It’s not a coincidence that we started talking about print on demand a lot more during the pandemic. When lots of shops joined the Here for Good movement with online stores and direct-to-customer fulfillment to support local businesses, POD went hand-in-hand.
Now, more decorators are evaluating whether adding (or expanding) a POD revenue stream to their shops makes good business sense. “Print-on-demand has definitely been a major topic of discussion over the last year,” says JP Hunt, co-founder of InkSoft. “We’ve seen big adoption of POD printing capabilities to harness the marketing conditions and benefits of adapting to quick turnaround times, replenishment, and short-run length orders.”
If POD solves a problem for your customer, offering this service makes a lot of business sense for your shop. “POD can alleviate a pain point for businesses like corporations, restaurants or schools that maintain online stores and don’t want to deal with inventory,” says Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and Shirt Lab Tribe. “Imagine the economic engine for you if one corporate store serves 5,000 employees and each gets a $100 credit to order from the store, fees that you bill to the main client.”
We do a dive into what you need to know about adding or growing your POD service, whether you’re a startup or established shop. Here are four overarching questions to review as you consider how print on demand fits into your business plan.
Continue reading “Adding a POD Service Might Add Dollars to Your Bottom Line”
Laurie is part of the marketing team for the leading supplier in the industry, alphabroder. During her free time, Laurie likes to ride horses, sail and spend time with her husband and her two children. Reach her at Lprestine@alphabroder.com
It’s 10:00 pm on what passes for a “normal” Tuesday night in 2020. Today was a hard one. Lately, they all have been hard ones. You’re thinking about how great it is that you’re settling in for a solid eight hours of shut eye – your first in weeks – when you hear some familiar, unwelcome pulsing emanating from your nightstand. “There goes that idea”, you think as you grope in the dark to silence your phone’s plea for attention. Phone in hand, the blue screen illuminates your face. Your brain can barely register what you see on the screen – an unplanned Zoom call to discuss uniform options with the top hospital in the country, first thing tomorrow morning?! Your heart flutters; your pulse noticeably quickens. “This can’t be happening”, you think, but the migraine beginning to take hold just over the bridge of your nose tells you that it most definitely is.
