Print on Demand (POD) is one of the fastest growing approaches in the digital printing business. POD is becoming very popular every day because it allows any business – regardless of size – to expand to a world-wide level. Receiving orders from different parts of the world, creating a personalized product design with accuracy to the client and sending the finished product to any place in the world opens up the most extensive horizons.
Whether you are an artist, graphic designer or photographer, print-on-demand gives you the opportunity to leverage your design and creativity skills to grow your international business.
Here are some useful tips to make your POD business become global.
Localization
To help your international partners give you more e-commerce related opportunities, you can localize your offering in specific markets. In order to choose them, first, explore all the specifics of neighboring countries, or distant countries, with which your government has established other types of business, payment and delivery methods are agreed.
For wider localization for Print on Demand website is useful as well (see below).
International shipping
Orders delivery around the world is one of the most restricting hurdle entrepreneurs can face when trying to send their products around the world. It can be very difficult to set up and integrate multiple couriers in different countries and in different currencies. So often, even if it is possible to offer international shipping, the cost of shipping goods to the other side of the world is too high.
If there are no government and legal restrictions, you can find sponsors from the country you wish to ship your products and from yours, and thus build an efficient supply chain.
Currencies
Make sure you added conversions for all currencies you work with. Their absence is often the reason for serious customer churn.
Languages
Customers, naturally, also feel much happy, when come to website with copies on their own language. Potential buyers can leave your store if they are not redirected to a product that matches their native language. Please note that all copies must be written in the original language, or use a professional manual translation rather than machine translation. If you do not have the opportunity to add multiple languages yet, add one which is international – English.
Taxes
In order to avoid unexpected problems, consult in advance with a competent lawyer and an expert in the field. Also, be always in touch with them when any clauses of the agreement or legislation change.
Once you have set up all the formalities and are ready for your first order, you need to create a business plan and marketing strategy for each individual country you work with. This is not unnecessary detail. It will help you to run a successful business at all levels for different audiences. This point is often underestimated, and entrepreneurs lose a lot of money just because they use one common approach for all countries. However, it cannot be the same.
The same goes for the audience. Therefore, the next step should be to analyze your target audience for each market.
Targeting and segmentation
Don’t forget to not only customize your targeting, but also create ads based on the specific culture and characteristics of each market. For example, use an oriental flavor for Eastern countries, or mention national holidays.
Add exclusive products for specific countries. For example, suggest POD for a sari in India or hijab in Arabic countries.
This will help to attract and retain a large group of customers at an incredibly high level. It is also a competitive advantage for Western countries, because not every business can offer such a service yet, limiting themselves only to common types of clothing.
Automation tools
Use automation tools in order to simplify routine processes, what is necessary when your business come to be global. The best way to do it is to use PodZa – special tool for POD-business automation.
Conclusion
To launch your POD business and introduce it to the international market successfully, follow these guidelines:
- Explore new markets and their specifics
- Explore new audiences and their needs
- Check if your legislation is matched for partnership with certain countries
- Hire a competent lawyer
- Look for sponsors for your overseas supply chain
- Use different strategies for each country
- Offer exclusive solutions for each country
- Test, iterate and be aware of new trends and failures
- Make a competitors analysis
- Segment as much as possible
Remember, that new markets are not just about more customers. These are also new opportunities for improving your business, for identifying new concepts and new social positions that are so appreciated by consumers today. Diversity and inclusiveness should be implemented here, even though this is not a brick-and-mortar corporation.