Setting up a print on demand store in Shopify
Selling print on demand products can be an easy way to start a business. In the print on demand process, you work with a supplier to customize products like baseball hats or tote bags that feature your designs. The supplier makes the customized products to order, while you market them and sell them in your online store.
You can use print on demand with Shopify by installing a third-party print on demand app. You can use the app to manage your products and orders, and the print on demand service ships the products to your customers.
You can use the following checklist to help you set up a Shopify online store with print on demand products. Each step that you complete in Shopify links to full instructions. The setup process will take a day or two, and you can always come back to this checklist to help you figure out what to do next.
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Before you start
This checklist is for you if you've made the following decisions:
- You know what products that you want to sell, and you have a design in mind.
- You're setting up a Shopify online store with a third-party print on demand app.
If you need help with making these decisions, then you can read about print on demand from the Shopify Blog, or connect with other entrepreneurs in the Shopify Community.
Add your store information
Before you start adding products, you need to add your business information to Shopify. By adding your contact information, business name, and billing information, as well as setting up a payment provider, you are making sure that you can receive orders and get paid.
Set up your print on demand app and add products
Print on demand services each have their own benefits and costs, so make sure to do your research to find the right service for your business. You can view a list of print on demand apps available for Shopify from the Shopify App Store, and read more about each service from the app developer's page.
Shopify doesn't provide print on demand services, so all of the apps that work with Shopify are developed by third parties. This means that you need to contact the app developer or print on demand service to get help with the app or print on demand orders.
After you create the products through the print on demand service by adding your design to the customizable products, you can use the app to sync the products with Shopify so that you can sell them in your online store.
The following steps provide a general overview of what you'll need to do to set up your print on demand app, but you can also read each app's support documentation for step-by-step information about how to integrate it with Shopify. Learn more about getting help with third-party apps.
Set up your online store and your store's checkout
After you've set up a print on demand app and customized some products, you can sync your products with Shopify so that your customers can buy them in your online store. You can customize your theme so that your brand is reflected in the images, colors, and store layout. Other ways that you can customize your store include setting up a custom domain and setting up your online store navigation to organize your products in menus.
Prepare for opening
Make sure that you understand the fulfillment process and shipping costs determined by the print on demand service before you open your store. Orders containing print on demand products might be automatically fulfilled and shipped by the service. When you add your store policies, make sure that your store's shipping policy takes into account the expectations set by the print on demand service that you're using. In most cases, you can find that information on the app developer's site.
After you add your store policies, you might decide to customize your checkout. You can also test transactions to view what the checkout experience is. When you're ready to open, remove your online store password and start promoting your store to customers.