How to Start an amazing Online T-shirt Business (7 Steps)

Many of us are thinking to start a successful online t-shirt business.

Whether it’s a casual stroll to the market, going to the gym or just hanging out with friends on a Sunday evening, most of us prefer t-shirts because of their extreme comfort and flexibility.

There are so many t-shirt designs to choose from and people literally wear their opinion on them!

Now, starting an online tshirt business might seem tough, so let us simplify it for you! Here are a few steps that you can follow to start an online T-shirt business today.

7 easy steps to Start an Online T-shirt Business:



Step 1: Understand your Audience

Step 2: Design your T-shirt Designs

Step 3: Source Quality Fabric

Step 4: Set up T-Shirt Printing

Step 5: Choose a brand name & design a logo

Step 6: Create a compelling website

Step 7: Start Selling!

Step 1 : Choose the Right Niche for Your Online T-Shirt Business:

Understanding what your audience needs and giving them exactly that is the key for a successful online t-shirt business. There are a lot of established tshirt business ideas online. You need to figure out how to make your ideas stand out from them. Identify your niche to create a unique look for your business so that people are interested in buying T-Shirts from you.

Keep up with the latest t-shirt design trends and keep a track of what people might be interested in. Look for t-shirt design ideas around you, for example, some dialogue from a TV Show/Film, a character, any social movement, famous branding or trending slangs used by people can make your tshirt business Idea viral.

For a successful online t-shirt business, you need to comply with all the legal norms and take permissions for copyrights of the protected content.

Step 2: Design Your T-Shirts:

Now that you have some amazing t-shirt ideas in mind, the next step is to actually designing them! T-shirt Design ideas are one of the most crucial parts of your business as they create appeal and attracts the eye.

Be creative, think outside the box and consider what is relevant for your audience. Try out various design ideas and collaborate with local designers to get more and more T-shirt designs to maintain variety.

However, if you don’t feel as confident in your skills for your online T-shirt business, you can also use Designfier to hire expert freelancers or launch a t-shirt design contest to get more ideas from all around the world at affordable prices!

Step 3: Source Quality Fabric:

When your are ready with design ideas for your online t-shirt business, now it’s time to source quality products. We recommend you to choose a high-quality fabric that lasts long so that your customer is satisfied with the product. Satisfied customers make for great feedback, recommendations and retention. This will drive up your business in no time.

If you’re still not able to finalise a fabric for your online t-shirt business, just try it yourself to test its durability and value. You don’t want to sell something to a customer that you don’t like personally.

Step 4: Set up T-shirt Printing:

Now that you have your designs and your fabric with you, the next step is to print those designs on the T-shirts. The type of method you choose determines the price, durability and quality of your T-Shirts.

Majorly there are 3 ways you can print something on the Fabric:

·         Screen Printing – This is the most common method used to print T-shirts. It is done by creating screens of the T-shirt design and placing the t-shirt on a flat surface and pressing the screen on top. Then ink is applied on top of the screen and is pushed on the t-shirt. It is great for bulk orders so the T-shirts can be more affordable to the customer.

Please note: For a successful online T-shirt business, you must choose high-quality prints on your products.

·         Heat Transfer Printing – The T-shirt design is placed on a heat transfer paper and then placed on a T-shirt. With the use of heat press the design is heated to high temperatures, which melts it into the fiber of the clothing, which makes it stick to the T-shirt. It rises up the price by a little bit as it provides the more colours than Screen printing.

·         Direct to Garment (DTG) – In this, the ink is applied directly onto a T-shirt through a printer.  T-shirt designs are directly transferred to the T-shirt using a computer and a printer. This reduces the cost of the T-shirt but it is a slow process so it is used for small orders.

Step 5: Choose a Brand name & Design a Logo

Choosing a Name and a Custom Logo design for a business is very important. Every Business requires a name and a logo. It should be short, relevant, easy to remember and it should explain the brand simply. It is something that is going to stick with you forever so we recommend that you choose a name that you think is the best suited according to you. Choosing a custom logo design is also important as it creates an image of the brand in the customer’s mind.

However, if you think you want professional logo design ideas for your business, you can use our Custom Logo Design Contest option to get a wide range of ideas for your T-Shirt Business in no time!

Step 6: Create a Website:

The next step after choosing a name and logo would be to create a website. You need an E-commerce website to sell your T-shirts on the internet. So have a look at some competitor website designs and try to create a unique yet simple interface for your customers. The Website is like an online shop, so you have to make your shop reflect your brand values, easy to use and creates a good customer experience. Your website design should represent what your business is about.

However, if you think you need professionals to design your websites, our experts at Designfier are always ready to create an amazing e-commerce website design that relate with your T-shirt business idea.

Step 7: Start Selling!

Congratulations! You have set up everything in place, the next step would be to just start selling and making money from what you like the best. Selling T-shirts Online!

In order to grow more and get more customers, you can look for various options to promote your website on the internet such as Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Marketing etc. Look for what suits you the best in terms of branding and create a marketing goal that you want to achieve and work towards building your Online T-shirt Business!




Henny Darwin is a content strategist and moderator at Designfier, one of the leading graphic design marketplaces.