Growing your print on demand business takes more than just great designs.
So, we made this list of ten easy ways to scale your POD store in 2025.
10 Ways to scale your print on demand business
The strategies below are simple and focused on helping you grow smarter, not just bigger!
Let’s begin with the first tip:
1. Introduce new products
If a t-shirt design sells well, you can offer it on hoodies, mugs, or phone cases!
You can even partner with multiple suppliers for niche products like embroidered hats or all-over print leggings:
Glossier’s merch line, GlossiWEAR, followed this idea by launching branded apparel alongside beauty products.
Their hoodie even hit a 10,000-person waitlist, showing how product expansion can unlock serious demand.
2. Automate or outsource repetitive tasks
You don’t need to do everything yourself to scale.
Automating routine tasks like sending tracking emails, updating product listings, or answering FAQs saves hours each week!
For creative work like designs and ads, consider freelancers or services like Design Pickle, which still offers unlimited design help.
Automation means you can focus on growth, not grunt work!
3. Add more sales channels
Selling on just one platform limits your growth.
Expanding to marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, or eBay gives you access to new customers who may never find your standalone store.
Each marketplace also offers unique advantages. Etsy has niche shoppers, Amazon has a global reach, and your site gives you complete control!
Optimize your SEO keywords to help your brand stand out, as competition on these marketplaces can be fierce.
4. Buy stock of your most popular items
While POD usually means zero inventory, stocking a small amount of top-selling products can offer a considerable advantage.
Holding inventory lets you offer fast shipping, which increases conversion rates up to 25%.
With Printful’s Warehousing service or Amazon FBA, you can pre-stock winning items and ship them within days instead of weeks.
5. Strengthen your brand
In a saturated market, branding is what sets you apart.
From visuals to voice, your store should reflect a clear identity that customers remember. Keep a consistent tone across your products, website, and packaging.
Adding branded thank-you cards, stickers, or custom labels enhances the customer experience. GWPGroup has stated that 41% of shoppers say branded packaging encourages repeat purchases.
Got Funny? is a POD apparel store that nailed this by building a fun, bold brand across all touchpoints. Their playful vibe and polished presentation helped turn one-time buyers into loyal fans.
6. Launch subscription-based products
Subscriptions are a powerful way to create predictable monthly income.
You might offer a T-shirt-of-the-month club or seasonal sticker packs. Since you only print what’s ordered, subscriptions remain low-risk and efficient.
This recurring model boosts lifetime value and reduces your need to chase constant new traffic.
However, subscription fatigue is real, so offer value, like member discounts or exclusives!
Fresh Clean Tees is a great example. They scaled to a multi-million dollar business using a simple monthly T-shirt subscription.
7. Offer bulk discounts or wholesale options
Don’t overlook bulk buyers! They can significantly boost your revenue.
Create tiered pricing, like 10% off for 10+ items or 20% off for 50+. You can also create a wholesale request page for teams, schools, or small businesses.
Many POD sellers discover wholesale potential when they notice repeat bulk orders from influencers or boutique owners.
8. License designs to other brands and retailers
Your best-selling designs don’t have to stay exclusive to your store.
Licensing allows other brands to use your art on their products while you earn royalties on each sale. You create once and continue earning over time.
Platforms like Society6 and Redbubble help connect creators to retailers looking for fresh, proven designs.
Artist Cat Coquillette did exactly this!
After being discovered on Society6, she licensed her art to Urban Outfitters and later expanded to Target and Anthropologie. One of her designs earned royalties across several brands.
9. Take your money management to the next level
Financial clarity is key to sustainable growth.
Separate business and personal expenses with dedicated accounts. Then track product costs, shipping fees, ad spend, and net profit using tools like QuickBooks, BeProfit, or Lifetimely.
Strong money management lets you scale confidently and reinvest wisely.
According to Zippia, 82% of small businesses fail due to poor cash flow, not a lack of sales, so stay ahead by monitoring every dollar.
10. Measure your success
You can’t grow what you don’t track.
Look at conversion rates, bounce rates, average order value, and cart abandonment using Google Analytics or your ecommerce platform’s dashboard.
Shopify reports and Etsy stats also help you spot your best-performing products and sales channels.
Tracking gives you the data to fix minor problems before they become big and double down on what’s working.
Is print on demand scalable?
Yes! POD is built for scale.
There’s no need to hold inventory; you can launch or test new designs quickly. Fulfillment can happen globally through providers like Printful, Gooten, or Gelato.
The market is projected to hit $64 billion by 2032, so the opportunity is only growing.
To scale successfully, focus on automation, branding, and finance systems. These are the foundations of any strong, growing POD brand.
Summary
Before we go, we’ve created a quick summary of this article for you, so you can easily remember it:
- Expand your product catalog by placing your best-selling designs on new items like mugs or hoodies.
- Automate repetitive tasks and outsource creative work to save time and stay focused on growth.
- Sell on multiple marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay to reach a broader customer base.
- Pre-stock your most popular products to offer faster shipping and improve customer satisfaction.
- Strengthen your brand with consistent visuals and tone to build customer loyalty.
- Track key metrics like conversion rates and profit margins regularly to identify what’s working and optimize your efforts.
Conclusion
Scaling your print on demand business doesn’t have to be complicated.
With the right strategies, you can grow faster, reach more customers, and create a brand people remember.
Start with one or two tips, test what works, and build from there.
Growth happens step by step, and these steps are built to last!
Thank you for reading.
Want to learn more about POD?
Ready to move your print on demand store to the next level? Check out the articles below:
Plus, don’t forget to check out our in-depth how to start a print on demand business guide here!