Hello guys. I want to start a local 3d print shop. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestion to get customers and have a successful business?
Kind regards, Vlad.
GIFT3D
2
Hey vomelkojr,
The key for you to have a successful local 3D printing business is to have a good customer base. It may seem obvious, but 3D printing is still relatively new. I’d advise that you advertise your company but really let people know what 3D printing is. When I got my 3D printer nobody/ very few in my area knew anything about the technology. If your local community doesn’t know what it is then you won’t have any customers.
If nobody in your area knows about 3D printing then I’d suggest going into schools and show pupils/ students what can be achieved. Showing people the potential of the technology will really really sell the idea.
As well as this if you advertise that you can make custom parts then your going to get sales. Anyone can buy mass produced products, but having a product with your name or design will really win over customers. There more likely to pay more for this added feature.
You also want to ensure you maintain high quality prints. This will show your professional and hopefully give you repeat customers. If your new to printing, I highly recommend that you print all sorts of items in different materials. There’s nothing worse then telling a customer you can do something when you can’t deliver.
You can use a lot of different style/ coloured prints to use for display to advertise what’s achievable.
Finally you’ll want a catchy name for the ship to be memorable to the customer.
Hope this helps. If you have further questions don’t hesitate to ask.
1 Like
Thanks for the help. Also, do you think having a storefront is a good idea?
GIFT3D
4
Yes, it’s a brilliant idea. If you have different colours and styled prints then it will draw people to your store.
It may cost a bit to get it looking professional as display cabinets can cost a bit, if your using them that is and a lot of prints can use up quite a lot of filament, but it’ll make up for that with the people it interests.
Its a great idea.
1 Like
cobnut
5
Hi @vomelkojr having a storefront could be a good idea - I imagine it’d be quite a draw to have an active printer in the window, so few people have even seen a 3D printer, let alone understand how it works, it could be a good way to drum up interest. However, having a storefront is likely to increase your rental/lease costs, especially if the premises are in a popular location. It might be better to start somewhere small without a storefront and build your customer base/income through advertising (and, of course, through 3D Hubs) then once you’re more established consider moving.
It’s a tough choice to be honest, but when you’re just starting out, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of capital on the premises, only to find there isn’t actually any work around. If you keep your capital costs low initially, you can always expand.
1 Like
kev_24
6
Hello vomelkojr,
Is now the best time to start a t-shirt printing business?
I have planned to take the inkxe web to print solutions, how is this?
