You are what you were. As mentioned by thatshirt.com, T-shirts become one of the popular subtle modes of expression to reflect one’s interests, identities, and personalities. Because of this, custom T-shirts never had a steep decline in demand and many entrepreneurs are looking to invest in an online T-shirt Business.
If you are one of the people that would want to start your own t-shirt online store, here are the things that you need to know:
CHOOSE A SPECIFIC MARKET SEGMENT
To be able to stand out in the current T-SHIRT competition you must understand the following points
Different customers have different needs.
Some products appeal to a specific type of customer
You must be specific and precise as to what kind of audience do you want to cater to. You should begin looking at a specific criterion describing the market segment like occupation, hobbies, interest. Et.
This will be your compass on how you would connect and market your custom T-shirts without blowing your budget.
IDENTIFY YOUR METHOD OF PRODUCTION
There are three things that should consider in the production of custom T-shirts
Material
Nobody wants to buy a custom T-shirt that shrinks or fades in two washes. Always remember that quality will affect your branding and customer loyalty.
Designs
Sourcing for designs will be a lot easier of you properly identified your market niche.
Here are some ways to source for designs:
Hire a designer
You can hire a talented in-house designer to produce original, authentic designs; although the quality of the design will be limited to how creative your hired designer
Freelance Network
You can also request for job orders via a freelance network like Upwork or Freelancer
Buy Pre-made Designs
Pre-made designs can also be bought at various custom graphic marketplaces like DeviantArt, Designious, T-Shirt Factory, Creative Market and Graphic River
Printing Method
There are three types of ways to print custom T-shirt designs: Screen Printing, Heat Transfer, and Direct-to-garment digital prints.
Here are the pros and cons of each technique :
Screen Printing
This is the most cost-effective technique of printing onto T-shirts, that have durable and long-lasting print results. This is good for bulk and single image design.
Pros
– Good for bulk orders
– Cost-effective
Cons
– Not good for complex designs with more than four to five colors
Heat Transfers
This the fastest and easiest way to produce a full-color image on a custom T-shirt. This is done by iron or business grade heat transfer machine
Pros
– Fast
Cons
– Lower quality and less durable print results
– Requires large initial investment
Direct-to-Garment
Direct to produce quality prints that equal prints are done by screen printing. It is more durable compared to heat transfer prints.
Pros
– Vast color options
– Accurate high-quality printed design
Cons
– Only viable for small orders; costly if done in large volumes
CHOOSE AN E-COMMERCE PLATFORM
Set your online presence by choosing the right digital shop for you. You can choose to sell on available marketplaces like Amazon, Shopee, Jabong, Snapdeal, Etc., or building you on an independent online store.
Selling on an established marketplace will gain you a great consumer reach that ensures better marketing, exposure, and infrastructure for your brand’s product. However, these online marketplaces charge fees for the platform and will affect your custom T-shirts pricing thus will affect your targeted market.
Establishing your own website may require a large upfront investment. You will also have to decide on your infrastructure, processes, and customer service channel that it will take time to develop a fully independent website. However, you will get full customization of your brand look and internet presence. Partner this with a good social media marketing campaign and it will slowly build your brand and increase customer acquisition.