There are a lot of digital products available online and it can be difficult to find a niche that will allow you to turn a profit. Niches can refer to a type of product as well as to special interests that help you define your target audience.
Seamless patterns are popular as digital products because they can be used for a variety of purposes. Even if you have never designed a digital product or sold one, you can start a business selling seamless patterns and start earning money quickly. Here are 7 benefits of creating and selling seamless patterns.
#1: You Don’t Need Any Special Training or Experience
A lack of experience and training is one of the biggest barriers to starting any new endeavor and that includes selling products online. What I like about creating and selling seamless patterns is that you don’t need any special training or experience to do it.
It’s easy to find images to use in seamless patterns. If you choose a tool like Canva, you’ll get access to a huge library of images that you can use as is or manipulate to create unique patterns that your customers will love. You can access pattern templates, too. Even if you have never created a digital pattern before, you can make your first product in just a few minutes.
#2: There’s No Writing Required
Writing is something that we all do at least some of the time but it’s not a skill that comes easily to everyone. The prospect of writing anything can seem daunting or even overwhelming, so I like that there’s no writing required to create digital patterns.
The patterns themselves are made up entirely of images, so people can use them in journals or as backgrounds for art projects or even have them printed on textiles and print on demand products. You can use simple technology to create them. There’s not even any real writing required in creating product listings since you’ll mostly be using keywords to help prospective customers find your products.
#3: You Can Create Seamless Patterns from Anywhere
There are plenty of ways to earn a little extra money but many of them require you to be in a specific location or work at specific times. That’s not the case with seamless patterns because you can create them from wherever you are—even if that ‘wherever’ is on a beach or in a Paris café.
All you need to create appealing seamless patterns is a laptop or tablet and access to basic design software. As long as you have an internet connection, you can be wherever you want to be and create as many patterns as you want. Your customers don’t need to know that you’re sitting in your back yard or on a plane on your way to a ski resort.
#4: Startup and Overhead Expenses Are Minimal
Another common barrier to entry when people want to start a business or side hustle is access to the funds needed to acquire business supplies or premises. These things can be expensive and if you don’t have the money on hand to pay for them, you might need to put off your plans. That’s not the case with creating seamless patterns because you may not need to spend anything at all to get started.
In terms of equipment, all you need is a tablet or laptop and access to the internet. If you have those two things, you’re most of the way to having what you need to earn money selling digital patterns. The only other necessity is basic software, some of which you may already have. For example, you might already own Microsoft PowerPoint or the Adobe Creative Suite, both of which can be used to create seamless patterns. If you don’t own software, there are tons of free and low-cost options you can find online, including my favorite design tool, Canva, which has a robust free option and an affordably priced premium version.
#5: There’s No Inventory Storage or Shipping
Anybody who has a brick-and-mortar store or sells physical products knows that inventory storage can be an expensive pain in the neck. Most homes don’t have enough storage space to hold a large number of products and rent for commercial storage space is expensive. With digital patterns, your inventory can be stored electronically—something that takes no space at all and requires no rentals.
Another related expense is the cost, in both time and money, of shipping products to your customers. You probably don’t love the idea of going to the post office or UPS store every day. With digital patterns, delivery of products is electronic and instantaneous!
#6: After You Make a Pattern, You Can Sell It Many Times
Anybody who sells handmade products knows that a lot of work goes into each product they sell. It’s part of the reason that the cost of handmade products tends to be high. The maker needs to recoup their costs, including both materials and labor.
With digital patterns, one of the biggest benefits is that you can make a pattern once and sell it as many times as you want to. There’s no limit on what you can earn and after your initial time and effort, you won’t need to do anything else to keep racking up sales and profits.
#7: There Are Many Places to Sell Seamless Patterns
Getting any store to carry a product you make requires a lot of effort, whether you’re pitching your products to a mom and pop store or a national chain. That’s not the case with digital patterns because you can choose from plenty of online sites to sell your products—and the only barrier to entry is setting up a free account or shop.
Some of the places that you can sell digital patterns include Etsy, Patterndesigns.com, Spoonflower, and Creative Market. You can even sell your services as a freelance pattern designer on sites like Fiverr!
As you can see, there are many benefits to creating and selling seamless patterns. With almost no overhead costs and no special skills required, you can start right now and be selling unique products in no time.
Do you need help creating and selling seamless patterns? My new guide, Easy Repeat and Sell Designs, breaks it all down into easy-to-follow steps. Click here to get your copy today!
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