How to Start Your Own Sticker Printing Business in 2022

How to Start Your Own Sticker Printing Business in 2022

Stickers and labels are evergreen products. Everyone needs them – packaging businesses, event and campaign organizers, shoppers.

If you are looking to start a sticker printing business, let me tell you it’s an amazing and profitable business idea.  

However, starting a business is not as easy as it seems. You need to take care of various aspects. A lot of entrepreneurs may find themselves lost in the extensive process of establishing a business. 

To assist you, here’s a complete guide that covers all the necessary information you need to know to build a successful sticker printing business. 

Step 1: Find Your Business Model

As mentioned earlier, stickers are for everyone – both B2B and B2C customers.  The first step is to decide whom you want to target. 

You can have both types of audiences or cater to a single segment. However, the B2B segment seems to be steadily growing. 

It is a good idea to sell stickers to corporate clients, activists, schools, and other institutions. 

As B2B transactions are based a lot on word of mouth, you can win the trust of your initial clients and easily get more customers for your business. 

A Custom Sticker Designer Tool can help you sell stickers that perfectly match your audience’s requirements and thus enhance customer satisfaction and improve loyalty. 

Step 2:  Dig Deeper to Understand Your Audience

Once you decide the type of audience you want to address, the next step is to do some market research and get an in-depth understanding of their requirements, buying patterns, pain points, and such. 

Doing so is important to craft an effective business strategy, create buyer personas, and focus better on-brand messaging. 

Start by conducting a competitor analysis. Check out companies that offer sticker printing services. A look at their website will help you understand the types of stickers that are best-selling, pricing, and such.

You can also create buyer personas to determine the general demographics, interests, and needs. Buyer personas will help you develop a much deeper understanding of your shoppers.

Step 3: Work on Your Product

Stickers come in different types and styles. Figure out the type of stickers you want to sell. Below is a list of some of the most common types of stickers.

Die-cut stickers: As opposed to typical square or rectangular stickers, die-cut ones are cut in the exact shape of a design. 

Glossy finish: As the name suggests, these stickers have a glossy finish. You will see them on car windows, stores, and such.

Clear Vinyl: These are transparent stickers where designs, text, logos are showcased vibrantly.

Retro: Classic retro designs have a mass appeal. They are popular in the apparel business, general branding purposes, and such. 

Step 4: Look into the Legal Aspects of Starting an Online Business

Once you have a basic plan ready, and before you start building a website, it is important to clear all legal aspects of running a business.

Also read: Why You Should Have a Mobile App for Logistics and Transportation Business

Here are some permits and licenses you need:

  • A business operation license to help you operate a business legally.
  • An Employer Identification Number that identifies your business as a distinct tax entity.
  • A seller’s permit to sell goods online. 

Step 5: Build a Web to Print Store

For any printing business that wants to conduct operations online, Web to Print Technology is a blessing. It enables shoppers to place orders at their convenience. They also get the ability to purchase on the go using their mobile devices. 

As per your B2B or B2C business model, you can have a ready Web to Print Store. One of the biggest advantages of this kind of store is that it saves you the time and resources that go into developing a website from scratch. 

In very little time, you can get online with all the necessary features and functionalities you need to conduct your business. 

Following are some of the important features of a Web to Print Store:

  • A fully responsive website
  • Customizable storefront themes
  • Custom CMS pages
  • Access to Product Design Tool
  • Fully integrable ERP solution
  • Multilingual and multi-currency support
  • Payment gateway integrations
  • 3rd party integrations

Step 6: Look for a Fully-functional Product Design Tool

The growing popularity of customizable products is why many brands are considering enabling product customization on their online store. 

At the beginning of your entrepreneur journey, it is advisable to leverage such powerful tools. 

Before we discuss more about what the tool does and how it works, it is important to get an overview of the benefits of integrating the Custom Sticker Designer Tool. 

Below are some advantages of enabling customization in your business:

  • Encourage customers to pay more for personalized products.
  • Shoppers are more satisfied with their purchases, and thus you can increase customer loyalty.
  • It reduces the need to have unnecessary communication with customers or designers to create a perfect custom design.
  • You can have customizable stickers as a unique selling point that will help you stay ahead of the competition. 
  • Quicken the process of prepress as well as shipping and delivery by streamlining the process of designing and printing.

Such kind of tool can be easily integrated into the backend of your eCommerce admin panel. Your customers can leverage an array of features like a text editor, clipart, artwork, QR codes, VDP for mass customization, preview, and so much more.

Step 7: Decide How to Manage Printing, Shipping, & Marketing

You need to decide if you are going to manage printing and order fulfillment on your own or if you want to partner with third-party providers. 

Each of these ways has its pros and cons. Detailed research will help you decide what best suits your business needs. 

After all of these steps, it is also important to market your online store. There are several pre-launch marketing tactics like creating a launch video, sending emails, and such.

Social media marketing and search engine optimization are the two most common methods of digital marketing. Apart from these, product reviews, real-time personalization, and omnichannel marketing are equally important. 

Concluding Remarks

Stickers and labels are gaining popularity. If you want to build a sticker brand, this is the right time to get started. We hope this guide helps you get all the necessary information to start your own sticker printing business!

About Author:Mr. Pratik Shah

Author Bio: Mr. Pratik Shah is Creative Head at Brush Your Ideas, a top-notch Web-to-Print technology solution provider that offers Custom Product Design Software as well as web to print storefront software. He has been a creative and driving force in the success of our T-shirt Designer Software.