Millions of websites around the world, the ultimate combination of e-commerce and affiliate marketing, turn to online marketing companies – both to sell their URLs and to make money from loyal visitors.
On-demand printing is key to success in this industry, which means that website owners usually do not incur any setup costs and do not need to have a warehouse.
The business model normally works this way. The webmaster registers on the website of the marketing company for free – or for a small monthly fee. By uploading custom designs – usually logos, slogans or drawings, the webmaster can now place these designs on the various products offered by the merchant. The sales company usually sets a base price for each product, to which the webmaster adds his own commission or surcharge. In some cases, a webmaster can create a store that can be integrated into his own site.
The marketing company usually deals with credit card processing, printing, shipping and customer service, while the webmaster has a somewhat less cumbersome task to collect and bank commissions.
How can you find out why it is so popular? Let’s look at some of the big players in this sector:
It’s an interesting sight. Founded in Germany in 2002 and with more than 60,000 partners across Europe, Spreadshirt won the Hewlett Packard Business Innovation Award in 2004. Unlike its competitors in America, Spreadshirt serves customers in Europe and the US, uses regional shipping companies, and allows webmasters to set prices. products in euros, pounds or US dollars. Stores can also be automatically translated into eight languages. Spreadshirt has also tackled the problem of (black shirts) and offers more than 50 products in one full color. However, different printing options may make the service separate. In particular, the (crowd) Spreadshirt, which creates an increased sense of finish, produces a result that is more impressive than conventional digital printing.
Spreadshirts are ultimately manageable to maintain their brand on the product, yet webmasters can have complete control over the look and feel of their stores. The spreadshirt, which is already the dominant force in the European market, could be set up to give Cafepress a chance at the US currency.
The father of the group. Cafepress was founded in 1999 in California and was one of the first companies to benefit from the multi-custom market. It now sells products to more than 2 million website owners, mostly in the United States.
Despite its long service life and wide range, Cafepress has not yet solved many of the original problems that still plague its users. Despite customer cries, the company has not yet found a way to offer black or even black fabrics – it still relies on old-fashioned white and gray herbs and a unique collection of pastels. The company has also not accepted internationalization and website owners outside the US are increasingly facing shipping costs and prices in US dollars.
The free Cafepress service offers users limited use, with only one version of each product allowed. For a monthly fee, Cafepress allows unlimited sales. However, excessive branding makes it difficult to integrate Cafe shop into the look and feel of an existing website.
Another California company launched a similar Cafepress service in 2003 and has a large market share in the US. Again, the price only applies in US dollars. And although different colors of Zazzle clothing are stronger than Cafepress, printing on black or black shirts is still not supported. Zazzle does not charge a monthly fee, but it is more difficult for webmasters to integrate their business into the look and feel of their site.
teespring is another European company – this time based in Italy – which offers an almost identical assortment as Cafepress, ie no black shirt. Available in Euros, US Dollars and Pounds. However, the only printing option available is digital printing with hot press – not long-term technology.