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Understanding trends is the best way to keep you ahead of the curves, especially in an everchanging market like print on demand. To get your business to move forward and develop even further, don’t forget to update the latest and hottest print on demand trends of 2024.
Print on demand trending niches for 2024
Besides the evergreen niches that have been around for years, in 2024, there will be some special occasions that don’t happen annually. These are all highly-anticipated events that can drive insane traffic and numerous sales.
Even though the demand only lasts for a certain period, their tremendous impact and sales potential are hard to skip.
Summer Olympics
Summer Olympics are held once every four years. This year, the 33th Summer Olympics will take place in Paris, from July 26 to August 11.
This is a wonderful occasion to promote sports merch, athletic apparel, and accessories. Other than selling T-shirts, you can diversify your sports catalog with more unique items that will surely capture the attention of sports fans, like hats, jersey tank tops, baseball jerseys, and hockey jerseys, to name a few.
US Presidental Election
The US Presidental Election is one of the most important political events this year. Along with the increasing political engagement, the demand for political and promotional merchandise also surge significantly.
To make your designs more appealing and relatable, you can integrate funny political jokes or meaningful political messages, and feature patriotic symbols like the American flag, bald eagle, Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, etc.
For this special occasion, there is a wide range of products that can generate impressive sales and profits: T-shirts, hats, stickers, mugs, flags, banners, tote bags, phone cases, and more.
2024 Euros
Besides the Summer Olympics, the 2024 Euros is also one of the most important sports events to happen in 2024.
Held every four years, the Euros is the most important football tournament on the continent. The upcoming Euro championship will be held in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024.
To engage with football fans during this season, you can create football-themed designs for products like football jerseys, jersey shorts, hats, shoes, flags, and more.
Print-on-demand design trends for 2024
Keeping your print on demand product up to date with the latest design trends is a powerful move to attract customers and have an edge over other competitors.
Y2K Aesthetics
Characterized by vibrant, bold colors, metallics, and tech-inspired graphics, Y2K aesthetics are one of the biggest trends of the recent pop culture era.
To create a Y2K-inspired design, you can incorporate the following motifs and elements into your design: neon or metallic colors, chrome or holographic, iridescent textures, early internet graphics, old video game interface, and so on.
3D designs/Bubble text
3D design motifs have become incredibly popular in recent years. In 2024, we will see more of the 3D design effect in the form of bubble texts. This unique effect adds dimension to the design, making it look more unique and captivating.
Especially when combined with a shiny surface, the 3D design effects look even more real and impressive. Products like ceramic mugs, tumblers, plant pots, and ceramic ornaments are some popular print on demand products that can pull out the best of this special graphic style.
70s nostalgia
In 2024, we are expected to witness the resurgence of the 60s and 70s in designs. Design motifs like retro stripes, checkers, floral patterns, vintage palettes, and funky fonts are usually associated with this era.
We have seen more and more of this style in the print on demand market, especially with products like T-shirts, hoodies, posters, canvas, mugs, etc.
Stained glass design
Here comes another retro-inspired design trend of 2024. Inspired by the vibrant stained glass art, this design style is characterized by the heavy use of bold, highly contrasting colors, geometric patterns, and lead lines.
The true magic of this design style only shows up when light and shadow come into play. To make it happen, you can combine this style with transparent materials like acrylic sheets, or glass.
Some products that can help you highlight the beauty of this design motif are suncatcher acrylic ornaments, photo night light, photo night light box, or photo frame light box.
Print on demand product trends for 2024
Finding the winning products is a straightforward strategy to gain immediate success. Here is the list of the product trends for 2024:
Embroidery
Embroidery has been around for a long time and started to gain traction recently. While embroidery on t-shirts, hoodies, or hats has become the norm in the market, there is still a vast untapped market for embroidery outside these staples.
Think about the hot-selling apparel products that you are selling, would it make sense to create an embroidered version of those products? Take baseball jerseys, polos, or hockey jerseys for example.
Whether adding embroidered logos, personalized names, or simple graphics, these small twists bring a sense of high quality and elegance to your items.
Custom home decor
As remote work and home-based lifestyles continue to thrive, the demand for custom home decor will continue to grow in the future. Print-on-demand businesses can capitalize on this by offering a variety of personalized decor items.
Besides the classic decor products like throw pillows, wall art, blankets, and rugs, the print on demand market also offers a wide range of new, unique products that will capture customers’ attention right away: From the dazzling photo night light, layered wood sign, metal signs, light photo frame, etc.
Pet Accessories
The market for pet products has always been the gold mine for print-on-demand sellers to explore. But along with the tremendous market size comes the fierce competition. In order to compete, sellers must always be on the lookout for new potential products for this niche and try to incorporate more personalization into their designs.
Some of the pet products that are expected to boom in 2024 are pet collars, pet bandanas, and pet Hawaiian shirts. Besides these dedicated products for pets, you can sell pet-themed products as gifts to pet lovers. Think about new and hot decoration products that you can use as a canvas for your pet-themed designs.
Fitness accessories
As more and more people prioritize a healthy lifestyle, the demand for fitness products is on the rise, creating tremendous opportunities for print-on-demand sellers to capitalize on.
Products such as custom yoga mats, water bottles, gym bags, and workout towels can be personalized with motivational quotes, unique designs, or brand logos.
Athletic apparel
Athletic apparel continues to be a strong market segment within print-on-demand. Performance-focused items like t-shirts, leggings, hoodies, and sports bras always attract a good number of customers. However, if you want to expand your sales, it’s time to level up your game and explore new products.
In 2024, instead of targeting the mass audience with a need for athletic apparel, you can focus on the smaller, more specific niche within this market. For example, you can develop new lines of products for football fans, baseball lovers, basketball enthusiasts, and so on. Following this direction, you can explore a wide range of potential products, for example:
Print on demand marketing/business trends for 2024
To reach the full potential for business growth, you can’t miss out on new opportunities coming from marketing trends, or more broadly, business trends in 2024.
Let’s go through the major trends that are expected to bring significant changes in the print-on-demand market.
AI-generated designs and AI content
2023 marked the beginning of the AI revolution. It is expected that in 2024, we will see AI applications expand and flourish in different aspects of our lives. And print on demand industry is not an exception.
AI-generated designs are here to stay. Imagine a virtual artist working tirelessly, creating unique designs tailored to current trends and customer preferences. Surely, AI arts can’t completely replace artists’ creativity and sophistication. However, it can lend a useful hand for print-on-demand sellers to optimize their design process and generate artwork faster.
AI also helps in content creation. Automated tools can write product descriptions and social media posts, even draft entire marketing campaigns. This reduces workload and ensures consistency in brand messaging. Think of AI as your creative partner, always ready to assist, freeing you to focus on strategy and growth.
Multi-channel selling
Gone are the days when a single storefront was enough. Today, POD businesses thrive on multi-channel selling. This means leveraging various platforms to reach a broader audience. If you are relying on one single e-commerce platform, it’s time to diversify.
Diversifying your sales channels can reduce your dependence on one platform, therefore, mitigating the damage in case of underperformance or changes of policy against your benefits on one platform.
Multi-channel strategies are not just about survival but about scaling your business efficiently.
By expanding to multiple channels, you increase visibility and accessibility. Each platform has its own audience demographics, so you’re not just selling products—you’re tapping into different customer bases. It’s like fishing in multiple ponds; you’re bound to catch more fish.
TikTok Shop and TikTok marketing
TikTok is no longer a social platform just for viral dances and funny content. It’s a powerful marketing place to leverage your business, especially now that TikTok launched its e-commerce platform within the app – TikTok Shop.
This new feature allows businesses to sell directly through the app, integrating entertainment and commerce seamlessly. It won’t take long to see brands use TikTok not just to showcase their products but also to engage with customers and sell products directly on this platform.
Data-Driven Marketing
Data has always played a vital role in determining a business’s marketing tactics and strategies. In 2024, successful POD businesses must leverage data-driven marketing to tailor their strategies. This involves analyzing customer behavior, preferences, and trends to make informed decisions.
With data, you can identify which designs resonate most, which marketing channels perform best, and even the optimal times to launch new products. By understanding your audience deeply, you can create personalized marketing campaigns that convert.
Print-on-demand (POD) landscape in 2024 is set to be vibrant and full of opportunities, driven by major global events and evolving design preferences. By staying attuned to these trends, POD businesses can enhance their market presence and achieve sustained success in the dynamic 2024 landscape.
