Can you feel it? The holiday spirit is in the air again. Both shoppers and retailers alike are eagerly anticipating the joys of the shopping season. So, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get your online store ready for the festivities.
What do the numbers say?
- Holiday shopping is starting earlier than ever. According to a recent survey, half of all consumers plan to begin their holiday shopping before Halloween.
- This year’s holiday season is expected to be a record-breaker, with US consumers anticipated to spend a staggering $960 billion. That’s a 4% increase from the previous year.
- 72% of holiday shoppers expect holiday deals before Black Friday/Cyber Monday week.
People want to make this holiday season memorable by splurging on gifts and experiences, so this is your opportunity to claim a slice of the profit pie and fa la la la la la la ka-ching.
Keep reading, as we’re about to dive into maximizing your profits during the holiday rush and increasing your chances of having a successful holiday shopping season. From improving your processes and meeting deadlines to finding the best deals and optimizing your marketing efforts – you’ll find everything you need.
So, without further ado, let’s find out how your partnership with Printify can make these holidays extra jolly and rewarding.
Key takeaways
- Maximize Your Profits: Use Printify Choice and the Early Access Catalog to enhance your product offerings and stand out from the competition.
- Efficient Order Management: Keep a close eye on order statuses and use features like Order Routing to minimize out-of-stock issues and delays.
- Extended Selling Season: With Printify Express Delivery, continue making sales until December 16, ensuring more last-minute holiday shopping opportunities.
Printify features for a successful holiday season
We’re committed to enhancing your experience and providing valuable tools for our merchants. That’s why we’re always working to improve our platform and offer features that are especially useful during the holiday season.
Printify Choice
Printify Choice automatically selects the best Print Provider for each order, guaranteeing the lowest price, quickest delivery, and top-tier quality.
Using the Printify Choice network instead of a single provider significantly reduces the risk of out-of-stock issues, ensuring smooth operations during the busiest time of the year.
With over 30 products available, it’s the perfect tool to maximize profits and stay ahead of the competition this holiday season.
AI Image Generator
Want to create unique and engaging holiday designs? Our newly improved AI image generator is here to help. Powered by OpenAI, it offers a better experience within the Product Creator, allowing you to easily generate high-quality images for new product designs or find extra inspiration.
Explore Printify’s AI Image Generator in our Help Center.
Early Access Catalog
The world’s largest and most loved POD Catalog is growing even bigger, faster.
Want to customize and sell hot products before anyone else and react quickly to market trends? Explore our Early Access products – so fresh that ready-made mockups and previews aren’t available yet.
Whether you’re a design pro or prefer to import ready-made artwork, more and more products are being added every week. Create your own mockups and start selling just in time for the holiday season! Not only will you get ahead, but you’ll also stand out from the competition.
Whether you prefer direct integration, manual orders, or importing samples, our platform supports your preferred method.
New products are added to Early Access weekly, so don’t forget to stay up-to-date!
Printify Express Delivery
Keep selling until December 16 with Printify Express Delivery.
Extend your holiday profit season by up to a week with our bestsellers – the Bella+Canvas 3001 and Gildan 5000.
The stress of last-minute holiday shopping can get to you. And while we may have procrastinated on timely shopping ourselves, it’s frustrating to miss out on those extra sales you could have made in your store.
Luckily, with Printify Express Delivery, your customers can purchase and receive their t-shirts within 2-3 business days.
We’re also excited to share that Express Delivery extends the Christmas cut-off date by up to a week compared to other methods. This year, our cut-off date is December 16. So, put your worries aside and let Printify take care of your holiday goodie deliveries.
Learn more about Express Delivery and how to set it up in our Help Center.
*Express Delivery is available for all states within the US mainland. Please note that for Alaska and Hawaii, Standard Delivery is currently the only available option.
Gift messages
The best gifts come from the heart. Spread some holiday cheer with our gift messages.
Gift messages can be added to all Etsy orders, as well as manually created or imported orders from other platforms, provided they are fulfilled by a supported Print Provider.
Print heartfelt messages on-demand with your custom design and add them to that special gift order for any occasion.
Learn more about gift messages and how to set them up in our Help Center.
Packaging inserts and neck labels
Make a lasting impression that will stay with your customer long beyond the holiday season with our branding features: inserts and neck labels. Add that little something that will make your t-shirts feel extra special with a limited edition holiday neck label design, and use a wintery insert to promote your socials or run a post-holiday sale campaign.
Make it happen today!
Maintain a “hands-on” approach to order management
As the number of sales in your stores increases, it becomes more beneficial to keep a close eye on your order management panel. Having a real-time understanding of order statuses lets you avoid or reduce many possible holiday hassles.
Pro Tip: Avoid out-of-stock issues with Printify resources.
Printify Choice:
Printify Choice significantly reduces the risk of out-of-stock problems by selecting the best Print Provider for each order based on the customer’s location.
Explore over 30 products available with Printify Choice.
Order Routing:
For products not eligible for Printify Choice, you can still minimize out-of-stock and delay issues during the busy shopping season by enabling Order Routing.
This feature redirects the order to an alternative Print Provider located in the same country or region as your customer, which can help reduce shipping costs, customs duties, and fulfillment times. It also ensures that orders are fulfilled as efficiently as possible.
Order statuses and how to manage them
1. Pre-production statuses
On Hold: Submit Order & Sending to Production
After a customer purchases on your sales channel, within a few hours or sooner, the order will appear in the Orders tab. It will be sent to production based on your selected order approval settings. You can also send the orders to production manually by clicking Submit order.
On Hold: Action Required
If your order is marked On Hold, this usually means there’s an issue. It could be that the item is out of stock or discontinued. Sometimes, it’s just a payment glitch. No worries – just head to the order’s page and follow the steps to sort it out. Once everything’s fixed, your order will be sent to production.
Use our Unavailable Variant Replacement Tool to find a replacement for the affected product, or enable Order Routing so that orders placed in the future will be automatically routed to the most suitable alternative Print Provider.
2. Production statuses
In Production
Your order has reached the Print Provider and is in their printing queue. The average production time is typically 2-7 business days; however, delays can occur during the holiday peak. Stay informed by following our Network Fulfillment Status page, which displays the latest information about each Print Provider’s production status.
- Request a cancellation/address change or a shipping upgrade if needed. We’ll do our best to make it happen. However, note that due to the specifics of the production process, we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to fulfill your request.
- Please keep in mind that orders containing 12 or more items can take longer to be fulfilled.
Has Issues
There could be an address-related issue, like a missing first/last name or mismatched zip code.
- Double-check the accuracy of the customer’s address and make sure that all the required fields are filled out. Update the shipping address by clicking Edit above the customer’s address within the order details.
There might also be a deeper issue that prevents orders from reaching production. Our team is automatically notified about orders with this status and will proactively investigate the issue and contact you if necessary. Additionally, you’ll see a “Resolve issues” notification on the Order page, along with the status of the resolution.
Canceled
Sometimes, the Print Provider will cancel orders due to unforeseen circumstances like production or stock issues. In this case, we’ll inform you of the cancellation and give you a full refund.
If you request to cancel the order, you can’t send the said order to production again. However, you can create a duplicate order and send it to production.
3. Shipping statuses
Once an order’s status is marked Ready to ship, it’s fulfilled (produced) and ready for shipping. Access the tracking link for the order on the Orders page. Please allow up to 72 hours for the first tracking updates to appear within the tracking link, as sometimes the initial scan might be delayed, but the package is on its way.
Once the order is received by the shipping carrier, it will be marked as Shipped.
If the order is marked as On the way, it’s in transit and is on its way to its final destination. The order status will change based on the success of the delivery. Read more here.
Delivery information updates vary:
- For domestic deliveries, it can take up to 5 business days
- For international deliveries, up to 7 business days
Check the Shipping Rates page of the selected Print Provider to see the expected delivery times.
If deliveries are taking longer than expected, it’s a good idea for customers to contact their local post office (and have the tracking number ready). Local post offices will have the most recent information on their backlog. Also, remember that it’s winter in North America and Europe, and many regions may be facing severe weather conditions.
Regarding international orders: If there have been no updates within seven days since the order was shipped, we recommend that the customer checks with their local post office.
- If the customer’s local post office can’t locate the package, please contact our Support Team for further assistance. Please note that during the holiday period, our responses may be delayed.
If you have questions, browse our Help Center or submit a request to our Support Team. This will lead to a quicker response and faster resolution of any underlying issues.
Printify is required to collect taxes (sales tax in the USA, VAT in the EU, and specific taxes in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) on all print-on-demand orders. Make sure you’re fully aware of the incoming sales volumes – and what that means for your legal requirements.
Reaching out to merchant support
Our Merchant Support agents work hard 24/7, especially during the holidays. They’ll solve problems, advise, guide, and help in every way possible to ensure a successful holiday season for our merchants.
Get in touch fast
If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact our team through the My Requests page in your Printify account. You’ll need to be logged in to access it. From there, submit a request, and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Experiencing an issue with your order? Use the Submit Issue menu under the affected item in your Printify Order details page. From here, request a tracking status update, reprint, or refund. We got you!
Please keep in mind that the holiday season is Printify’s busiest period of the year, especially for our Merchant Support Team, so response times may be longer than usual.
Please don’t send us multiple messages regarding the same issue, as this can create unnecessary delays and make it harder for us to respond to everyone promptly.
Solve it yourself
There’s a good chance that the issue you’re facing has been detailed.
To speed up resolutions, please provide photo or video evidence when reaching out – follow our guidelines from the Help Center for more information. If a product is misprinted, damaged, or lost, you can get a free replacement or refund within 30 days of delivery.
Please be as specific as possible when submitting your request. Provide a detailed description of the issue, indicate whether you prefer a reprint or refund, and include photos or measurements if necessary. For bulk orders, please submit a video. Make sure that the issue is clearly visible in all the submitted images.
Vague requests with missing information require additional exchanges of messages, increasing response time and making it harder for our Merchant Support Team to address issues promptly.
Live chat
Chat with Richie, our virtual agent, anytime by clicking on the chat bubble on our website. Richie can help you with virtually any topic and will guide you through the necessary steps.
If you need further assistance, Richie can pass the conversation on to one of our live support agents upon request.
Please note that on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, our live chat will be off. Santa’s helpers also need to rest.
But don’t worry, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
For more information on how to make the most of the holiday rush and ensure a successful season, check out our article on contacting the Printify Support Team.
Make it happen today!
Keep recommended deadlines in mind
Deadlines are important for both eCommerce retailers and shoppers. They mark the final cutoff dates for order arrival. To ensure the delivery of last-minute Christmas gifts on time, keep your store and buyers up-to-date with deadlines during the holiday rush.
One of the easiest ways to keep customers informed about shipping expectations is to use the delivery formula: Fulfillment time = Production time + Shipping time.
The recommended holiday order deadlines are usually announced by the middle of October. Once published, you’ll be able to find them on the Printify Network Fulfillment Status page.
This page will be regularly updated with the latest information. Keep yourself and your customers informed – transparency will help them be more understanding of any delays, complaints, or other issues that may arise.
Remember that the shipping situation can change rapidly, so consider these deadlines as general guidelines rather than guarantees.
In the meantime, we have some suggestions and tips for the upcoming holiday shipping deadlines.
- Make sure your online store is up-to-date (listings, products, prices, etc.).
- Create holiday specials for early shoppers.
- Keep your customers informed about deadlines.
- Set up automation for your orders (Order Routing).
- Come up with a whole process for handling returns.
Optimize your store (and processes) for the holidays
The holiday shopping rush and high demand increase shipping delays and issues year after year. That’s why it’s crucial to get ahead of these potentially unpleasant situations and optimize your store and processes.
Here are some tips to make sure your niche understands the realities of holiday fulfillment. To ace the holiday rush:
- Stay Informed. Keep a close eye on our Print Provider production times. However, these are simply helpful estimates.
- Use Banners. There’s no better way for a shopkeeper to explain rules and deadlines than by pointing them out on a clearly displayed sign.
- Update Product Descriptions. Customers almost always read the information directly below an item, so this is a great location to include essential details.
- Include Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies. It’s always worth developing some store protection. An open policy board goes a long way toward clearing up potential problems.
Consider using Printify’s Terms of Service page as a foundation for your shop’s policies. This ensures your policies align with Printify’s, especially regarding refunds.
- Consider Virtual Assistants. As a store grows more profitable, it requires more workforce. If you plan to scale above 10,000 sales, it’s a lot to handle alone.
- Check Your Subscription Status. Ensure your Printify Premium Subscription is active throughout the holiday season to maximize profits and avoid pricing pitfalls.
- Avoid Bulk Orders. As production will be strained by upticks in order frequency, it’s best to avoid bulk orders to guarantee on-time delivery.
- Refunds Instead of Reprints. With the surge in holiday orders, every step, from sourcing to shipping, can experience delays. We understand how important timely deliveries are. That’s why, if there’s a hiccup and a reprint won’t make it to the end customer due to order cutoff deadlines of the specific Print Provider, we’ll offer refunds.
- Use Templates. We’ve provided a few good templates below for your communication with the customers during the holiday season. Feel free to customize them to your store’s needs.
- Stay Updated. It pays to stay informed with so many new and exciting products, updates, and developments arising in the POD world. Check our blog and YouTube channel for POD-related content. Consider joining our Facebook community – the POD Rockstars – to be the first to know all Printify updates, news, and product announcements.
Please remember that under the Printify Terms of Service, you are not allowed to post or upload any content that infringes on copyrights, trademarks, or violates the rights of others.
Useful holiday templates
Hi there,
Throughout the festive surge, the processing period for most orders falls between 4 and 10 business days. Please keep in mind that this does not include the shipping – it will take some additional time.
Best wishes,
[Your name]
Hey there,
Just a heads-up: like last year, our shipping partners can’t promise exact delivery dates. So, we’re giving you our best guesstimate for holiday orders.
For your US customers, try to get your orders in by December XX. For your international buyers, aim for December XX.
To keep things merry and bright, we suggest placing those Christmas orders early. It’ll make for a smoother, jollier season!
In case you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Wishing you all the festive feels,
Cheers,
[Your name]
Hello,
I wanted to let you know that once an order is placed, we can’t speed up or upgrade the shipping due to the high volume at shipping facilities. It’s that bustling time of the year, and, as you can imagine, many are hoping to get their gifts around the same time. This could lead to some potential shipping delays.
I hope this clarifies things. Do let us know if you have any other questions.
Warm regards,
[Your name]
Hello,
Just to give you a heads-up, after the payment is confirmed, the order takes a little journey before it reaches its final destination. Once the product is printed, packaged, and handed over to the carrier, we’ll send you a tracking number by email. Simply click on that link to see the order’s delivery status.
I hope this clears things up. Let me know if there’s anything more I can help you with.
Warmly,
[Your name]
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. I’m genuinely sorry about the issue with your order, but rest assured, we’re here to make it right. Please let me know if you’d prefer a complimentary replacement or a refund. To help us move forward, could you please share a clear, well-lit photo of the product in question?
One more thing: shipping tends to get a bit slower between December 1-25. During that window, we’ll be providing refunds as the primary resolution.
I hope to resolve this swiftly for you.
Warm regards,
[Your name]
