I help uncommon businesses succeed in the digital economy.
I'm not a typical front web developer or ecommerce marketer. My clients are not typical businesses confined by physical locations.
I develop & implement solutions that help uncommon businesses leverage technology effectively - now and in the future.
Both are fully capable of providing print-on-demand fulfillment for WooCommerce (as well as Shopify).
Printful is growing quickly and has more product options. They typically have better deliver time, though Printify often has better pricing.
It depends a bit on what types of products you plan to offer. Both allow merchants to sign up for free, so you can see pricing, available products, and product creation methods.
In addition to these two, there are a number of other print-on-demand platforms. Many are alike, but there are some unique differences regarding products offered, shipping policies, etc.
I publish POD Weekly, a blog and newsletter for print-on-demand sellers so I follow the industry closely. [more here: https://merchreadydesigns.com/blog/ ]
Feel free to schedule a call with me if you have any other questions regarding print-on-demand ecommerce!
With that kind of traffic, it shouldn't be hard to monetize, but the real question is coming up with the most effective strategy.
Without knowing much about the business or having access to any analytics, here are a few recommendations off the top of my head:
- add affiliate links to apps & software links
- sell premium ad space
- sell services to help customers select software/apps
- sell services to setup various software
- setup automated email campaigns
- offer courses
There are certainly other ways you could monetize your site. One thing to keep in mind is you want to focus on the CLTV (customer lifetime value). Rather than looking for quick wins, think about the big picture and how you can really help your customers in the long run.
By providing value, you'll build trust and your customers and clients will be much more willing to pay for added services.
As I'm sure you know, two-sided platforms are notoriously difficult to build.
I've built a niche graphic design marketplace site of my own with a few thousand buyers serviced by over a hundred designers. Rather than building up both sides initially, we worked on building the buyer side, with a team of in-house contractors.
Once we had a good pool of buyers, we then worked to recruit designers, knowing they'd be enticed by our active buyers that were already spending money.
This strategy won't work for all marketplaces and I don't know much about your business or the problems you're facing. However, I'd recommend checking out the book Platform Revolution.
https://www.amazon.com/Platform-Revolution-Networked-Transforming-Economyand-ebook/dp/B00ZAT8VS4
It's full of examples of businesses that have developed platforms and marketplaces using a variety of different strategies.
Either Wordpress or Shopify would work for a life coach and it depends a bit on what you plan to sell. Without knowing much about the situation, I'll guess that you'd like to sell services.
While I typically suggest Shopify for most clients, Wordpress (with WooCommerce) may be a better fit for that situation. Shopify is primarily setup for physical products. That doesn't mean it can't be used for selling services. However, there are a lot features that you won't need in Shopify.
With Wordpress/WooCommerce, the biggest benefit would be the blogging features. Wordpress is the most popular blogging platform by far and more than likely, you'll get more out of using those features than the Shopify ecommerce features.
Shopify has a blogging platform as well and it even can be integrated with Wordpress if desired.
Before getting started, it's worth taking sometime to think about how you'll drive people to your site, what you plan to sell, and where to find your target audience.
I've setup stores on both platforms, and even run one of my own on each of Shopify and WooCommerce. There are pros and cons to both and it's certainly situation-dependent.
If you need help choosing, or taking the next step, with a Shopify or WooCoommerce shop, feel free to schedule a call.