How To Start A Phone Case Business? The Ultimate Guide!
Is A Phone Case Business Profitable?
- There are more mobile phones today than there are people, and the demand for cases for these phones is even greater.
- Mobile cover manufacturing is a profitable business idea.
- Although it is highly dependent on and moves with the Smartphone market, it can be highly profitable if managed sensibly with preemptive action.
- The more booming the Smartphone market is(which it is), the more lucrative is the phone back cover business.
- Although there are significant capital inputs required initially, they are one-time investments and ensure ample returns later, allowing for further growth.
- This is a detailed guide on starting up a Phone Case business, enabling you to turn your business idea into reality.
1. Get your Designs Ready
- The first step of the whole process is to consolidate any mobile cover or phone back cover designs that you have conceived or acquired and test their compatibility with different phone models.
- If you're confused as to where you start, no worries, we've got your back.
- We'll define some popular types of shapes and styles of Phone cases made with different materials.
Slim Gel Cases
- Slim cases colloquially known as Gel cases are thin plastic cases designed to be flexible and usually transparent.
- They are made for customers that like the original look on their phones but would like to add a layer of protection and a little grip while keeping it stylish and pristine.
- They are the most affordable form of cases available in the market and are pretty simple to manufacture.
- They are very light and can be easily stored and shipped.
- There's also a demand for printed texts, patterns and designs on the cases, and custom requests.
- In the hindsight, it's better to delegate the manufacturing and shipping of the product to another manufacturer instead of investing in your equipment, if you plan only to produce this type of case.
Bumper Cases
- These phones' back covers are usually made to cover the edges and borders of phones and are mostly made of harder, less malleable, and shock-resistant materials to protect them from dings and scratches.
- Like the Slim case customer base's requirements, the people who're looking for these cases desire a minimalistic case that doesn't suppress the original design and appearance; however, they desire protection over appearance.
- Some of these mobile covers also have a backplate for added protection to the back of the device.
- These cases shouldn't require investment in self-owned manufacturing equipment.
- Instead, that part of the process should fall on another manufacturer's shoulders.
- However, this would mean relinquishing a certain amount of control over your products and relieving yourself from major shipping and handling hassles.
Tough Cases
- Many people regard their mobile device, and rightly so, as a major investment and would like to protect the thousands they spent on buying the device from just about any calamity that could befall the phone.
- Tough Cases are designed keeping this in mind; they are particularly thick, sometimes thicker than the device, made from hard-wearing materials, and have a grippy texture for added protection.
- Their thickness isn't much of a problem for consumers, but they should be as light as possible.
- These cases require scrutiny while manufacturing, and are also costlier to make.
- This means that the business is better if the owner invests in the manufacturing equipment themselves, allowing for more control over quality and ensuring that there isn't any wastage.
Folio or Wallet Cases
- If practicality is your thing, these cases are fascinating.
- They have a folding cover covering the front of the phone, making it look like a notebook, hence the nomenclature.
- Some of these mobile covers also have wallet-like features allowing people to use them for practical purposes and eliminate the hassle of having a dedicated wallet altogether.
- These cases also allow for extensive design possibilities and freedom of choice in manufacturing materials.
- They usually come in leather or leather-like materials but can also be made from cloth or latex options.
- They are more complex in structure than the other phone back covers and require stitching and wrappings, which requires investment in manufacturing equipment for their production.
2. Choosing Devices To Focus On
- The case market is wholly dependent on the Mobile Phones that they're designed for.
- Every new device comes with renewed demand for cases, and with 34% of users changing devices every 2 years and the ones looking to change their phone's look, this demand doesn't seem to dry out.
- However, you need to be selective about which models you stock for.
- As a case manufacturer, you need to be preemptive about stocking cases for upcoming models, allowing consumers to receive a case along with the latest phone.
- Therefore, you need to follow and assess the projected success of a model.
- If a phone has successful sales figures, it will usher in success for case manufacturers, however, if a model fails, the same would be true for cases as they need to be preemptively stocked and ready for shipping.
- Thus, as a mobile cover manufacturer, you should be updated about the various phones about to launch, the hype they create, the number of people likely to buy them, and how much they're ready to spend on accessorising.
- Devices from larger manufacturers will almost always have ample sales, making them safe for keeping inventories ready.
- The niche manufacturers, on the other hand, prove riskier investments but have higher returns if they succeed.
3. Scaling And Diversifying
- Phone back covers are not a very scalable business in that they depend on the scalability of the market they depend on.
- With the heavy competition in any market where the initial investment is low, you aren't left with much room for growth.
- The only option left for you in the meantime is diversification.
- Other than phone back covers, you can diversify into laptop sleeves, ear-pod covers, headphone bags, etc.
- This allows you to make up for any losses that you might incur due to certain device models' failure.
- They also allow you to scale up where scaling up is next to impossible.
- Another way to increase your sales is to have a substantial social media presence.
- You can hire influencers and celebrities to use your mobile covers on their smartphones, advertise them on their media profiles and mention them through word of mouth.
- As a phone back cover manufacturer, you should also have a social media presence to share entertaining and engaging posts to boost your sales.
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3) How To Start A Stationery Business?
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5) How to Start a YouTube Channel for Your Business?