Print-on-Demand vs. Pop-Ups

Aug 28, 2024

Andrews explores the pros and cons of Print-on-Demand vs. Pop-up Shops as e-store options for customizing and distributing recognition gifts and branded merch.

The best gifts are the ones that people actually want – the “unwrap, snap a pic” kind of awesome! When it comes to branded merchandise, this translates to unique, relevant items that resonate with your intended recipient. But for businesses, offering a diverse selection can be a challenge.

Make the most out of your gifting by enabling your audiences to select exactly what they want! This is where our Print-on-Demand shops and Pop-Up shops come in. Both offer solutions for creating and selling branded merch, but they cater to different needs. There’s power in extending your online presence - here we explore the key differences in these tools to help you decide which one is the right fit for your recognition gift initiatives.

Print on Demand: The Long-Term Option for Branded Merch

A Print-on-Demand shop is an online shop platform that allows you to provide pre-made design options to your recipients across a variety of business promotional items – t-shirts, tumblers, power banks, and more – and then have them decorated as they are ordered by your recipients. You only pay for the items that get shipped out, eliminating the need for inventory and warehousing and all those unwanted leftovers in odd sizes.

Here are some of the advantages of Print-on-Demand shops:

Convenience + Fast Delivery: From the time the order has been placed, it will be delivered to the recipient in 9-12 business days. Talk about fast! You also have the freedom to manage your entire store from an online platform, instead of worrying about physical inventory.
Low Risk: No need to invest in inventory that may not get ordered. There are no minimum order requirements.
Flexibility: Easily add or remove products as needed, adapting to trends and customer/team preferences. Have a company-wide event? Get that brand out to your audience. Once the event has passed, it's a quick update to the site to keep it current and fresh.
Customization: Create unique designs for specific occasions. Think anniversary leather patches or commemorative company milestone designs - whatever suits your objectives and campaigns for your target audience.

Check out our Print on Demand Demo Site

However, Print-on-Demand shops also have limitations:

Select Group of Providers: Print-on-Demand shops offer a wide array of custom promotional products to choose from, but it’s not as much variety as we can offer via our Pop-Up shops.
No Warehousing Option: These shops are intended to ship directly to the recipient – there is no need to store branded merch in a warehouse.
Customization Limitations: While there's a wide variety, customization options for the actual product itself might be limited.

Pop-Up Shops: The Experiential Edge of the Brand Experience

Pop-up shops are intended to be temporary online stores that create a unique brand experience. They can also be used as a long-term option where Print-on-Demand shops are a long-term option ONLY. Pop Up shops are ideal for generating buzz, offering a seasonal experience like holiday gifts, providing employee appreciation gift ideas, or supporting new launches.

Here are some of the benefits of pop-up shops:

Lower Costs: Pop-up shops are a less costly shop option in comparison to Print-on-Demand shops.
Curated Selection: A quick and easy way to showcase a specific product offering for a project or create a themed shopping experience.

Explore Our Pop Up Shop Demo Now

However, pop-up shops also come with challenges:

Longer delivery times: Expect your products to arrive in 3 weeks or more, depending on factors like product complexity and order volume.
Shop Customization Limitations: Although the type/amount of products you can offer is unlimited - when it comes to the online shop look and function, customization of the user experience is limited.

Choosing the Right Solution

Ultimately, the best choice between a Print-on-Demand shop and a Pop-Up shop depends on your specific goals and resources.

Print-on-Demand shops are ideal for: Businesses who want to offer a limited variety of products with a quick turnaround delivered directly to the recipient.
Pop-up shops are ideal for: Brands looking to collect orders and deliver them a few weeks later, after a set window of time, either individually or in bulk.

No matter which solution you choose, both Print-on-Demand shops and Pop-Up shops offer exciting ways to get creative with branded merchandise and the gifting experience.

Still not sure which works best for your project? Get in touch with our team to talk it through. Together, we can help you get some quality creative merch out to your audience in no time!

Explore Our Online Shops

Category:
Tags: online shops, print on demand shops, branded merch, online pop-up shops, customization