How to Sell Custom T-Shirts Online | Our Top Tips
T-shirts are an essential in every wardrobe, regardless of our age, gender, or identity. They’re not just a versatile item of everyday clothing either – they’re a way to show the world who we are, what we stand for, our interests, and our aesthetic. Custom t-shirts are always in demand – but there’s a lot of competition if you’re interested in starting a business. Here are our best tips to help you sell t-shirts online in the UK and turn your startup into a booming brand.
Step 1 – Research your audience and competition
This step is about finding the people you want to sell to. When you want to sell custom t-shirts online, you need to make your brand as appealing as possible to that audience, so you want your products, ad visuals, and copy to really connect with them. For example, you might want to sell custom t-shirts for personal events like baby showers, bridal showers, and graduations. So, the look and tone of your brand and products will be very different than if you were wanting to sell band merchandise for music fans.
It’s also important to find out who your competitors are and what they are doing. Maybe you’ll spot an opportunity in the market that they’ve missed or a way to differentiate yourself from the pack. For example, if many of them have print run limits, or don’t allow you to submit your own custom design, you can capitalise on once-off prints and allowing people to design their own custom t-shirt on your website, so they control every aspect of their order.
Step 2 – Find a flexible, high-quality supplier
The next step is to find the right supplier. The supplier should be able to offer single as well as multiple prints per order, the t-shirts should be a high-quality cotton, consistent and wide range of fit, feel soft, and have a good weight. It’s also great if your supplier can offer more than just a standard t-shirt, so look for someone who can offer slim and regular fit, crew neck, V-neck, sleeveless t-shirts, racerbacks, and men’s, women’s and children’s options.
The greater their range, the greater the range of your audience! When looking for a supplier, see if you can find a print on demand drop shipper. This will save you a lot of time, effort, and money because this third party will fulfil and ship your products themselves, taking the risk and admin of the order process off your shoulders.
It’s best to order a few samples from your top picks for suppliers to see the quality and service for yourself. It’s also a good idea to check their policies regarding returns or problems with their products.
Step 3 – Create some show-stopping t-shirt designs
Now for the fun part! You know what your audience is into, you have a good supplier, so now’s the time to get creative. Don’t be afraid to get inspiration from other custom t-shirt designers (though don’t steal anyone’s design, that’s a given!), and think about what your audience is into. Do they love funny slogans that push buttons? Are they into Instagrammable outfits and trending aesthetics? Are they activists and socially aware superstars? Or are they highly competitive sports fans with a sense of humour?
You should also look at what your audience is already responding to. Tools like Google Trends and Ahrefs can show you what keywords people are searching for when they are looking for t-shirts. This can help you pinpoint growing trends you can capitalise on or find gaps in the market that aren’t being serviced.
Step 4 – Showcase your online merchandise
Online selling in the UK is all about great visuals! You’ll want people to immediately see what your business is all about as well as getting a great idea of the quality and range of the custom t-shirts you offer. That makes professional photography a must-have – especially since the competition out there is so fierce! Your website and product ranges must be represented with authentic and detailed images if you want to make a splash, with a range of editorial and product photos that not only show your customer what you’ve got but make it irresistible too. If you are offering an online process for them to custom design and print their own t-shirts, then professional photography can also provide a high-quality walk-through of this step-by-step process.
Step 5 – Set up your website and social pages
Selling t-shirts online in the UK is about two things – having a user-friendly, high-quality website, and having a strong social media presence. These days, you can sell off multiple platforms including Instagram and Facebook pages, so you want to have these looking as professional and appealing as possible. Your brand should be consistent on all platforms, using high-quality imagery to show off your products and create high-impact posts and ads. Every platform should be geared towards selling and how your brand is different from all the rest.
Be sure to offer discounts for first-time buyers, pull subscribers in by offering birthday specials, and encourage likes and shares for prizes. Connect your brand with events and partners that share your values and collaborate to bring in more business. With high-quality professional photography, you’re ideally positioned to connect with your audience and get that all-important wow-factor for your brand.
Ecommerce fashion photography puts your online t-shirt store ahead of the game
Marca is a fashion photography studio that’s here to help ecommerce fashion stores to thrive, making sure your online custom t-shirt company takes off. We understand what it takes to make products shine online, how to work within the rules and opportunities that 3rd party retailers and Google offer, and how to keep photographic products affordable and accessible for small and medium-sized brands. Our team of experienced photographers has worked with some of the biggest fashion houses in the UK and the world, including Chanel, Puma, Lacoste, Ben Sherman, Oliver Brown, and Calvin Klein, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a mover and shaker in the fashion world to get our best work.
Chat to our product fashion photographers today and we’ll use our expertise from working with the biggest fashion houses to take your custom t-shirt printing business to the top and set you apart from the competition.
