Custom-made products are a current trend of the modern world. In this customer-centric marketplace, the best way to satisfy customers is to facilitate their desire to buy whatever they want. When vying for the women's clothing market, offering women custom shirts online is the best bet to earn customers. 

There are many ways to produce custom shirts for women, such as printing using your own facility, outsourcing printing & shipping yourself, and using print-on-demand drop shipping. Out of these, print-on-demand drop shipping is the most popular and efficient as it combines all the features of other methods.    

New to print-on-demand drop shipping? No worries! In this blog post, we will understand all about print-on-demand drop shipping: What it is, what its benefits are, and how to get started. 

Print-on-demand (POD)

Print-on-demand is a business process in which items are not printed until the printing company receives an order. It is an ideal process for custom-made product sellers. Ideally, there is no restriction on minimum orders. Print-on-demand is usually accompanied with drop shipping, but some companies only print and don't ship to the customers directly. Thus, a retailer has to manage the shipping itself. That's why print-on-demand drop shipping companies are categorized separately.        

Drop shipping  

Drop shipping is a business process in which a retailer purchases items from a third-party supplier and the supplier ships products directly to the customer. Orders are sent directly to the third-party supplier from your store or website, and shipped directly by your supplier to the customer. You don't have to stock any inventory, but you cannot custom-design in drop shipping.  

Usually, you will see print-on-demand competing against drop shipping, but when they are combined, it is a remarkable formula for creating custom all shirts for women or any customized product.  

Print-on-demand drop shipping  

Print-on-demand drop shipping offers the best of both worlds. In this business process, a retailer or store partner with a third-party supplier prints the items on a pre-order basis and ships directly to the customers under your own brand. This business process allows you to customize products and ship directly to the customers. Your third-party supplier will take care of everything else from printing to shipping, leaving you to focus on gaining new customers.      

Benefits of print-on-demand drop shipping 

Custom-made products

You can custom-design your products. Print-on-demand companies allow you to generate designs online with the mockup design generator. You can easily upload the design you or your customer wants to print. Not only that, you have the option to choose the fabric material as well. Thus, print-on-demand services help you design your custom shirts online according to your customer's varying needs. 

Shipping managed  

Once the order is sent to your supplier, you don't have to worry about anything. Your supplier will ship the product directly to your customers after printing the product. The moment the order is shipped, you will be notified of such. Delivery time is the same as the standard delivery times for such packages.

No need to stock inventory 

You don't have to stock any inventory. All you need is a good website where you can display your designs and allow your customers to generate custom designs online. This saves you a lot of money on the purchase and storage of inventory. More importantly, your products are always in stock. You can post as many custom shirts for women as you want on your website.  

Pay only after selling

Print-on-demand drop shipping is a zero-investment business process. You pay only when your customer makes an order. You pay your supplier only after receiving payment from your customer or securing sales. This lowers the risks of loss. 

So these are some key benefits of print-on-demand drop shipping. But there are some disadvantages as well, such as low margins and less control over shipping. 

When you are buying products from a third-party, profit margins are usually low as compared to manufacturing products yourself. Also, shipping is not in your hands; it is difficult to create an exceptional unboxing experience. However, this disadvantage can be easily tackled if you choose a supplier that offers the best white-label drop shipping services. 

In general, the benefits of print-on-demand drop shipping outweigh the few disadvantages, especially for small retailers who have limited budgets.  

How to get started with print-on-demand drop shipping?  

Getting started with print-on-demand services is not a difficult task. There are many print-on-demand drop shipping companies out there. All you need to do is visit a company's website, go through the online store setup process, and you are all set to create your women’s custom shirts online shop right from your home. 

It is usually a three-step process:

• You connect your website or online store to the print-on-demand drop shipping company's website. You will be asked to fill in basic business information and decide on a payment method to set up your store. The process of creating your account on the supplier's website is usually free. Once you have created your account, you get login credentials to access said account.
• Your customer orders from your website, and the order is sent directly to your supplier. Your supplier prints the order and sends it for shipping. You will get a notification when the order is shipped.
• Your customer receives the order under your own brand name from your company's address as if the package came directly from your storefront.                

This is the complete process of getting started with print-on-demand services. The only thing you need to take care of is to choose a reliable print-on-demand drop shipping company that offers quality products with good print quality and ships products fast, as these factors eventually determine your customers’ shopping experience with you.