Starting an online T-Shirt Business: What you need to know!

With the introduction of online shopping and reliable eCommerce, it’s easy to see why online stores are becoming the main focus of leading brands around the globe. Allowing a much larger target audience to be reached in comparison to a store, shopping online is quickly becoming the main source of our beloved brands. But advancements in services available also makes it easy for smaller brands to quickly gain traction – setting up a global distribution service has never been easier, meaning starting your online business has never been more simple. In this article I hope to cover the cornerstones of your start up, and what you should consider when establishing your online store.

Create and design a mockup

Before you move into choosing eCommerce platforms or make a marketing plan, it’s always vital to have an initial idea of the product you’re going to sell, so that the rest of your actions can be tailored to it.

Having the option to see your design on different styles of t-shirt can be incredibly helpful for both you and a customer, as they can see the product they would receive, and view the product on an actual person. Oberlo’s t-shirt templates is a great place to look for templates – in their article they are offering a variety of different tools which allow you to work with your graphic and display it on your site in a way that suits your needs. For instance on a model or displaying your design on different styles of t-shirts, to give the customer a better idea of how the design will look in person.

Consult experts 

As a start-up eCommerce entrepreneur, consulting experts can make a big difference in how soon you’ll notice progress and success in what you plan and do. Maximize the time talking to product specialists or researching the top online t-shirt businesses–how they started, and the workflow and tools they’re using that boost their sales and success. 

With the guidance of experts, you’ll have a better foresight of where you’ll lead your online business. You can find them online, by referral of your trusted friends or family, and even on social media platforms. Some of these experts include business coaches, industry leaders, product designers, and reliable consulting companies.

For instance, you can turn your ideas into products that sell with the help of companies like Inco Group. Such a company takes care of product design or development, manufacturing, and distribution. They have factories and distribution networks across the world. Hence, you can save time and energy because you can do everything with the help of an expert’s centralized platform. 

Choose the right eCommerce platform for you

When distributing a product online it’s very easy to get bogged down in technicalities without using a third-party platform. For online shopping, a key third party element is a reliable eCommerce platform. Choosing the right one for your product is an important step in making your business as successful as it can be.

Although price might be one of the most important factors, choosing an eCommerce platform that suits your long term needs is also vital, as this is the foundation on which your store will be built on. DisruptiveAdvertising has an in-depth article covering some of the leading platforms and their respective merits, explaining factors you’ll need to consider such as ease of use, store templates available, and customer support.

Distribution

While online stores can be a reliable way to establish a brand quickly, any online distribution needs to be backed by a reliable shipping system. It’s generally straightforward to manually ship out products when a business is small, but thinking long term it’s important to put a system in place which can be automated.

Shopify, and some other eCommerce platforms, provide systems which use a third party supplier that manufacture the t-shirts, and then ship them by request of the seller – Shopify’s ‘Understanding Dropshipping’ goes into this in more depth. This is usually the method used by most distributors, as it provides a simple way to ship products and is integrated with a service they’re already familiar with. An alternative to this would be contacting your own supplier, who manages distribution for you upon request.

Making a marketing plan

Once a foundation for your business is in place, establishing a marketing plan can give a big edge over rivaling competitors, and help sustain your brand by aiding growth in the future. Understanding the audience you’re selling to is an important first step when devising a plan, which in this context could be done by understanding who might wear your t-shirt design, and tailoring your store design to that style or genre. Ben Fewtrell’s discussion on‘Why 8 out of 10 businesses fail’ provides some more general insight into what a successful business needs.

Competitors are an important aspect of a business to keep in mind, and keeping an edge over them will give your brand the upper hand. Making note of their successful designs or ideas and using this as inspiration for your own product can give you the upper hand and help you gain traction.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top