This is John Fischer, founder of StickerGiant with Saul the
Sticker Ball — a 232 pound largest ball entirely made of stickers lying around
the office of his company. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the
largest ball of its kind.
Behind this record, lies a successful enterprise Sticker
Giant. It provides custom stickers and labels for some 30,000 companies including
Apple, Google, and NASA. As of now, this company has more than 80 employees and
revenue of $21 million.
Looks pretty profitable right? Moreover, the rapid growth of
digital print technology has led to a growth in the print label market. As per
latest research, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2021 to
2026.
So, how can you start a sticker making business and achieve
milestones like StickerGiant?
Keep the Purpose Alive
For anyone in the Sticker making business, it is important
to understand that “Stickers are not just for fun, they are also important for
companies to label products or act as promotional items. Hence, if you see, the
opportunity market is pretty wide. When Fischer decided to get serious about
the business, in 2006, he pivoted his online store into a custom printing
company to offer decals and labels for various organizations and products.
“Once an online sticker retailer, after pivoting to custom
printing in 2008 finally opened up the business to a slew of new B2B clients.
Now the whole retail part of the company is gone,” says Fischer.
Mission Matters
Did you decide to delve into the sticker making business
based on a friend’s suggestion? Or was it always on your mind? Would you be
pursuing it part time or work full-time towards growing it? You must have clear
answers to the above questions before you start your sticker business. Although
sticker business sounds fun, there are several nuances you might have to look
into including selling, distribution, marketing, profitability etc.
For example, two entrepreneurs, fond of ocean lifestyle, had
a tattoo of “Salt Life” engraved on their necks. They gradually became popular
and created sticker and t-shirt merchandise out of it. The brand went on to
become huge with more than 600 retailers worldwide. Which proves that if you
have the willingness to grow your business and make it big, you definitely can.
Fischer from StickerGiant says “The idea behind StickerGiant
was the ‘Amazon of stickers.’ To turn that concept a reality, he decided to
source stickers from all over the internet and sell them on his site. However,
after coming across the untapped potential of Custom Sticker Printing, he
partnered up with drop-ship printers, brought printing equipment, built a team
and after a lot of smart work, they reached the $3 million milestone.
Set up your stick store with an added USP of custom stickers
for more customer engagement and great sales. With Brush Your Ideas sticker
design software, your customers can create sticker designs using a variety
of features like add text, cliparts, upload image, image filters, and more.
Our sticker making software is fully mobile responsive and
fully integrable on any eCommerce platform. It gives you complete freedom to
create a custom UI, set custom pricing, and control where your customers can
design.
Integrate magento sticker
design software to enable customization on your store. Checkout the link
below.
Type of Stickers you could offer
As the next step, you must have clarity as to what kind of
stickers you are willing to sell. Do you want to go with the regular ones
available in the market? Or do you want to design unique ones?
You can also provide your customers with sticker making
software and let them create stickers on their own. Some start with the vinyl
sticker business and provide vinyl decal designs to their customers
Here are the most trending stickers that you can consider:
Logo Stickers:
Turn the logo into a custom sticker to make a lasting
impression of the brand. These can be handed over to customers as giveaways or
can be stuck over things like cars, laptops, etc. for promotion. You can cut
even the most intricate patterns and internal cuts on vinyl material in any
shape and size.
An example of custom logo stickers by Sticker Mule.
Clear Stickers:
Water and oil resistant stickers are widely used to promote
business, window signage, or big events. Mostly printed on premium weatherproof
vinyl, clear stickers can be die cut in any shape and can be UV coated to give
more abrasion resistance.
A sticker making brand that provides scratch- and
weather-proof custom stickers and labels is Sticker App. Other than clear
stickers, the company also offers vinyl stickers, mirror stickers, matte
stickers, and more.
Minimalist Stickers:
Minimalist or abstract sticker design is a growing trend.
Businesses are considering minimalism for their logo, cards, and print labels.
Minimalist stickers are simple yet powerful. These stickers are perfect for
laptops, phone cases, guitars, refrigerators, journals, etc.
Die Cut Stickers:
These are precisely cut to the shape of your design and can
be adhered to any smooth surface, indoors or outside. You can offer them in any
size, shape and quantity. Die cut stickers are scratch, moisture and sunlight
resistant.
The stickers offer endless customization possibilities,
thereby you can include them in your offerings as they are suitable for
business promotions as well as for personal branding. Here’s how Die cut
stickers look.
Stickers in Vivid Colors:
Another type of sticker that you can consider is stickers
with designs and bright or multiple colors. These stickers never go out of
style. Here’s a sticker with a hand-horn style that creates an amazing visual
effect.
Photo Stickers:
Customers can turn their favorite photos into stickers and
use them for promotional activities. Most photo stickers are made with vinyl material,
and can be pasted on mugs, wine bottles, lockers, laptops, the fridge,
envelopes for invitations, etc. Additionally, they stick strong but remove
clean, hence, can be one of the points to attract your customers.
Bumper Stickers:
These are used to convey a message to a large number of
people. Made of waterproof vinyl, every bumper sticker can be printed in full.
Also, you must decide what is the kind of audience you want
to sell stickers to. You can choose to sell them to both; other businesses as
well as individuals. The best way of making profits is to enable businesses to
create customized sticker sheets and sell them at wholesale prices. If the
buyers find your work consistent, they are sure to come back to you.
Buy Equipment or Outsource Printing
Well, it is always possible to buy some papers and print die
cut labels using a basic printer. However, if you want better quality stickers,
it is advisable to create a sticker design studio that sells durable and
superior quality stickers. To make your online studio unique and stand out from
competitors, you must consider integrating a sticker making
software to your website. Make sure that it is compatible with your website
platform.
Thereafter, you would need to invest into a digital print
and cut printer which might cost you a certain thousand dollars. You would also
need to invest into special stationery, protective sprays and colors. If you
find it difficult to cope with large scale production, you can choose to
outsource printing to another company. But before doing so, it is advisable to
check out some of their prototypes and digitally printed samples. The quality
and style of the production will give you more idea as to whether or not you
want to outsource.
Talk with our industry experts to know more about how you
can set up your sticker store in your budget.
Reaching the Target Audience
There are several ways in which you can let the customers
know about an upcoming market place for stickers. Apart from the search engine
optimization activities to boost your website rankings, you can organize trade
shows or create small retail outlets. As there are several businesses that are
into selling customized stickers online, you can conduct some research and find
out how you can stand out and be different in order to connect with your target
audience.
During the initial days of your business, you can also
consider creating a cost-effective sticker product and give it away for free.
If people like the kind of message your stickers give or the graphics of the
sticker, they are sure to approach you. Thereafter, you can know about their
requirements and provide them with some samples. It is sure to get you more and
better business.
Checkout these tips that will help you market your sticker
making business.
How do I Ensure Success of My Sticker Business?
It’s a tricky question. Majorly, because it is hard to
define success in a sticker making business. Some customers might order 500
stickers for a small event and others might order thousands of them on a
regular basis. In the year 2007, someone named Elliott Nachwalter designed a
sticker that displayed ‘1.20.09’. – Last day of president’s Bush’s reign in the
White House. It started selling like hot cakes and he made $1 million out of
these stickers.
Fischer’s strategy for snagging new customers is based on
word of mouth and collecting customer feedback. “If we can keep our (net
promoter) scores really high and acquire customers at a fast pace, it leads to
growth,” he says. “It all feeds itself—if you produce a good product and you
take care of people, then they recommend you to their friends.”
So, you never know what might click. Sometimes, you might
have to work on instincts. Be as creative as you can and keep enhancing your
business and products as and when you grow. Research online, seek advice from
experts and friends, learn more about the sticker making business, find out how
designers make them. You are sure to get better results.
Stickers are a lot of fun when it comes to making money.
But, you must know the right way to go about it. We hope this article will help
you fulfill your dreams well!
Source: https://brushyourideas.wordpress.com/2021/09/15/stick-it-right-things-to-know-before-starting-a-sticker-making-business-2/
