundwork turns guessing into knowing what will sell.

Here are some profitable business ideas worth checking out:

Idea	Example	Market longevity
Trend-based products	T-shirts featuring viral memes or popular TV show quotes	Short-term; sales spike quickly but might fade as trends change
Personalized or customized items	Mugs, phone cases, or notebooks with a customer’s name or photo	Long-term; high perceived value keeps them in demand
Evergreen products	Apparel, appliances, and wellness items	Long-term; consistent demand regardless of trends
Athleisure products	Yoga pants, hoodies, and leggings for everyday wear	Long-term; ongoing popularity as casual and activewear merges
Hobby-based items	Gaming-themed posters, accessories, or clothing for gamers or sports goers	Medium-term;  depends on the popularity of the hobby or community
Seasonal products	Holiday-themed mugs, ornaments, or t-shirts for Halloween or Christmas	Short-term; peaks during specific seasons each year
Motivational and inspirational products	Wall art, planners, or apparel featuring positive quotes and affirmations	Medium to long-term; steady interest from personal growth and gift markets
Eco-friendly products	Reusable tote bags or water bottles with sustainable designs	Long-term; increasing demand as sustainability trends grow

How to scale your print-on-demand business

Once your POD store is running and generating sales, the next step in securing profit is to scale your business. Unlike growth strategies, which focus on increasing revenue, customers, or sales, scaling allows you to do all of that without significantly increasing expenses, making your business more efficient and profitable.

At the post-launch stage, you can set your POD business up for long-term success by analyzing sales data to see which products and designs perform best, and optimizing for conversions. Small improvements to your website layout, product pages, pricing, and checkout process can make buying easier for your customers.

Check out our favorite product page designs for inspiration. Manic Cherry, a bespoke skateboard art producer, is one of our top picks. Its store stands out with high-quality photos, a distraction-free layout, and express checkout.

Engage your customers by collecting feedback and reviews to show that you value their opinions and are committed to improving. Combined with smart marketing via social media, email, and content, this builds trust and loyalty, leading to repeat purchases and word-of-mouth referrals.

Collaborate with influencers to expand your reach. Influencer-led strategies can boost sales by up to 45%, according to digital marketing stats. Plus, influencers are usually early adopters, giving you insight into emerging opportunities within their niches. This approach not only boosts sales but also adds authenticity to your marketing efforts, as customers are more likely to trust recommendations from people they admire.

Work more efficiently with automation tools. For example, Hostinger Reach email marketing platform lets you design campaigns in just a few clicks and automatically track performance metrics in real-time. If your online store is built with Hostinger Website Builder, you can easily sync website subscribers to keep your list up to date without extra effort.

Expand your product range strategically by introducing new items, using upsells or bundles to increase order value. For example, if your brand supports eco-friendly practices, bundle tote bags with water bottles to appeal to like-minded customers. You can also try bundling complementary items or creating seasonal and themed bundles to attract more customers.

Offering discounts on bundles can make them more appealing, while seasonal or themed bundles can attract customers looking for timely products. Keep bundles focused and manageable to offer clear value without overwhelming customers.

Finally, monitor your performance and adjust strategies as needed. If your bundled items aren’t selling, try changing the combination or offering strategic discounts. 

If you notice a spike in abandoned carts, identify the bottlenecks and address them with abandoned cart emails. With consistent effort, your store can grow efficiently, maximize profits, and remain sustainable in the long term. 

Our guide on how to scale an ecommerce business offers even more tips to set yours up for success.

What are the most common challenges and risks in print on demand?

While print on demand is a low-risk business model, it does come with challenges. For example, POD tends to have higher base costs than bulk manufacturing, which can reduce your profit per sale. We’ve already shared strategies to tackle this, from implementing effective profit tactics to choosing the right product types.

Understanding and managing other risks can help you run a more profitable and sustainable business.

1. Limited quality control

Since products are made on demand, you might not see them before they ship. Mistakes in print or material quality can hurt customer satisfaction.

Solution: Order product samples before listing to check quality and make adjustments as needed. When choosing a POD provider, read reviews to focus on those known for consistent, reliable quality.

2. High competition

POD is accessible to everyone, which means popular niches can become crowded. Plus, it’s easy to create designs that are too similar to others.

Solution: Focus on a specific niche and research competitors to spot gaps and trends. Combine these insights with your buyer personas to create original, unique designs that stand out and truly resonate with your audience.

3. Handling returns and refunds

Returns can be tricky with POD products, since they’re custom-made and usually can’t be resold, which can affect your bottom line.

Solution: Display clear shipping, return, and refund policies on your website to build trust with customers and reduce disputes. If you ship internationally, include a disclaimer about customs, duties, and taxes (like Sunshine, a POD apparel brand focused on self-improvement and spirituality, does on its terms and conditions page) to avoid surprising your customers.

4. Ensuring originality and legal compliance

Using copyrighted material can lead to legal issues and damage your brand. At the same time, using random assets without checking file formats, resolution, or color profiles can result in poor-quality prints.

Solution: Create original designs like Janina Rossiter, an environmental artivist, or use properly licensed content by collaborating with artists who align with your store’s niche. This helps your brand stay original, produce unique designs, and reduce the risk of copyright issues. Additionally, make sure your files meet your POD provider’s guidelines to produce high-quality output.

5. Choosing the right ecommerce platform

A platform that doesn’t integrate well with POD services or lacks automation can slow down your business operations.

Solution: Pick a platform with POD integrations, easy setup, and automations. If you’re not comfortable with coding or hiring a developer, choose one with drag-and-drop editing and built-in website-building tools, such as Hostinger Website Builder. This saves time and resources, especially for small teams or solo businesses.

6. Writing compelling product descriptions

Your product descriptions should inform and persuade customers to buy. Incomplete or unclear descriptions can confuse visitors and cost you sales.

Solution: Include all key information like features, materials, and sizing in concise, persuasive language. If you’re a Hostinger user, you can use AI Writer to generate high-converting copy based on simple prompts.

7. Driving traffic to the POD store

Even the best products won’t sell if customers can’t find them. Poor search visibility and lack of marketing can stall sales, meaning you miss the chance to show potential buyers why your products are worth purchasing.

Solution: Build a strong ecommerce SEO strategy with SEO-friendly titles, descriptions, and keywords to increase organic traffic. Test different marketing channels and focus on the ones your audience uses most. Prioritize running consistent, targeted marketing campaigns instead of buying traffic for short-term results.

Is the print-on-demand market oversaturated?

The print-on-demand market has been growing fast. Grand View Research estimates its value at $8.93 billion in 2024, with growth projected to reach $57.49 billion by 2033 at 23% annually. This growth is driven by the rise of online businesses, easier POD integration with ecommerce, more internet and smartphone users, and growing demand for eco-friendly products.

Despite this expansion, some niches are getting crowded. Personalized products like t-shirts, home decor, accessories, and drinkware are especially popular because people love giving custom gifts for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. This makes it harder for new stores to stand out in these categories.

However, the POD market is far from impossible to enter. Beyond focusing on a specific niche and offering original designs, you can stand out by being creative with customization. Let customers personalize names, colors, layouts, or product combinations to make your items feel unique.

Give your brand the spotlight it deserves by sharing your brand story, showcasing the inspiration behind your designs, or highlighting customer reviews and testimonials. People are more likely to invest in products that have a meaningful backstory.

Finally, capitalize on emerging trends. New ideas that are just starting to catch on are less crowded and in high demand ‒ a recipe for success.

So, is the POD market oversaturated?

Not really. While some popular niches are competitive, the market is still growing rapidly. There are plenty of opportunities for stores that focus on unique designs, niche audiences, and creative customization.

Is print on demand for me?

It depends. Running a POD store requires time, budget, and the right tools. There’s also an initial learning curve to understand your platform, create designs, and set up your store. Even after launch, you’ll need to stay involved ‒ managing products, engaging with customers, and fine-tuning your marketing.

A mix of marketing, design, and customer service skills lays the foundation for success. You don’t need to be an expert in everything, as long as you’re willing to learn and adapt as you go.

Before jumping in, think about your motivation and goals. Are you excited to put in the effort and grow your store over time? If so, POD can be a rewarding way to turn your ideas and creativity into income. To make getting started easier, check out our guide on how to start a print-on-demand business.

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