Choosing the right platform for selling your art and designs can be overwhelming, especially with the abundance of print-on-demand (POD) options available. Two popular contenders often enter the conversation: Society6 vs Threadless. While both platforms allow you to make money from your art with zero upfront investment, they each cater to different needs and audiences.
This comprehensive blog post will delve into the intricacies of “Society6 vs Threadless”, analyzing their features, pros, and cons to help you decide which platform aligns best with your creative goals and target market. When considering options like “Society6 or Threadless,” this guide will provide clarity. Likewise, if you’re searching for “Threadless vs Society6,” we’ll break down the key distinctions.
Table of Contents:
- II. Society6: Overview and Key Features
- III. Threadless: Overview and Key Features
- IV. Head-to-Head Comparison: Society6 vs. Threadless
- V. Which Platform is Right for You?
- VI. Beyond Society6 and Threadless: Other POD Options
- VII. FAQ Section
II. Society6: Overview and Key Features
Society6 is a renowned print-on-demand platform that has carved a niche for itself in the world of art prints, home decor, and a carefully curated selection of high-quality products. It boasts a strong brand identity, a massive product catalog, and artist-friendly features that make it an attractive option for many creatives.
A. Background: Society6 emerged as a platform dedicated to showcasing and selling art in various formats. Over the years, it has expanded its product offerings to include a wide array of home decor items, furniture, and tech accessories, making it a one-stop shop for customers looking to add a touch of art and personality to their living spaces.
B. Pros:
- Brand Recognition and Loyal Customer Base: Society6 has cultivated a strong brand reputation and a dedicated customer base drawn to its artistic and trendy aesthetic. This pre-existing audience is a valuable asset for artists looking to tap into a market that appreciates unique and stylish designs.
- Diverse Product Catalog: One of Society6’s most significant advantages is its extensive product catalog. From wall art and art prints to phone cases, throw pillows, and even furniture, Society6 offers a broader range of products than many of its competitors. This diversity allows artists to explore various avenues for selling their designs and cater to a wider customer base.
- Artist-Friendly Features: Society6 provides several features designed to empower artists and enhance their selling experience. These include customizable artist profiles with header images, bios, and social media links, enabling artists to create a unique online presence. Additionally, Society6 offers flexible margin settings, allowing artists to control their profit margins on each product.
- Marketing and Promotion: Society6 actively promotes artists through curated collections, social media campaigns, email newsletters, and features on their website. This active promotion can significantly increase an artist’s visibility and drive traffic to their shops.
C. Cons:
- Lower Organic Reach: While Society6 enjoys decent overall traffic, its organic reach from Google searches is relatively lower compared to platforms like Redbubble or Merch by Amazon. This means artists might need to put in extra effort to optimize their listings for search engines or drive traffic to their shops through other means.
- Complicated Upload Process: Society6’s extensive product catalog can become a double-edged sword during the upload process. Configuring artwork for each product can be time-consuming, especially for artists with a large portfolio or those who want to make their designs available on a wide range of items.
- Potential for Undercutting: Society6’s flexible margin settings, while offering artists control over their profits, can also lead to undercutting. Since artists can set their prices, some might be tempted to undercut others to gain a competitive edge, potentially diminishing profit margins for everyone.
III. Threadless: Overview and Key Features
Threadless has a long and storied history in the online T-shirt industry, known for its vibrant artist community, unique design challenges, and focus on apparel. While its product range is more limited compared to Society6, it offers artists a platform for community engagement and potential for broader exposure.
A. Background: Threadless began as an online T-shirt company that relied on user-submitted designs and community voting to select the best designs for printing. This emphasis on artist community and design challenges has remained a core element of the Threadless brand, attracting a dedicated group of artists who participate in competitions, support each other, and contribute to the platform’s unique character.
B. Pros:
- Strong Artist Community: Threadless boasts a passionate community of artists who actively participate in design challenges, share feedback, and offer mutual support. This fosters a collaborative and inspiring environment for artists to grow and develop their skills.
- Potential for Broader Exposure: Winning designs in Threadless challenges can be featured on the main site, increasing their visibility and potential for sales. Additionally, Threadless has partnered with various retailers, offering artists the chance to see their designs featured in physical stores and reach a broader audience.
- Easy Upload Process: Listing designs on Threadless Artist Shops, the platform’s dedicated storefront feature, is relatively straightforward and user-friendly. The upload process is streamlined, making it easier for artists to get their designs up for sale quickly.
C. Cons:
- Lower Traffic and Reach: One of Threadless’ significant drawbacks is its lower overall traffic and organic reach compared to Society6 and other major platforms. This limited traffic can make it challenging for artists to gain visibility and attract potential customers.
- Low Royalties: Threadless offers fixed royalty rates, which can be significantly lower than some competitors, especially during sales periods. This means artists might earn less per sale compared to platforms with flexible margin settings.
- Limited Branding Options: Threadless Artist Shops provide fewer branding options compared to Society6 artist profiles. Artists have less control over the customization and branding of their storefronts, making it harder to build a distinct online presence.
IV. Head-to-Head Comparison: Society6 vs. Threadless
Now, let’s dive deeper into a head-to-head comparison, further exploring the nuances of Society6 vs Threadless, or as some may phrase it, Threadless vs Society6:
A. Product Catalog and Focus:
- Society6: Boasts an extensive product catalog with a primary focus on home decor, art prints, and lifestyle products. You’ll find a wide range of items, including wall art, phone cases, throw pillows, furniture, and more.
- Threadless: Offers a more limited product catalog with a primary focus on apparel and accessories, primarily specializing in T-shirts, hoodies, and other clothing items.
B. Royalty Rates and Earnings Potential:
- Society6: Provides flexible margins, allowing artists to set their own profit percentages on each product. This flexibility potentially leads to higher earnings, giving you more control over your pricing and profit margins.
- Threadless: Operates on fixed royalty rates. While this system eliminates undercutting, the fixed royalties can be comparatively low, especially during frequent sales periods, potentially limiting your earning potential.
C. Traffic and Organic Reach:
- Society6: Enjoys higher overall traffic but experiences lower organic reach from Google searches compared to platforms like Redbubble or Merch by Amazon. While Society6 has a decent amount of traffic, getting discovered organically through search engines might require extra effort on your part.
- Threadless: Faces significantly lower traffic and organic reach compared to Society6 and other major POD platforms. This limited visibility might require more reliance on their own marketing efforts and design challenges to drive sales.
D. Branding and Promotion:
- Society6: Offers more artist branding options with customizable artist profiles that include header images, bios, and social media links. Society6 also puts more effort into individual artist promotion through curated collections, social media campaigns, and newsletters.
- Threadless: Provides limited branding options for Artist Shops, giving artists less control over storefront customization and brand building. Threadless tends to focus more on promoting design challenges rather than individual artist shops.
E. User Experience:
- Society6: Can have a complicated upload process due to the vast and diverse product catalog. Configuring artwork for various product types and sizes can be time-consuming.
- Threadless: Features a relatively easy and user-friendly upload process for Artist Shops, making it simpler and faster to list designs, particularly for apparel-focused artists.
V. Which Platform is Right for You?
When deciding between Society6 vs Threadless (or Threadless vs Society6), the best platform for you ultimately hinges on your individual artistic goals, design style, and target audience.
- Society6:
- Best for: Artists whose work aligns with a trendy and artistic aesthetic, those focused on home decor, art prints, and a diverse product range. Society6 is well-suited for artists who prefer to set their own profit margins and are comfortable with a more complex upload process.
- Design Styles: Artistic, pattern-based, watercolor designs, abstract art, and artwork that easily translates to home decor and lifestyle products tend to perform well on Society6.
- Threadless:
- Best for: Artists who thrive in a community environment, enjoy participating in design challenges, and primarily focus on apparel designs. Threadless is a good fit for artists who prefer a simple upload process and are comfortable with fixed royalty rates.
- Design Styles: Unique, pop culture-themed, illustration-based, and apparel-focused designs tend to resonate with the Threadless audience.
VI. Beyond Society6 and Threadless: Other POD Options
While Society6 and Threadless are popular choices, venturing beyond them can open up a world of possibilities. Consider exploring these additional POD platforms, each with its unique strengths and target audiences:
- Redbubble: Based in Australia, Redbubble stands as the largest standalone POD marketplace in terms of traffic and organic reach, offering a vast product selection, flexible artist margins, and robust marketing efforts. It’s a strong contender for artists seeking broad exposure and a diverse customer base.
- Teepublic: Owned by Redbubble but operating as a separate entity, Teepublic concentrates on apparel and accessories, boasting a streamlined upload process, frequent sales, and strong organic visibility. This platform is particularly appealing for artists specializing in T-shirt designs and those seeking consistent traffic.
- Design by Humans: Another apparel-centric platform, Design by Humans provides a competitive royalty structure and consistently generates sales for artists whose styles align with their audience, often featuring bold, graphic-driven designs.
- Fine Art America: This platform caters to a niche market, specializing in high-quality art prints and wall art. Fine Art America is an excellent option for artists focused on fine art, photography, and high-end home decor.
Beyond marketplace platforms, consider leveraging POD fulfillment companies like Printful or Printify. These services integrate with your own online store (built on platforms like Shopify or Woocommerce) or with marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon. This approach offers more control over your brand and product offerings, allowing you to create a personalized storefront while the POD company handles printing and shipping.
VII. FAQ Section
To wrap up this comprehensive comparison of Society6 vs Threadless, let’s address some common questions that might arise when deciding between these two platforms:
- Can I sell the same design on both Society6 and Threadless?
- Yes, absolutely! You are free to offer your designs on multiple POD platforms. Each platform operates as an independent marketplace, so there are no exclusivity agreements or limitations on where you can sell your artwork.
- Do Society6 or Threadless handle customer service inquiries?
- Yes, both platforms handle all aspects of customer service, including inquiries, returns, and exchanges. This benefit allows artists to focus on their creative work without dealing with the logistical complexities of customer interactions.
- How can I effectively promote my Society6 or Threadless shop?
- Both Society6 and Threadless offer some internal promotion within their marketplaces. However, to truly drive traffic to your shop, consider employing independent marketing efforts. Explore strategies such as:
- Social Media Marketing: Utilize platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter to showcase your designs, engage with potential customers, and direct traffic to your shop.
- Email Marketing: Build an email list and send newsletters to promote new designs, announce sales, and offer exclusive discounts.
- Participating in Design Challenges (Threadless): This is a unique opportunity to gain exposure on Threadless. If your design gets selected, it will be featured on their main website, potentially boosting sales and brand visibility.
- Content Creation: Develop engaging content, such as blog posts, videos, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creative process, to attract potential customers and share your artistic journey.
- Both Society6 and Threadless offer some internal promotion within their marketplaces. However, to truly drive traffic to your shop, consider employing independent marketing efforts. Explore strategies such as:
In the end, whether you choose Society6 or Threadless depends on your specific needs and goals as an artist. Each platform offers a unique set of features, advantages, and limitations. Experimenting with both platforms and actively promoting your shop can help you maximize your reach and success in the exciting world of print-on-demand.