Top Free & Paid Tools to Track Print-on-Demand Trends in 2024
Due to their nimble nature, print-on-demand (POD) sellers are uniquely poised to leverage internet meme culture and popular trends, offering custom products and on-demand apparel that capture current interests. The challenge with trends is that they come and go quickly, making it hard to stay on top of what’s hot. But here’s the good news: several tools—both free and paid—can help POD sellers discover trends in real-time, ensuring their offerings stay fresh and relevant.
Below are some of our favorite tools for tracking POD trends—each Gooten-approved and ready to help you optimize your shop in 2024.
Top Tools for Discovering Print on Demand Trends
Google Trends belongs at the top of our list for several reasons. First, it’s free, meaning there’s no risk for print-on-demand sellers to try it out. Second, it’s a powerful software solution for monitoring keywords and search terms, making it indispensable for optimizing a POD store.
Essentially, Google Trends shows what words, phrases, and topics your customers are searching for, providing essential insight into how to engage them. For example, by tracking seasonal keywords like “holiday gifts” or “custom Halloween shirts,” you can pinpoint peak interest periods to tailor your products accordingly.
Why it’s a must for POD sellers:
Google Trends is perfect not only for optimizing your print-on-demand store but also for generating timely content and design ideas that keep your offerings aligned with current customer interests.
When it comes to content creation, YouTube remains the king. As a result, its trend-tracking tools are valuable for POD sellers. You can often glean current trends just by spending time on the YouTube homepage, which reflects popular topics and videos. YouTube also offers a dedicated trends tool, giving an objective view of what’s trending across different categories like music, gaming, and lifestyle.
Why it’s a must for POD sellers:
YouTube’s insights allow you to see what resonates with audiences, helping inspire product designs that can appeal to your niche customers.
Pinterest is a central hub for DIY inspiration and design ideas, so it’s no surprise that many print-on-demand sellers turn to it for trend insights. Besides being a great visual resource, Pinterest offers tools like “Trends of the Week” to keep users up to date. And for a look into the future, check out Pinterest Predicts, a unique tool that forecasts emerging trends that may be big in the coming months.
Why it’s a must for POD sellers:
With tools like Pinterest Predicts, you can anticipate customer preferences, exploring ideas for custom products and on-demand apparel before they become mainstream.
When you’re ready to venture into paid tools, SEMrush is a strong contender. Its Market Explorer Tool lets you see a visual overview of current market trends within any selected country, offering insights into audience demographics and key competitors. Additionally, the Traffic Analysis feature shows you the interests and topics that generate online traffic, both for your POD shop and competitor stores.
Pros:
- Advanced competitor analysis
- Detailed insights into customer demographics and traffic trends
Why it’s a must for POD sellers:
SEMrush is invaluable for sizing up market trends and identifying potential competitive advantages. These tools provide inspiration for new products and insights into audience preferences.
5) Other Tools for Identifying Online Trends
We’ve summarized a few top trend-spotting tools, but there are many others worth exploring to give your shop an edge. Here are a few more you may want to consider:
- Google Trends for YouTube: Get insights specifically for video content, ideal for spotting topics that resonate with younger, visual-focused audiences.
- Instagram Trends: Follow hashtags and popular posts to keep an eye on what’s trending in visual fashion and lifestyle niches.
- Twitter Trending Topics: Check what’s trending in real-time, especially useful for meme-based and pop culture designs.
- TikTok: The ‘For You’ page is a goldmine for viral trends, particularly for younger audiences who gravitate towards niche and meme-inspired designs.
- Google Analytics: Use real-time data to observe patterns in customer behavior that may inspire your next big product idea.
Explore a few of these tools, and find the ones that are most useful for your own trend monitoring efforts.
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Print on Demand is All About Niche Marketing
At its core, tracking trends helps you connect with specific audiences and groups by understanding their interests at any given moment. Niche marketing is what sets successful POD sellers apart, as it enables them to engage audiences and foster customer loyalty for repeat purchases. Monitoring trends allows you to tailor your print-on-demand designs and custom products to reflect what customers are actively searching for.
Conclusion
Staying ahead of trends is essential for any POD business, and these tools can give you the insights you need to create relevant, appealing designs. If you’d like more guidance on print-on-demand marketing, reach out to Gooten. Our team is here to support POD sellers not only with trend-spotting tools but also with reliable print-on-demand fulfillment solutions. Contact us today to learn about the advantages of partnering with Gooten and explore our offerings to stay trend-ready.
