4 steps you should follow to start your mobile cover printing business

Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives; imagining life without them is difficult or even impossible. People are not hesitant to buy the newest, latest, slimmest, and shiniest phone out in the market. Also, to protect these phones from damage or make them look more appealing, they hunt for mobile phone covers. Or people may simply buy unique and interesting, printed mobile covers to give their old phone an upgrade. Mobile phone accessories have become a fashion statement, and this trend is nowhere to go.

The constantly rising popularity of mobile phone covers has led to an upward shift in demand for mobile phone accessories. This rising demand and fashion cult have given rise to a creative business opportunity with a high perceived value and low overhead for getting started.

In this article, we share tips on how to tap the opportunity in the mobile phone cover printing segment that leverages your creativity and nurtures your entrepreneurial passion. With low investment and even a small workspace, you can cater to the customers’ interests and make a good amount of money.

Benefits of starting a mobile cover business

Here are a host of benefits that are associated with the mobile cover printing business –

The small size and non-perishable inventory make it easy to handle and carry.
The cost of the inventory is very cheap, and buying in bulk can further reduce the cost.
Mobile covers have appeal in both the online market and offline kiosk.
With every new phone launch, there’s an opportunity to increase your consumer base.
This business has a decent profit margin and requires a low initial investment.
You can consider this as your part-time business too.

However, as the entry barriers are shallow in this space, there’s high competition, and the market is highly unorganised. To stay afloat, you need to have a creative mindset, entrepreneurial ability, and technical expertise. Here are the steps you should follow to start your mobile cover printing business journey –

1. Research About Your Idea Well

Before entering a market, first, understand it well. Detailed and well-defined research is very crucial for the success of your business. Deep and diligent research can help you enter into the most profitable deals and help you understand the business’ specifics. To discover the unknowns of your business, you can include the following questions in your research–

What’s motivating you to plunge into this business segment?
Who are the leaders of the market, and what is the USP of their products?
What are the initial and ongoing costs associated with the business?
What is the market size, and who will be your target customers?
How will your product be different from the competitors?

2. Make a Robust Plan

After gathering the essentials from your preliminary research, now it’s time to focus on the details. Here are three points which you have to finalise before investing your money –

a. Choose which kind of device you want to focus on

Research which models are most trending in the market or your locality and constantly upgrade your inventory with that model’s phone cover. Also, keep a tab on the new launches in the market and serve your customers the best phone covers for the same.

b. Types of phone cases

There are varied types of phone covers available in the market, each with its different function and cost. The most common types include slim and gel cases, bumper cases, folio or wallet cases, tough cases, fabric case, metal case, etc. While some of them provide great protection, others are visually appealing.

c. Name your brand

A strong brand identity is necessary for establishing who you are. Choose a suitable name for your business that conveys the value and uniqueness of your brand. Make sure to keep it short, simple, and easy to pronounce. With domain generators such as GoDaddy, you can easily find the best available domain name.

d. Chart your budget

Finance is necessary for the smooth functioning of any business. Budgeting will primarily answer the following questions-

What is the cost involved in opening a phone case business?

This includes the market research cost, license and permit fee paid to the government, the cost incurred for purchasing a heating press, infrastructure cost, etc.

What are the ongoing expenses?

This includes upkeep and machinery maintenance, employee salary, promotional expenses, shipping charges, raw material, rent for online sale fees, etc.

How much can you charge your customers?

Although this business permits you to have large profit margins, it depends on the phone case material you use for printing. Slim cases cost less in comparison to metal cases. Good quality material or customised printing has a higher perceived market value but also costs more.

3. Find a Manufacturer and Gather Your Machinery

To choose a manufacturer who can provide the phone cases, you may consider the following factors: the type of product manufactured, quality of the product, the price charged, manufacturing time, minimum order policy, and the shipping costs. Finding the correct manufacturer can help you maximise your profits.

Further, the machinery you require will include a heating press, sublimation moulds, white back case, transfer paper, laptops (optional).

4. Establish and Promote Your Presence

Simply launching a store is not enough; to create better awareness about your product, you need to work on marketing and generating traffic to your store.

Here are a few effective methods that you can use to attract visitors –

Start with personal connections - Make sure to share your business idea with your personal connections even before you launch it. When you launch your business, they can help you promote it and be your first customers. Also, ask them questions like how often do they buy a phone cover? How much are they willing to spend on a cover? or What are the qualities they look for in a cover?
Take your product online - An E-Commerce store is vital to reach the masses at large. You can consider launching your website or choose to host your product on an E-commerce platform such as Amazon, Flipkart, etc.
Kiosks and exhibitions – If you consider having an offline store, then mall kiosks can be a great option to start your business. High traffic and low overhead expense make malls an attractive option. Further, never miss out on any fair or exhibition where you can display your creative designs.
Social media advertising - The strategy to effectively use social media includes focusing on platforms where you think your target audience is the most active. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are highly visual mediums; they can be great platforms to show off your designs and promote your business.
Influencer marketing - Advertising your business with people who have huge popularity and trust among the public can be a great way to get your phone cases in front of more people. Partnering with YouTubers, micro-celebrities, Instagrammers, etc., bring more engagement and sales conversion to your product.
Corporate promotional products – Every year, big companies buy bulk gifts for employees or need customised products for conferences and events. Partnering with such companies can help you drive big sales.
Run contests and giveaways – Run contests or giveaways on your social media accounts to share your products for a chance to win an attractive mobile cover. Or design contests asking people to design their phone covers and sell them in your store while giving a portion of profit to the winner.

Conclusion

Every new mobile phone paves the way for many new phone accessories that match with the model. Hence, innovation in the product, attracting consumers, and retaining them is the key to success in this business segment. Be diligent about new and trending designs and mobile phone launches in the market. Never hesitate to take customer reviews about what images they would like to see next. Have your expertise in customising mobile phone cover printing, as it can help you stand out in the market and see good profits.

Also read:

1) How to Start a Mobile Phone Shop?
2) What is the best form of advertising today in the modern world?
3) Best visiting card/business card ideas for small business owners
4) Print-on-Demand: Business idea to Sell Custom Merchandise