What is Print on Demand (POD)? Pros - cons
What is Print on Demand (POD)? Pros - cons and some popular products
What are pods?
Along with dropshipping, Print on demand, also abbreviated as POD, has become a familiar concept and model in many countries around the world. Although it is no longer a stranger in the Vietnamese market, not everyone understands and is right about this model. If you are looking to learn more about the e-commerce market or you are doing business in this market and want to expand into new areas, then these are probably the models that you need to know.
So what exactly is Print on demand (POD)? What are its advantages and disadvantages? What are the featured products? The following article will help answer all of your questions and hopefully, after reading this you will be able to better understand this model or even be able to make the right choice for the job. own business.
What is Print on Demand (POD)?
Print on demand (POD), is an e-commerce model that allows you to sell personalized products by printing your own designs. like clothes, cups, bags, etc. The special thing about this model is that the product will only be printed when the order is created. Therefore, you will not need to store or own any products, without fear of problems related to storage or inventory. Instead, all you need to do is select and sign up for a platform that allows you to go through the entire process from printing to fulfillment.
In essence, POD is another form of Dropshipping model because POD users will not have to worry about inventory management or transportation and delivery. In a word, Dropshipping is when you connect with a supplier, then post their product for sale, and only when a customer buys that product from your online store, you need to create an order with the supplier. provided to the supplier to deliver the product to the buyer. This means that you do not need to own the product, nor are you responsible for its transportation, management, and storage. POD is similar but different in that you can submit designs that are self-created and specialized only for print.
All these steps will be taken care of by a third party and just like when doing dropship, sellers will not need to worry about capital because they will not lose any costs until they have customers. order.
The difference between POD fulfillment service and POD e-commerce platform
Before diving deeper into how the POD model works, you need to distinguish the difference between a POD fulfillment service and a POD e-commerce platform.
POD fulfillment service:
POD fulfillment service providers allow you to connect to e-commerce sites through their platforms, and whenever a customer places an order for a product in your online store, the system will automatically send the form to the printing and fulfillment provider to complete the order for you. In a word, the POD fulfillment platform will create a complete chain of services from creating orders, printing products to completing orders, and your job is just to create an account on the platform and then connect. directly with your online store is done.
E-commerce platform POD:
On the other hand, the POD e-commerce floor can guarantee you from the product preparation stage to the online store listing that product. That is, instead of having to add an extra step to connect to an e-commerce site, a POD e-commerce platform allows you to easily upload a product sample to the platform and they will be responsible for selling that product for you. In other words, you only need to upload your design to be printed on the corresponding product instead of having to sell the product yourself. This means that all you need to provide is a profile page and design template, all the rest will be handled by the POD e-commerce platform.
Which option is more reasonable? This depends on the business model you aim for. If you want to sell designs with your personal brand and control your products, then the POD fulfillment service is an ideal choice. However, be aware that this option will take more work as you will have to build the online store yourself.
On the contrary, if you want someone to help you with the entire process from sales, marketing to the store and printing, then choosing a POD e-commerce platform will be more suitable for you. With this model, all you need is to upload the design and let the POD broker take care of the rest. However, the minus point of this option is that you will not be able to access and store customer data because the current sales channel is not owned by you, it is a common floor for users like you. All data collected will belong to the exchange. In addition, since the broker also performs sales tasks for you, you will not be able to communicate with your customers. In a word, it's like you're selling a design with the author's name on it to POD platforms.
How the POD . model works
Certainly, to understand the whole process when applying the POD model to a business, there is only one way to really get started. However, here are some basic steps on how to run a business with a POD model to help you have a simple overview and understanding before making a decision:
1. Create a store
The first step to starting that process is to build your own store. Depending on the POD platform you use, you can get started right away in one of two ways:
Integrated an existing store:
POD service providers will help you connect with e-commerce platforms and online stores. If you already have an online store, you can integrate it with the POD platform you use and start your business right away.
Using POD services with available e-commerce platforms:
In case you do not own a store on any online shopping platform, choose for yourself a POD service provider that allows you to create personal information on their platform and they will sell as well. as fulfill the product in your name.
2. Upload a design and choose the product line you want to sell
After choosing the right POD platform and owning an online store, the next step you need to take is to upload your designs and products to your store. If you use the POD fulfillment service, the choice of product type to sell is entirely up to you. You can sell any product you want, as long as the POD platform you use supports it.
For example, you plan your store to be an online shop selling T-shirts, so you just need to choose the right T-shirt products for sale. On the other hand, if you choose products such as cups, cloth bags or even masks, you can do the same thing or sell many types at the same time. In general, since this is your store, everything is up to you.
3. Sell your product
At this stage, your store is open to customers around the world and you have your product ready to go to print. If you are using fulfillment services, you can start marketing your products and drive more traffic to your store. In case you use a POD platform, the platform you choose will do most of the marketing for you and you can still promote your store by sharing the link to the information page on the platform or the product link. yours to the customer. Either way, the ultimate goal should be to get people to find your products and pay to buy them.
4. Order fulfillment POD platform
When a customer creates an order on the system, whether the store is connected to the POD fulfillment platform or on the POD floor, the system will automatically print the product, pack it and ship it to the customer. As soon as the order is completed, you will receive the money for the successful sale of the product.
Advantages and disadvantages of the POD . model
Like any business model, Print on demand will have both advantages and disadvantages. Read the next section and evaluate if this model is right for you:
1. Advantages:
Easy to get started:
Most POD platforms today are user-friendly and easy to use. So you can easily start and operate a business just by registering an account, creating a profile on the platform and uploading products. You upload designs in minutes and don't have to worry about technical requirements.
No need to worry about inventory issues:
The Print on demand model helps to reduce the biggest worry when entering the e-commerce market, which is the cost of storage. Since the product will only be manufactured and printed after it is ordered by the customer, you will not need to worry about not being able to push or incur costly inventory. In short, the common risks in the business process such as inventory or out of stock will not exist when choosing the POD model.
Reduce Fulfillment Stage:
Another headache for retail is fulfillment. The process of packaging and shipping products involves many stages and is difficult for you to fully manage, especially for retailers, small businesses or artists. The POD platform will be responsible for this whole aspect, so you will save time and effort when you do not have to directly find a way to get the product to the end customer.