For Shopify merchants looking to sell custom-designed merchandise without the headaches of inventory and shipping, print-on-demand (POD) is a game-changer. But not all POD solutions are created equal.
Gelato is the world’s largest print on-demand network with 140+ print providers in 32 countries and ensures your products are printed closer to your customers, drastically reducing delivery times, shipping costs, and your carbon footprint. 90% of orders are produced locally and 90% arrive within a rapid five days. This gives a competitive edge that keeps customers happy and coming back for more.
Beyond speed, Gelato is committed to superior product quality and sustainability. By embracing local, on-demand production, Gelato minimizes waste and empowers local businesses.
Wondering how to unlock the potential of Gelato for your Shopify store? Let’s dive into a practical guide that will walk you through every step, from setup to scaling your product catalog. Or if you already feel ready to get started, you can head straight over to Gelato.
How to Use Gelato Print on Demand with Spotify
1.Getting Started.
First things first, you’ll need a Gelato account. It’s free to sign up, with no monthly fees. Head to Gelato and click on the “Sign up for free” button. Follow the prompts to fill in your details and complete the registration process. It only takes a few moments.
2. Connecting Your Shopify Store to Gelato
When you sign up to Gelato, you’ll be prompted to connect your Shopify store. This takes you straight to Shopify to install Gelato and give it access to your Shopify store. This secure connection allows Gelato to automatically receive orders, fulfill them, and update tracking information directly in Shopify.
3. Creating Your First Product with Gelato
Time to bring your creative vision to life! Gelato’s intuitive design tools and templates make product creation a breeze.
Once logged into your Gelato account, find the “Products” section in the left-hand menu.
Click “Create Product”: You’ll be presented with a wide range of product categories, from clothing to wall art, posters, canvases, cards, and photobooks.. Gelato’s extensive product catalog ensures you can cater to diverse customer tastes.
Select the product type you want to create. You’ll be taken to the design editor. Here, you can easily upload your own artwork (logos, designs, photos) as image files directly into the editor. Or utilize Gelato’s built-in design tools and templates. Add text, shapes, and pre-designed graphics from Gelato’s library to create unique designs.
Drag, resize, and position your design elements on the product mockup. Gelato provides guidelines to ensure your design prints perfectly.
Once you’re satisfied with your design, click “Save and continue.”
4. Unleash Personalization
Customers love creating unique items, leading to higher customer satisfaction and potentially increased sales. Gelato’s Personalization Studio empowers you to offer customizable products, creating a unique shopping experience.
When creating a product, look for the “Personalization” option. Specify which elements of your design customers can personalize, such as text fields (for names, dates, quotes) or image uploads.Define rules for personalization (character limits, file types) and create a visual preview of how customers will customize the product in your Shopify store.
5. Showcase Your Products
Appealing product visuals are crucial for online sales. Gelato’s mockup generator ensures your high-quality products are presented in the best possible light, with no need for expensive photoshoots.
Once you’ve created your design, Gelato automatically generates professional mockups in various settings (lifestyle, studio, flat lay) and angles.
Select the mockups that best represent your product and brand, and download them to use in your Shopify store product listings, social media and marketing materials.
6. Setting Up Pricing and Product Variants in Shopify
Now it’s time to finalize your product setup within your Shopify store. After creating your product in Gelato, click “Sync to Shopify.” This will automatically create a product listing in your Shopify store with your design and mockups.
Navigate to “Products” in your Shopify admin and find the newly synced product. Set your retail price for the product. Remember to factor in Gelato’s production cost and your desired profit margin. Gelato offers transparent pricing, so you can easily calculate your costs.
Configure product variants (such as sizes and colors). Gelato supports a wide range of variant options for many product types.
7. Configuring Shipping Settings
Gelato’s global production network isn’t just about faster delivery; it also streamlines shipping and can reduce costs. Orders are intelligently routed to the Gelato production partner closest to your customer, minimizing shipping distances and transit times.
Gelato automatically configures shipping profiles in Shopify based on your product and customer location. When enabled, these profiles ensure that the shipping cost your customer sees at checkout directly mirrors the cost Gelato charges you for the order.
When you add a new product from Gelato, it’s automatically assigned to the appropriate shipping profile. For products already existing in your Shopify store, you’ll need to manually assign them to a Gelato shipping profile. Or if you want to implement different shipping rates for specific products, you can create your own customized shipping profiles directly within Shopify and assign your products to them.
You can access your Gelato shipping profiles at any time through your Shopify account. Click on “Settings.” Select “Shipping and Delivery.” Then choose “App shipping profiles.”
8. Managing and Fulfilling Orders with the Gelato Dashboard
The beauty of print-on-demand with Gelato is that the order will be automatically fulfilled. It’s completely hands off. Everything is viewable on the Gelato Dashboard where you can manage and monitor all your print orders. You will even receive real-time shipping updates.
Clicking on the order opens up a detailed information page which includes important information like product details, recipient and shipping address, shipping method, estimated delivery date and order status. From here, you can track progress and even cancel or edit orders as needed.
9. Bulk Upload Your Product Catalog
Ready to expand your product offerings rapidly? Gelato’s bulk upload feature is a powerful tool for quickly scaling your catalog.
All you have to do is create a CSV file with your product information (product type, design files, variants, pricing). Gelato provides templates and guidelines to help you with this. Next, navigate to the “Products” section in your Gelato dashboard and find the “Bulk Upload” option. Upload your CSV file.
Gelato will process your CSV file and automatically create multiple product listings in your Gelato and Shopify stores, saving you time and effort.
Reap the Benefits of Rapid, High-Quality Print on Demand With Gelato
Gelato is more than just a print-on-demand service; it’s a strategic partner that empowers Shopify merchants to thrive in the global e-commerce landscape. By leveraging Gelato’s global network, quality products, and commitment to sustainability, you can build a scalable, efficient, and future-proof online business.
Try Gelato for free now, and get 50% off your first sample order within two days of signing up.
