Print on Demand Business and Wholesale

As traditional businesses move online, the B2B e-commerce model has exploded in popularity. The point is that wholesales allow a company to enter new markets and reach a previously inaccessible customer base. 

The print on demand entrepreneur becomes an intermediary between the manufacturer and the distributor in the wholesale supply chain. Also, shoppers remain the same but with wider needs: just like individuals, they’re accustomed to shopping on Amazon or looking for products in the search bar. Usually, the first thought that comes to mind about e-commerce wholesale is Alibaba or Aliexpress - platforms with bad user experience but tremendous POD business opportunities. However, it’s essential to understand that B2B interactions have evolved somewhat in recent years: buyers with information may not communicate with a distributor. They prefer simple registration, ordering, and delivery procedures (66% of them are affected by websites that correspond to certain industry needs).

By selling goods in bulk, you get to take advantage of larger volumes of sales and lower marketing spending, which usually leads to increase in profit per unit. It also adds another channel to your sales mix. Read on for more information on how to wholesale branded merchandise and find popular niche products. 

Table of contents

POD business is not only a retail commerce

Wholesale of branded merchandize in B2B

Popular products: Gift wraps, trendy souvenirs, stylish wear

Know what is in and sell: Ornaments, meme phrases, recognizable content

Conclusion

POD business is not only a retail commerce

If you’re an online retail store owner, most likely you’re traditionally interested in a narrow audience segment with high purchasing power. Yet, selling large volumes of products may allow you to widen the scope of the customer base, adapting their experience to increase income. Let's take a closer look at the difference between retail print on demand vs. wholesale tees. The wholesale’s key is to catch the trend. 

Different business models

Retail is a business-to-business (B2B) model, and wholesale is a business-to-consumer (B2C) model.

Pricing 

Retailers usually sell goods at higher prices than wholesalers. 

Audience segments

A B2C store with a solid target audience can scale quickly by partnering with wholesalers. 

Warehouse space

Ensure you have plenty of warehouse storage space for products. Dealing with bulk quantities can be challenging, as everything must reach the end buyer on time. Therefore, an entrepreneur should utilize the PodZa framework to automate controlling the goods’ availability, coordinating orders, and sending orders to the client. Such software is a reliable companion for every print on demand business as it allows you to introduce entirely new functionality.

When considering ideal business scaling scenarios, it’s essential to initially ask yourself how to wholesale from my print on demand store and what products are worth selling? Anyway, first things first.

Wholesaler's buyers are ordinary people who prefer to search the Internet. Almost half of them are millennials who utilize social networks to study the characteristics and build the prospects of the desired goods and the SERP results. They’ll search until they find the best print on demand for wholesale at the optimal price. By the way, according to statistics, B2B buyers conduct approximately 12 searches before purchase!

Further, when deciding on the sales channels, it’s crucial to set up your store for the B2B trade. You shouldn’t make a new one for this purpose - get by with the standard settings. The Shopify ecosystem allows print on demand wholesale functionality based on existing customer accounts. To do this, you’d carry out several manipulations with the source code in the editor. Approved wholesalers will be able to view collections with specified price-cap regulations.

Handshake marketplace is a wholesale marketplace that connects approved Shopify merchants that sell wholesale with retailers. There are no commission fees for selling and buying in the United States. 

For POD, Wholesale Ted is one of the most trusted YouTube dropshipping channels. For example, Sarah Crisp, having opened its first online store at just 16 years old, achieved an incredible seven-figure profit. Astonishing business performance is the result of continuous hard work. Check out her Shopify-approved dropshipping course.

Print on Demand Business or Aliexpress Dropshipping Model?

Wholesale of branded merchandize in B2B

Branded or promotional merchandise is objects branded with a company’s logo, name, and motto. The product line can range from inexpensive souvenirs to VIP gifts. The marketing value of merchandise lies in increasing brand awareness, establishing an emotional connection with clients, and generating a new revenue channel. An exciting example of the first wholesale print on demand branded merchandise is the slogan on tote bags to advertise a shoe store in Coshocton, Ohio, in the late 1880s.

The current physical limitations due to COVID-19 can create emotional distance between people. However, branded products can make these unprecedented times more comforting for people. Let’s now move on to the most popular promotional products that companies use as branded merchandise.

Water Bottles

Earlier in our forecasts for 2021, we talked about the trends in lifestyle changes, fitness, and well-being that have influenced the store shelves. The water bottle is the most popular item, as it’s helpful in any life circumstances. If it’s of high quality and durable, then it’ll become passive advertising everywhere.

Sweaters

Every print on demand wholesaler knows that any garment is a walking advertisement. Branded hoodies are just what you need for a growing company. 

T-shirts 

A classic T-shirt with a logo is a necessary attribute of the corporate culture of many companies. If the clients are delighted with the brand, most likely they will be happy to wear its merchandise. 

Home accessories

In terms of emotional connection, home furnishings are precious as they help make personal space more comfortable.

Popular products: Gift wraps, trendy souvenirs, stylish wear

Gift wraps

Print on demand wholesale gift wrap is a trendy seasonal item. For example, many brands buy vast batches of the item every fall on the eve of the New Year holidays. Initially, the cost of implementing wraps into the store's assortment may seem impractical: the price is relatively low. However, when it comes to genuinely creative gift wrapping, it can cost anywhere from $30 to $50 per box.

Print on demand wholesale tumblers 

Have you ever noticed that in most restaurants, all tableware is branded? For example, the regular visitors of the Oktoberfest usually collect glasses, which will then be stored as a valuable souvenir. 

Books and stationery

What could be more inspiring than a book or notebook you received? We’ve already talked about printing books, but what about wholesale print on demand spiral-bound notebooks? A beautifully branded item can be an excellent merchandise option usually ordered in huge quantities from retail stationery stores.

Clothes and accessories

Today, clutch bags are trending but also collectible. Wholesale print on demand clothing never goes out of style. It's not just about t-shirts or hoodies. You can sell absolutely everything - from sporting products to hats, most notably with an original and authentic design. 

Top 30+ Print-on-Demand Product Ideas

Know what is in and sell: Ornaments, meme phrases, recognizable content

The popularity of goods depends on the season, location, international sales days, gender, age, and other socio-demographic criteria. Thus, on Cyber Monday, consumers try to buy all the necessary equipment almost a year in advance, and in the winter, it’s crucial to purchase new Christmas sweaters. 

To understand which print on demand products are most in demand at the moment in a particular country or region, you don’t need to be a marketer at all. It’s enough to launch Google Trends, which we wrote about earlier. For example, you want to wholesale print on demand panties in the USA. After entering the required characteristics, the platform provides a constructive analysis of queries in this territory. So, an entrepreneur can find out that the Moschino collections are most in-demand now. Yet, when implementing such a design, learn about the copyright first. Read more about this here.

If your store sells wholesale souvenirs and stationery, one of the most popular goods will be ornaments. Imagine being near the Eiffel tower. You most likely buy its small copy in the local retail distributor who sells wholesale print on demand ornaments. 

Favorite characters can also become top in your store. For example, a January meme about a father who refused to help his daughter open a can of beans spread worldwide. The picture shows a doll from the "Saw" with the caption "Bean dad." The well-known phrases from "The Big Bang Theory" and "Ricky and Morty" are also a breakthrough.

While selling products rely on trends and location: for instance, print on demand wallpaper mural wholesale is most in-demand in Britain, and its peaks aren’t seasonal. That means that you need to replenish the store's assortment with new products constantly but the product itself is with you for years. It’s now considered a tremendous design with watercolors and nature, particularly floral and mountain landscapes.

Having decided on the design, you’d select a platform to sell your goods. Above, we’ve described Wholesale Ted as a useful informative support to organize your print on demand selling process efficiently. You can also take advantage of Shopify, Etsy, or RedBubble, which offers excellent deals for wholesalers. 

Conclusion

Wholesale trade, like retail, has undergone significant changes over the past two years. Both of them went online, changing marketing principles. Entrepreneurs now can earn more and scale up efficiently, which means ordering larger quantities of goods and delivering them in a matter of days around the world. Read this article, and you’ll learn how to become a wholesaler, what to sell, and what platforms to use.