The world of ecommerce and print-on-demand is booming. Even during the uncertainty of the last few years, the ecommerce industry went from strength to strength. As a result, the industry is bigger than ever in 2023.

In this blog post, we’ve put together the latest print-on-demand industry data, trends, and predictions. Use this key information to power your marketing and business growth for the ongoing year. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Print-on-demand and related industry growth trends
• Product trends
• Printful’s company updates

Sound good? Let’s jump right in!

Print-on-demand is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. In 2022, the global print-on-demand market was valued at $5.397 billion. It’s projected to reach $39.035 billion by 2031. That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 26.2%.

Print-on-demand growth by region

North America is currently the largest market for print-on-demand, with the United States being home to some of the most profitable print-on-demand companies in the world, including Printful and Zazzle. More companies, like Redbubble and Gelato, have fulfillment centers in the region as well.

While North America remains the leader in the market, other regions are picking up speed. In fact, the Asia Pacific region is expected to have the most significant growth in the print-on-demand market over the next few years, with a projected CAGR of 27.9% from 2020 to 2030.

Print-on-demand market drivers

While other industries stumbled during the pandemic, print-on-demand was getting record-high interest. Here are some of the factors that have contributed to that.

First, there’s a growing demand for personalized and one-of-a-kind products. In fact, a lot of consumers (36%) are expecting some form of personalization by default and would even be ready to wait longer for customized products (48%). Since print-on-demand products are made to order with no minimums, even an order of a single product with a specific design can be fulfilled. This opens the door to satisfying a demand for personalization while still remaining profitable.

Another factor is the shift from traditional retail to ecommerce. COVID-19 forced us all to adopt new habits, and online shopping is one that is here to stay even in the post-pandemic world. In 2021, the ecommerce share of global retail sales amounted to 18.8%. In 2022, it grew to 19.7%, and is predicted to reach 24% by 2026. That’s an increase of almost 6% in just 4 years.