If you’re tired of the traditional 9-to-5 grind, starting a water bottle business may be the perfect solution. With Print on Demand (POD), anyone can start their own business without startup costs or the hassle of handling order fulfillment, inventory, or shipping.
This article covers all the steps of starting a water bottle business with POD, from conducting market analysis and selecting a niche to branding and designing products.
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Why choose Print on Demand?
Print on Demand empowers you to design original products and sell them online while the suppliers take care of order fulfillment.
Advantages of the print-on-demand business model:
- Low investment and risk. Products are only printed once customers order, so there’s no risk of losing money on unsold stock or storage space rental.
- Streamlined order fulfillment. When you make a sale, the suppliers quickly print and ship the product directly to the customer’s doorstep.
- Creative freedom. Let your imagination run wild – create any design you like! Build a brand with original designs.
- Easy to scale. Start small and scale as you grow, adjusting designs to fit trends and market demand.
With these great benefits in mind, here’s a brief walkthrough of how to start a water bottle business using the POD business structure.
Make it happen today!
Step 1: Perform market research
Market research helps gain insights into the industry, the competition, and consumer preferences.
Here are a few ways to conduct market analysis:
- Identify trends. Use research tools, like BuzzSumo, Ahrefs, or Semrush, to check what’s currently trending and what potential customers are searching for most.
- Study the competition. Browse eBay, Amazon, and Etsy. What kind of water bottles do people sell? Which features do their bestsellers have? What’s the average price?
- Follow social trends. TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook can provide valuable insights into customer preferences.
By investing time and effort, you can identify what the market is missing and fill the gap.
Quick tip
Read these success stories of people who use the POD business model to gain inspiration and advice.
Step 2: Select a niche
A niche is a smaller market segment with a specific interest or characteristic in common. Examples could include people who love llamas, professional chess players, or folk music fans. Small businesses stand out and attract potential customers more effectively when appealing to a niche.
Use Google Trends to see whether your business idea and niche are popular enough for you to invest time in creating designs for them.
Quick tip
Check out the most profitable POD niches in 2024.
Step 3: Build your brand
A strong brand identity significantly contributes to a company’s growth by communicating uniqueness and emotionally connecting with potential customers.
To create a brand, consider the four Vs of branding:
- Vision. Where do you see your business in the future? Define what you want to accomplish.
- Values. What does your business stand for? Decide what’s important to you.
- Voice. How will you communicate with your target audience? Use a consistent tone across all channels.
- Visuals. What’s your brand’s aesthetic? Design a visual identity that stands out from other small businesses.
Step 4: Select and design water bottles
Now, it’s time to pick water bottles for your store. With so many options available, it’s important to remember your niche and your customers’ specific needs to ensure your business succeeds.
Choose water bottle styles
The Printify Catalog has an extensive collection of aluminum, plastic, and stainless steel water bottles in various styles, sizes, colors, and materials.
Apply your design
Upload an image or create a new design using our beginner-friendly Product Creator.
Take advantage of these features:
- AI Image Generator for creating original water bottle designs.
- Text Editor with many fonts to add sayings, messages, and quotes.
- Graphics Library with over 150 free images.
- Pattern Tool to easily create all-over-print designs.
- Fit and Fill for speedy image placement.
Quick tip
If you prefer to leave designing to professionals, consider hiring a graphic designer or using our Shutterstock integration to save time and effort.
Step 5: Decide where to sell
Finding the right sales channel for your eCommerce business will expand your reach and increase sales. Each sales channel has pros and cons and requires different levels of technical skill. Choose the one that will give you the most exposure to your target audience and earn you the most profit.
eCommerce platforms
eCommerce platforms are a great option if you want to have high customization options. eCommerce platforms provide ready-made templates that you can edit, let you add content, launch promotions, and manage everything a business needs.
A few examples: Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and PrestaShop.
Advantages:
- Highly-customizable
- Easy to re-target customers
- More control over customer data
- Many excellent features
Disadvantages:
- Takes time to set up
- Higher marketing costs
- Some require technical skills
- Features can be costly
eCommerce marketplaces
eCommerce marketplaces like Etsy and eBay allow sellers to create their own storefronts and list products for sale. Marketplaces are well-known and trusted purchasing platforms with lots of existing traffic, require little to no technical expertise, and offer their own marketing tools.
Advantages:
- Fast setup
- Pre-existing customer base
- Beginner-friendly
- Easy maintenance
Disadvantages:
- Less customization
- Highly competitive
- Strict policies
- Various fees
Printify Pop-Up Store
With the Printify Pop-Up Store, anyone can quickly set up a storefront and start selling. You don’t need to build a website, invest in inventory, or worry about logistics. After you make a sale, we print, package, and ship the water bottle directly to your customer.
Quick tips
If you’re unsure which sales channel is best for your business, look at our overview of the best sites to sell online, which further explores their advantages and disadvantages.
Printify easily connects to all of these sales channels. Just follow our integration guides to get started.
Step 6: Market your business
You must have a well-thought-out marketing plan to outshine the competition, attract customers, and drive sales.
There are several steps to creating an effective marketing plan:
- Identify your business goals. Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales?
- Understand your audience. Who are your customers, what are their preferences, and which social media platforms or eCommerce marketplaces do they frequent?
- Tailor your message. Strive to create a message that speaks to your target audience. How will they benefit from your product? What communication style do they like?
- Set a budget. Calculate how much you can afford to spend on advertising.
- Find the right marketing channel. Select the channel your audience favors the most and create content or ads that fit its format.
There are a few marketing channels that may be a good fit for your business.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing uses platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to promote a business. Create and maintain business profiles on various platforms, post photos and videos to display the quality of your products, run challenges, and offer giveaways to engage your audience.
Content marketing
Create helpful and engaging content like articles, videos, and product reviews, to attract your target customers. The aim is to provide additional value while casually promoting your business and establishing yourself in your chosen niche.
Search engine optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is using high quality content to rank higher in search engine results.
Conduct keyword research with tools like Semrush Keyword Overview or Ahrefs Keyword Explorer. Then, use the most popular keywords when writing product titles, descriptions, and image alt-texts.
Quick tip
Check out our SEO Masterclass for Driving Sales.
Email marketing
Email advertising is one of the most common and effective marketing methods. Try tools like Mailerlite or Omnisend to streamline the process with their templates, design tools, and automations.
Search engine marketing
If you have money to spend, consider increasing your business’s visibility in search engines through Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising. While pricy, they can be instrumental in expanding your reach.
Step 7: Analyze and expand
To build a successful business, constantly analyze the effectiveness of your efforts and keep expansion in mind.
Analyzing performance can help identify strengths and address weaknesses of your business. Use analytics tools to evaluate your business’s performance and adjust accordingly.
Expand your product collection to appeal to even more people as your business grows. With Printify, you can add as many new products to your store as you want without additional expenses.
Whether you want to sell ceramic mugs, tote bags, or stainless steel water bottles, we have a wide selection of products you can customize for your target audience.
Make it happen today!
Start a water bottle business with Printify
Starting an online store can be easy! With Printify, anyone can start a business without high upfront costs, holding inventory, or handling the logistics of order fulfillment and shipping.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how to bring your water bottle business idea to life.
Step 1: Sign up
Sign up for a Printify account. It’s 100% free and available to everyone, everywhere.
Step 2: Select water bottle styles
Our Catalog has an extensive collection of water bottles in various styles, sizes, and materials. Choose your favorite, and click Start Designing.
Step 3: Add your design
In our Product Creator, you can easily upload a design, add text, or create an entirely new design from scratch using our AI Image Generator, Text Editor, and Graphics Library.
Step 4: Select a sales channel
Printify provides seamless integrations with the largest eCommerce marketplaces and platforms, giving you total freedom to choose where to sell your products.
Step 5: Start marketing and selling
Publish products to your store and start selling. Once you make a sale, we’ll handle it from there, printing, packaging, and shipping to your customer.
FAQ
With Printify, anyone can turn their water bottle business idea into reality by following these steps:
- Sign up for a free account
- Make a design with our Product Creator
- Select a sales channel
- Add products to your store
- Market your business
The cost of starting a business will depend on the sales channel you choose, as some of them charge subscription or listing fees. However, designing water bottles for your store with Printify is 100% free.
Yes, many people prefer reusable water bottles to single-use plastic bottles as they are more eco-friendly and customizable. People across all demographics use water bottles, making them a product with longevity.
Closing thoughts
As we wrap up our guide on how to start a water bottle business, we hope you gained enough insight, inspiration, and confidence to bring your business idea to life.
While this business plan requires dedication, the market is promising, and the rewards are worth the effort.
Here’s a quick recap of your water bottle business plan:
- Perform market research
- Select a niche
- Build your brand
- Select and design water bottles
- Pick a sales channel
- Market your business
- Analyze performance and expand
With Printify by your side, becoming an entrepreneur and growing a successful business is easier than ever.
