Selling Print on Demand in Europe

Marketing and selling Print on Demand products in Europe comes with several challenges.  But if you put in a little extra effort, you will soon find that it is a huge opportunity.  Sellers on Moteefe have managed to double their income by marketing their products in Europe.

Table of contents 

The potential of Print on Demand in Europe

There is less competition in the European Print on Demand market.  A lot of sellers focus their marketing towards the USA and overlook Europe.  It is easy to see why some choose this approach.  California alone is the fifth-biggest economy in the world.  You can see this reflected in the cost of advertising.  Compare the cost of running a Facebook ad in the USA with Europe.  Your budget will go much further in Europe, letting you run more ads and reach more people.

The challenges for Print on Demand in Europe

Languages

The biggest obstacle facing Print on Demand sellers in Europe is language.  The effort involved in getting designs translated puts off a lot of sellers.  As a result, there is much less competition for campaigns run in European languages.  For example, ads run in Italian have a cheaper average cost per link click.  You will often get a better return on your investment by offering your products in Europe.

Brexit

Brexit represents a challenge for selling Print on Demand products in Europe.  Sellers will need to use production centres in Europe to sell there.  To trade in the UK, you will need a supplier located within the UK borders.  Moteefe has local production centres in both mainland Europe and the UK.  The platform guarantees a reliable supply chain even with Brexit. 

Marketing for Print on Demand in Europe

Translate successful campaigns

Get your most successful campaigns translated into as many European languages as possible.  Don’t forget to think about regional languages too.  There are 24 official languages in the European Union.  But, more than 200 other languages and regional variations are also spoken.

Google Translate is not always accurate.  The Moteefe Team have found Deepl to be a more reliable tool.  But to make sure nothing gets lost in translation, you will need the help of a native speaker.  Consider paying for a professional translation service.  If you have a successful campaign, contact Ana or Aidan on the Moteefe x Marcazo Global Facebook group for translation help.

Target by language

European people are a very mobile group. Large numbers of Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Polish people work in Northern Europe.  Spain and France have big populations of British and Irish pensioners.

Many European languages have official status in neighbouring countries.  For example, Italian is one of Switzerland’s official languages.  It also has minority status in Croatia and Slovenia. German is an official language in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Target language groups outside of their main national country.  For instance, test German designs in Austria and try Italian ads in Switzerland.  You should also target individual languages across Europe as a whole.  A Bulgarian ad running across Europe may be more successful than a Bulgarian ad run in only Bulgaria.

Run English versions

More than half of all Europeans speak another language.  English is the most popular choice for a second language in Europe.  Create a version of your ad in English and test it across Europe.

Creating designs for Print on Demand in Europe

Look at past designs

Take a look at the most successful Print on Demand designs from the last ten years.  Could you offer “The Man, The Myth, The Legend” in Norwegian?  If it is already provided in Norwegian, check if the translation is correct.  Even if it is already available, the market may still have potential.  Look at designs that were successful in 2012 and 2013.  Translate these into new languages.  Update the images and give them a fresh twist by adding custom text. 

Think about your audience

People are often more passionate about their homeland when living abroad.  Designs with a national twist have greater success when marketed abroad.  For example, Irish people living in Ireland might not buy a product featuring “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”.  But the same design may be successful when marketed to Irish people living away from home, especially before a national event such as St. Patrick’s Day.

Team Moteefe