A Complete Guide to Sell Pin Buttons Online

Summary

Pin buttons have long been a popular form of self-expression, especially among teenagers. Often attached to backpacks, jackets, or hats, these small accessories allow individuals to showcase their interests, affiliations, or style.

Well, one thing is for sure that unlike Windows phones, pin buttons are here to stay. They are not going out of fashion.

The market demand for selling buttons started way back in the 16th century when pin buttons made their debut in American politics. People used to wear them to show which political candidates they supported. Fast forward to today, the pin button business is targeted across various fields like:

• Political campaigning
• Fundraising events
• Promoting businesses
• Entertainment industry
• Welcoming new family members
• Wedding seasons and more!

So, if you are thinking of starting a business for selling buttons online, this guide will help you get started!

Find your target audience

Any business needs to have a specific target audience. And that is your first step. Think and ask yourself. Will you sell buttons directly to customers or collaborate with companies? In short, you want to cater to the B2B or B2C audience or both with a marketplace?

You can select either one of them or go with both of them. However, it is better to start selling buttons online with B2C and later target your business for the B2B segment. This will give you some room to extend your button making business and sell pin buttons that your customers love. Another major reason behind knowing your target audience is that, it gives you more clarity on the type of product you want to create, understand customers’ requirements, and market trends.

Types of materials required

When making button badges, it is essential that you give customers the option to choose from various sizes. Additionally, with different shapes and designs, each requires different materials. There are multiple things that go into making and selling pin buttons. Most pin buttons are made from metal materials, acrylic paints, white clay, hot glue guns, fabric scraps for cotton pin buttons, and wooden materials to create wooden badges, among other materials.

The materials you use completely depend on the type of pin buttons you plan to sell. So, first, define which shape and size of pin buttons you want to sell. Depending on this, get materials, create designs, and start selling buttons online.

Decide budget

Having a constraint over a budget is a must. It is important to define your budget, as it will help you create a roadmap for which vertical requires more attention and money. Additionally, it even helps your investors and partners to be on the same page. Apart from this, you can even have a strategic plan for next quarter or a year.

Plenty of things go wrong when starting a button making business. From licensing, logistics, vendor management, and more. Let’s see each of them in brief:

Registration and licensing:

Starting any new business requires you to register it and get the required licenses. For this, reach out to the necessary official department in your state or city and get the paperwork done.

Logistics and vendor management

The main aim of selling buttons online is that customers can order them from the ease of their home and get them easily delivered. And to provide this facility, it is important to connect with logistics and vendor management companies. Connect and sign the deal with the right vendors. They will help you to deliver your pin buttons to customers on time. timely.

Regardless of selling buttons online or offline, they have their own rules and regulations. So, make sure you have all the required licenses and your business is registered.

To streamline vendor coordination and delivery operations, consider exploring a logistics inventory management solution that helps you manage inventory, shipping, and supplier communication more efficiently.

Everything you will need to sell buttons online

Today, there are many ways to sell pin buttons online. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook let you set up a store for free, with little to no upfront investment. However, relying on these platforms has its drawbacks. Frequent algorithm changes and increasing competition can make it harder to reach customers. Plus, since you don’t own the platform, your control is limited.

A better long-term solution is to create your own website. This gives you full control over design, branding, and the customer journey from colors and layout to the entire buying process. Here’s how to get started:

Select a Platform

There are thousands of online platforms available to help you build your store for a button badge business. Popular options like Shopify, Magento, Joomla, and Drupal each offer unique benefits and drawbacks. With so many choices, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why it’s important to choose a platform that aligns with your business needs.

For example, if you’re working with a limited budget, Shopify provides an easy-to-use solution with all the essential tools. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a highly customizable, full-featured website, Magento could be a better fit, though it may require a larger investment.

Finalize Primary Features

Every eStore should include a core set of features that make it functional and user-friendly. Based on your business model, identify and implement the features most important to your store. Some must-have features include user sign-in, add-to-cart functionality, wish lists, multiple payment gateways, and multilingual support. These basic modules form the foundation of a successful online store.

Choose Development Partner

Creating a successful eStore often requires more than just a website! It involves seamless functionality, user experience, and the right tools. Whether you choose to work with freelancers or a dedicated tech company, it’s essential to find a partner who understands your business goals and can deliver a reliable, scalable solution.

Furthermore, one key element to consider is offering customization features that enhance customer engagement. For businesses selling pin buttons, a Product Designer Tool can be a true game changer because it allows users to create their own designs, adding a personal touch that drives both interest and sales.

Explore the Product Designer Tool below to see how it can elevate your store.

Don’t Forget the USP: Selling Custom Pin Buttons

Every business has its unique selling point to attract customers, retain them, and sell for selling buttons or any other products. Similarly, you too will need a USP to get more customers. Today, there are thousands of stores offering the products that you are thinking of starting your business in. Well, that’s alright, but it is important to have something that sets your store apart from others.

Especially with products like pin buttons, everyone has their own choices. Some want pretty designs based on their aesthetics, while some companies like to create ones based on their business.

So, rather than working on the designs yourself, why not let your customers design the products before placing the order?

Integrating a product designer tool with your website will allow customers to show their creativity. Using the tool, customers can create designs of their choice and place an order right from there.

With the readymade templates, clipart designs, and text formatting, it becomes easy for customers to design the products. The interface is simple; even a naive can prepare products in minutes and order.

Having good options for colors and designs is important when customizing pin buttons. With that, customization becomes more creative and easier.

When choosing an online button design software, remember that it can help you create buttons for websites, apps, or presentations. You can effortlessly customize your buttons’ size, color, shape, and text to your liking.

Generally, this software offers a user-friendly interface, enabling users to explore drag-and-drop functions easily. Frequently, they offer pre-designed templates and a range of icons. Moreover, it allows you to easily export your buttons in different formats to incorporate them into your projects.

Overall, online button design software makes it easier to create professional buttons without the necessity of having advanced design skills.

With the readymade templates, clipart designs, and text formatting, it becomes easy for customers to design the products. The interface is simple, making it easier for not-so-tech-savvy customers to create the designs and order them. When customizing pin buttons, it is important to have good options for colors and designs. With that, customization becomes more creative and easier. If you consider choosing a product designer tool for your business, make sure it has features like social media import, great options for designs, easy interface.

Also, it has to be a complete mobile-responsive tool so that customers can design the products from anywhere in minutes!

Why is it the solution to go for?

Well, the reasons are as follows:

• It helps businesses connect with customers personally
• Customers can show their creativity
• The exclusive custom designs can help increase sales
• It lets customers connect emotionally with products

Just imagine, your customers come to your store and create their own custom designs with this tool. This is helping businesses to grow their customer base and provide better customer service.

Printing Methods & Infrastructure Setup

Managing the production and distribution of pin buttons is time-consuming and complicated. That’s where end-to-end web-to-print solutions come in.

This solution can help you manage your print operation entirely online. With web-to-print solutions, you can easily create and manage your eStore, handle order processing and fulfillment, and even automate your production processes.

At PrintXpand, we offer customized web-to-print solutions that can help your pin button business create and manage its eStores with ease. Some of the key features of our solutions include:

• A user-friendly design tool to create custom pin button designs
• Real-time inventory management to avoid stockouts and improve customer satisfaction
• Automated production processes to save time and money while improving product quality
• Multi-store support for businesses with multiple locations or brand names
• Responsive design for seamless user experience on any device
• Quote management to easily generate and manage customer quotes
• User management to control access and permissions for employees and customers
• Artwork approval to ensure that only high-quality designs are used for production
• Third-party integration to connect with other software and systems for seamless workflows
• Tailor-made website design to match your brand and enhance your online presence.

Take the first step towards building your custom pin button business today! With our expert assistance and tailored solutions, you’ll be on your way to success in no time!

Once you receive an order from your web store, the system will automatically process the order and assign jobs. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and frees up your time for other tasks. Moreover, you’ll receive print-ready files, so all you need to do is print them directly onto the pin buttons.

There are majorly two types of printing methods used in the button business i.e. inkjet printing and laser printing. Each of them has its merits and demerits.

Inkjet Printing:

Inkjet printers are high-resolution. That is mainly based on the type of material the company is using, so make sure to use graphics or presentation paper. This type of ink does not spread or remain thick. The cost of an inkjet printer is affordable, but ink and paper are a bit costly.

The disadvantage is that it is a bit slower than laser printers. You will also need to let the prints dry fully, or else the button will start rusting.

Laser Printing:

Laser printers are often considered a more professional choice for pin button businesses. Although the initial investment is higher, laser printing provides cost-efficiency in the long run. Moreover, it doesn’t rely heavily on expensive paper types, making it more economical per print.

Laser printers are also faster, and the toner dries instantly, reducing production time. However, one has to be cautious with button placement during the printing process. Improper alignment can lead to buttons falling inside the machine, potentially damaging both your equipment and the printed design.

Depending on scale and needs, you can either purchase a laser printer for in-house production or partner with a local print shop for outsourced jobs. Always base this decision on your expected volume, budget, and production capacity.

UV Printing

UV printing uses ultraviolet light to cure ink as it’s printed. It allows for vibrant, durable prints on various surfaces, including metal and plastic buttons. It’s ideal for high-end finishes but usually requires specialized equipment.

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation printing is a heat-based method that embeds ink into coated materials. It’s not typically used for standard metal pin buttons but can be a good option for fabric-covered or polymer buttons.

Heat Transfer Printing

Heat transfer printing involves printing onto a transfer paper and then applying it to the button material using a heat press. It’s cost-effective for short runs and custom designs.

Pad Printing

This method uses a silicone pad to transfer ink from a plate to the button. It is perfect for printing on irregular or curved surfaces, but it’s best suited for high-volume production.

Holographic Film Application

Adding holographic film can give your buttons a distinctive, eye-catching look. This is more of a finishing technique and works well for premium or collectible pin button designs.

Marketing strategies

Taking your business online is not the only thing that you need to do once you start, you need to market it to make it well for more sales. There are various marketing strategies for your button making business. As you are taking your business online, it is important to make your marketing strategies strong. There are multiple ways you can market your business online like:

Storytelling

People connect with stories more than the products. Use your pin buttons to tell a story that relates to a cause, a memory, a mood, or a movement. For example, design buttons around personal affirmations, nostalgic pop culture moments, or mini collections that reflect subcultures such as mental health awareness, retro games, popular dialogues from web series or movies, etc. Share the inspiration behind each button on your website and social media to create emotional engagement and drive sharing.

Behind-the-Scenes

Customers love to see the process; plus, it builds trust and authenticity as well for your business. Show your audience how your buttons are made, from sketch to press. Share clips of your design software, material selection, or even printing bloopers. Use Stories or Reels to make it casual and fun.

Pin Button-Themed Gift Guides

Create curated gift guides featuring your pin buttons as unique gift items. This could be “Gifts for Music Lovers,” “Pins for Bookworms,” or “The Ultimate Indie Artist Merch Guide.” These guides can be blog posts, Instagram carousels, or Pinterest boards.

Tap into Culture and Social Events

Pin buttons are powerful cultural symbols. Tie your designs to trending topics, pop culture moments, or social causes such as Pride Month, comic conventions, or political awareness.

Seasonal and Event-Specific Campaigns

Design collections specifically for holidays, festivals, or local events. For example, Halloween-themed button sets, graduation-themed pins, or simply motivational pins during “back to school” season. These campaigns create urgency and give customers a reason to buy them quickly.

Out of all these marketing strategies, define which one you wish to use, why, and how you can start them. Answering these questions will help you to plan and execute your marketing strategies.

Wrapping up:

To start selling pin buttons, it is clear that you need a solid plan and a stellar website with a USP of customization. Not to mention it has huge scope in the market. These pin buttons have been ruling for decades and will continue. When starting, selling buttons online can be challenging, but with the right tech partner, you can.

At PrintXpand, we are helping our clients set up their eStore from scratch and serve their customers better with our product design tool. With over a decade of experience in the industry, we make sure to make your business remarkable among your competitors. Our product designer tool is our flagship product, helping businesses to get the best for their customers. We have helped multiple businesses set up their web to print stores from scratch. To know more about it, you can get in touch with us and we will guide you throughout the journey!

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