The print-on-demand business has been growing steadily over the past few years, and 2024 won't be an exception 📈. Print-on-demand will definitely be one of the most profitable businesses this year.
And there has never been a better time to sell customized products online. As reported by Deloitte, more than 50% of customers are interested in buying customized items. They are even willing to pay more for them.
But, when we talk about the print-on-demand business, we could spend hours and hours thinking over different niches, products, and designs. This article would be too long, wouldn't it? 😅
As Arya would say to the god of death ⚔ (not a Game of Thrones fan like us?), not today! Today we are going to focus on giving you the best product and design ideas to make your store break sales records this 2024 💪.
Let's get started!
Top Trending Print-on-demand Products for 2024
Some trends remain strong over the years. We know that at Christmas time ornaments will sell very well 🎄, or that on Valentine's Day, we buy flowers and chocolates 💐🍫. But other trends change over the years, new fashions emerge, and others fade away little by little. And whoever manages to stay on the top of the wave has a better chance of winning the gold.
Pet Print-on-demand Products
Shockingly, people in the U.S. had spent as much as $136.8 billion on their pets by 2022. This figure grows by $13 billion compared to 2021. When the market expansion is in the peak period, it's an amazing opportunity for you to start print-on-demand campaigns for pets.
People, particularly Millennials and Generation X, consider dogs, cats, etc., to be their best friends and family members. That's why pet products are as widely diverse as humans. Check out the most popular print-on-demand pet products you can sell:
🧥 Pet Apparel: Tank tops, shirts, coats, and sweaters, to keep our furry friends warm. But also, they look cute, right?
🏷️ Collars and Tags: The top trend for 2024 involves personalizing these accessories with customer-specified text and popular designs.
🐾 Harnesses and Leashes: These products ensure the safety of our pets when it comes to outdoor activities. We have to use them when we go for a walk, why not make it more fun and pretty?
🛏️ Pet Beds and Blankets: Decorated with cute and funny symbols, pet beds reflect the hottest print trends. Recognizing the importance of a good night's sleep for our four-legged friends, offering a wide range of print-on-demand pet products not only boosts sales but ensures prolonged customer engagement.
🍽️ Bowls: A necessity for every pet's mealtime, personalized with the pet's name for that extra touch.
🐶 Pet Bandanas: Simple but charming pieces of cloth that wrap around a pet's neck. Designing bandanas is a simple process, starting with monochrome or patterned styles.
Jewelry
In 2023, the global jewelry market hit $298.4 billion. Curiously, 88% of these sales are expected to come from non-luxury items 💎. This turn toward personalization trends, combined with the widespread use of print-on-demand, indicates a market appetite for affordable, easy-to-access options.
Thinking ahead to 2024, it's a smart move to delve into selling print-on-demand jewelry, in particular on special occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, and more. Making one-of-a-kind pieces can bring you the highest profit margins.
✅ Bracelets: Think gold, silver, stainless steel, and leather straps. All materials on which it is easy to print.
✅ Necklaces: Again, gold, silver, and also engraved titanium steal the show because of their precious and meaningful touch. Your customers can take it a step further by printing their photo on the surface, creating a personalized masterpiece.
📌 Pro tip: Jewelry shoppers love stores that make it easy to personalize message cards. Linking these two products can improve the shopping experience and keep your customers coming back for more.
Home Decor
Based on insights from the Global Online Home Decor research, the home decor market is set to experience a strong CAGR of 21.2%, reaching an impressive $612.5 billion by 2030 🚀. When it comes to print-on-demand, consumers are on the lookout for premium offerings like home textiles, flooring, wall decor, and lighting.
For entrepreneurs, emerging niches and trends present fantastic opportunities 💪
🔲 Acrylic Plaques: These handsome pieces with a stylish, shiny finish work well for both decorative and commemorative purposes. Learn more about this amazing product here.
☕ Coffee Mugs: A staple in the home decor market with the highest sales volume. Beyond being an essential item, it makes for a meaningful gift and a cherished souvenir.
🎨 Canvases and Posters: Diverse in prices and styles, ranging from cheap to luxurious and minimalist to vintage. Don't try to cover everything from the beginning. Start strong in one niche and gradually expand your business.
🖼 Metal Prints: This is a relatively new product on the market. It may be a great opportunity to be among the first before it becomes massive.
🧧 Wall Decals: Ideal alternatives to traditional paintings and canvases. They're cheaper, lighter, and more beautiful, making them perfect for home renters.
📌 Keep in mind: The fastest-growing regions are Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe. Expect indoor and eco-friendly home decor items to dominate the market.
Moreover, with a growing desire for unique home spaces, people are turning to print-on-demand homeware to add a personal touch. Boost your homeware stores with these must-have niche ideas:
🧿 Doormats and Carpets: Surprisingly, the doormat market was valued at $7.2 billion in 2022. Customers prefer natural fibers, non-skid, anti-dirt, and especially personalized pet doormats (yes, always coming back to pet products, aren't they the best?).
🧣 Blankets, Pillows, and Cushions: These products are a classic that we will always use to be comfortable at home, but they are also a great decor element. Stay on trend by incorporating the latest fashion ideas into the primary colors and textures of pillows and blankets. As for cushions, textured fabrics, warm and comforting colors, bold highlights and cheerful tones are the hot trends for 2024.
🕯 Candles: The search trend for glass jar candles remained consistently high in 2023, with a notable increase in the fourth quarter. Consider a test launch before offering them in mass.
🥛 Coasters: Elevate your drinkware purchases by adding personalized coasters, creating the perfect set.
Fashion Accessories
When it comes to style, accessories are the finishing touch that adds character to any outfit. You've probably seen lots of folks selling things like hats, backpacks, and bandanas. But what's worth checking out?
As we step into 2024, keep an eye on these cool trends:
🤘 Custom Patches: People are searching for these about 27.1k times a month in the US. Combine them with stylish clothes and sell them in bulk to increase your sales.
🧦 Socks: They are a hit all year round, although the busiest season is the latter part of the year. Embroidered socks, modern and fun, are in fashion.
👒 Beanies: A bit seasonal, but still a fresh and promising product line. Especially folks in places with long winters like America or Europe love beanies with embroidery, all-over prints, or labels.
🎩 Bucket Hats: This niche can bring in good profits. Pick a group, like fans of unisex styles, and design something special for them.
👣 Flip Flops: Get creative by putting beach or party patterns on flip flops. Make them for everyone: kids, men, women, families, you name it.
Remember, staying in the loop with these accessory trends not only keeps your store in fashion but can also help more people find you through online searches.
Athletic Accessories
Getting active through workouts is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy mind and body. Currently, there are approximately 300 million yoga practitioners worldwide. Fitness and running top the list as the most widespread exercises globally, closely followed by cycling, soccer, and swimming. This presents numerous exciting opportunities for print-on-demand athletic products.
🧘♀️ For yoga enthusiasts, consider offering mats, leggings, pants, bags, blankets, and duffle bags.
🏋️♀️ For those who are into fitness, gym outlets, tumblers, backpacks, caps, elbow wraps and towels are excellent choices.
🏃♂️ Runners might be interested in t-shirts, bags, shoes, headbands, and smartwatches.
🚴♀️ Cyclists could go for long sleeves, leg warmers, full-frame glasses, lightweight jackets, trail hip packs, and more.
⚽ Soccer enthusiasts may be drawn to team uniforms, gloves, shin guards, over-the-calf socks, and other gear.
🏊♀️ Swimmers might find all-over backpacks, goggles, towels, and swim caps appealing.
📌 Extra Tip: Include travel gear, as the demand for replacement or new items is on-trend. Consider adding products like luggage, luggage covers, travel bags, passport wallets, and luggage tags to your campaigns for an added boost. ✈️
The good old apparel
When it comes to print-on-demand, apparel has been a big player right from the start and continues to be one of the largest industries. The outlook for clothing is positive because the demand for these products keeps on growing.
Many sellers have made a lot of money with the following items:
👕 T-shirts: Vintage, nostalgia, Barbie (even several months after the film's release!), and futuristic designs are set to make waves in 2024. Get them ready soon to ride the trend.
🏋️♀️ Athleisure and Sportswear: As we mentioned in the previous section, this line is booming, thanks to the body-positive movement and tech innovations.
👖 Leggings: The ruler of the apparel industry. Some sellers have even built million-dollar stores just by starting with leggings.
🧥 Hoodies and Sweatshirts: Sell thin ones for summer or fall, and thicker ones for winter. Think outside the box and surprise your audience with top-notch designs.
💪 Tank Tops: They are taking over the fashion scene with a great variety of styles, prints, and designs. Their flexibility and affordability make them a hit. Don't think of Bruce Willis' plain white in Die Hard, expand your mind.
📌 Extra Tip: Keep an eye on unisex clothing, especially as Gen Z takes over the market. Genderless fashion like sweatpants, bombers, joggers, T-shirts, and oversized items are fantastic starting points. And don't forget, riding the wave of sustainable clothing could be your ticket to leading the market.
Tech Accessories
The experts are predicting big things for the global mobile phone accessories market, estimating a leap from $90 billion in 2023 to $139.2 billion by 2032. Wondering which print-on-demand tech ideas could pave the way for breakthrough revenue in 2024? Let's explore some drivers in this market! 👇
📱 Phone Cases: An absolute must-have for all smartphones. Personalized phone cases not only keep phones in top condition but also let users express themselves. The market isn't getting saturated anytime soon, making 2024 the golden time for you to jump in.
🎧 AirPod Cases: Standing out as top-selling earphone accessories, especially with a focus on personalization. Customization is driving growth in this segment, so diving into this potential niche is worth considering.
🖱️ Mousepads for Gamers: A creative space worth exploring, mainly for gaming enthusiasts. Designing around game themes or characters can turn a simple mousepad into a cool gaming corner (are you looking forward to the release of the new Grand Theft Auto as much as I am?😅).
💻 Laptop Accessories: This category includes sleeves, cases, and skins, catering to diverse audiences like gamers, travelers, and students.
🔵 Popsocket Grips: Riding the print-on-demand trend, these grips have gained popularity in recent years due to their versatility. As their uses multiply, so does their popularity.
In a market that is set to grow significantly, taking advantage of these tech ideas could be the key to increasing your profit margins in 2024.
Holiday and Special Event Products
Some trends are sleeping all year long, like a bear hibernating. But when they wake up, when their peak comes, it's worth it for the whole year. We are talking about national and international holidays, commemorative days, seasons, and even important sports events.
What sporting events could be so important? Well, 2024 is pretty special. Let's take a look:
🏈 The Super Bowl (February).
🏆 17th UEFA Euro Championship in Germany (June)
🏆 48th Copa América in the USA (June)
🏅 XXXIII Olympics Summer Games in Paris (July)
But not everyone is a sports fan. Don't miss the most significant shopping seasons and their high-profit products:
🎉 New Year: Greeting cards, home decor, clothes, etc.
💖 Valentine’s Day (Feb 14): T-shirts, mugs, acrylic plaques, jewelry, etc.
👩👦 Mother’s Day (May 12): Cards, flowers, jewelry, canvas, etc.
🏳🌈 Pride Month (June): All kinds of clothes, flags, bandanas, etc.
👨👧 Father’s Day (Jun 16): Cards, books, wallets, leather journals, etc.
🇺🇸 American Independence Day (Jul 4): American flag design could be anywhere.
🎃 Halloween (Oct 31): Halloween costumes, masks, decorations, etc.
🎄 Christmas (Dec 25): Ornaments, stockings, ugly sweaters, etc.
📌Extra: Black Friday (Nov 29). This is the best time to launch customer recognition campaigns. Offer them the biggest promotion to build customer loyalty and boost sales.
Trending Print-on-demand Designs in 2024
We have already covered the products that will have the biggest impact on your profit margin in 2024. Now, which designs and styles will make that profit even greater?
Hottest Design Ideas for Print-on-demand Artwork
There are some elements that we can find as repeating patterns in many trending products. Let's go over them!
📷 Photo Upload: Offering fast photo uploads with popular effects such as face cropping, background removal, cartoon, and black and white filters can help engage a wide range of customers.
👯 Besties: With the help of a personalization app, you can create unique designs with clipart in which the customer chooses the number of friends, their outfit, hair color, and so on, to make an amazing gift for their best friend or the whole gang.
💑 Couples: The same goes for couples. You can use their clipart with hearts, couples holding hands, phrases or quotes, street and star maps, and much more (don't forget their pets!).
🔄 Word Repeat: This is a hot trend among young consumers. Just incorporate a short phrase and repeat it across multiple lines for a visually appealing and trendy design.
✏️ Add Text & Quotes: Customizing texts and quotes is the easiest way to make your design unique and thrilling. You can gather trendy phrases or quotes and then change fonts, sizes, printing areas, etc.
🐾 Animals & Pets: Outlining a pet's head, a pet portrait, or humans with pets are the most fashionable trends. It's wise to create designs of the most popular pets, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, horses, and small rodents. And, of course, here you can also make the most of clipart.
Not enough for you, is it?
That's great! Because we still have a few more ideas. Check them out 👇
🖼️ Landscape: Capturing the essence of landscapes through paintings, artwork, or scenic photographs is a hit for canvas prints, yoga mats, or wall decor. Whether crafting your own or investing in trending copyrighted works, diversifying your products is the key.
🦸 Cartoon Characters and Superheroes: Tastes by country and age can differ a lot, but all children (and some adults too) love Disney story characters like Princess Jasmine or Elsa, while superheroes like Spiderman never go out of style.
🌀 3D Effects: Younger shoppers often tend to transform 2D images into three-dimensional landscapes to make cool T-shirts, mugs, cups, glasses, etc.
🎨 Brush Strokes: There are many types of brushstrokes, and each one contributes to the overall effect. You can experiment with different brushes and colors to create the best one, also adding quotes or other elements.
🌐 Pop Culture: Popular culture is the set of all forms of art, customs, and entertainment. When at least one element changes, new trends can arise. It's like a tree from which new branches keep growing, none of which removes the previous one, but expands the whole. You can create countless customized designs based on the trends that emerge every day in the different urban tribes, in social media, and also in the traditions that remain in force.
A clear example is music. Each person is unique and identifies with different styles, songs, or music bands.
Some couples or BFFs have a song that represents them. What better than to immortalize it? Designs like media players have grown exponentially since last year and will continue to be a top trend in 2024. You can see some examples in our demo store.
💰 Crypto: The world of cryptocurrencies has grown without restraint over the past few years, and all signs indicate that it will continue to do so. From memes to phrases, jokes, and symbols, many fun designs can be created for this expanding niche. Can you imagine a cryptocurrency with your face on it?
2024 Design Styles Trend Forecast
Creating a design style allows you to arrange elements, colors, and fonts to perfection, developing engaging and smooth artwork. So, let’s dive into the booming print-on-demand trends for 2024 👇
😄 Funny designs of daily life: Illustrations or images that represent daily work, study, or pets with quotes and memes that identify us have a great impact on the audience.
⬜ Minimalism: This trend is not new, but it is still more than current. It focuses on simplicity and usability. Details and extra things are out of the picture.
📺 Vintage and Retro: Again, this is not a new trend. But then again, what is it? Every year it changes its meaning. What is new today will be vintage or retro tomorrow. There is always room for renewal!
🔳 Black and white: Black and white printing is ageless. Striking designs that follow this style should focus on a solid composition, expressions, high-contrast light, shades of color, or one color that takes all the attention away from the black and white of the rest.
🖍 Doodle artwork: What is a doodle? It's just a simple drawing made up of random abstract lines and shapes. Draw whatever you see, wherever you want.
💥 Psychedelic art: This type of art can include highly twisted images, bright colors, full spectrums, and even animation.
🎨 Pastel/Monochrome: Themes stick to one main color in various shades. By stepping away from typical paint choices, you open up the door to more creativity and imagination using gentle, muted, and light color variations.
🔄 Gradient: A gradient is a smooth transition of colors that goes from one end to the other. It’s a great way to add visual interest to your designs.
🤙 Positive vibes: These designs bring positive and pleasant energy. Yellow, green, red, and orange can bring brightness, flexibility, coziness, and joy.
🤖 Futuristic design: Show the future world (and all its possibilities, let your imagination run wild!). Think about adding images of weird gadgets, machines, virtual worlds, astronauts, robots, artificial intelligence, and other things. Be aware of the rise of artificial intelligence image creation tools such as mid-journey and dall-e, their growth has been explosive and it's just the beginning.
The Most Effective Business Ideas to Boost Sales in 2024
Consumer behavior evolves from year to year, and new generations are joining the e-commerce ranks, so it's important to pay attention to changes, no matter how slight they may sometimes be.
So, where to focus in 2024? Many print-on-demand stores have been making great profit margins by paying attention to the following points:
✨ Introduce personalization options: Improve your customers' shopping experience significantly by adding a product personalizer that allows them to create their designs for print-on-demand products quickly and easily.
🖨 Design for digital textile printing: Use the latest in printing technology by incorporating high-resolution images and scalable vector graphics, keeping in mind the characteristics of the fabric.
♻ Explore sustainable niches: Lead the trend by introducing eco-friendly products, sustainable packaging, and environmentally conscious shipping options.
📱 Optimize for mobile shopping: Enhance the mobile shopping experience with a well-designed store, fast loading speed, user-friendly interface, intelligent filters and search features, and efficient product navigation.
💻 Expand to multiple channels: Increase the visibility of your products by selling on various platforms such as social media, e-commerce platforms, and print-on-demand marketplaces.
📧 Encourage subscriptions: This is a great way to build customer loyalty. Offer them a subscription through which they will regularly receive promotions, news, launches, and make sure to make them feel special, a discount or a bundle of products for those who are most faithful will always be well appreciated.
How to Find Current Trends in the Printing Industry?
The first thing you should do is to be clear about your business and niche keywords. Once you know them, here are some places that can help you get the most out of them and learn about the latest trends in the print-on-demand business:
✅ Google Trends: The search pioneer always has information to give us (and yes, it's free). You can get wonderful insights about what your audience is searching for on Google and focus in that direction.
✅ POD “giants”: We can always discover new trends by paying attention to what the e-commerce giants are doing. Check Amazon, Etsy, and other platforms from time to time to see what's going on out there.
✅ Communities: The world of print-on-demand, while it has a lot of growing to do, is far from small. There are many communities in forums and social media such as Facebook dedicated exclusively to this business. Be part of them, ask questions, ask for help, and why not, create your community.
✅ Search engine research: Do your own search. What do you find? How well-positioned are you? What do people find when they search for something related to your business?
✅ AI Tools: Don't abuse. But ask questions of ChatGPT, Bard, and other platforms, and gather insights.
You now have access to the hottest print-on-demand trends in 2024. What niches, products, and designs have you found most interesting? Have you seen another trend that we haven't talked about?
The print-on-demand market continues to grow and will be more than profitable this year, but it is also becoming increasingly competitive, so it is important to adapt and always stay on top of the wave.
Always keep incorporating new products, designs, and tools, and everything will go smoothly.
Happy selling! 💫
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