How can I learn from a print-on-demand seller’s best and worst product tests?

Ask for a simple log of products listed over time. For each, you want the idea behind it, when it launched, any advertising behind it and how it turned out. If the seller kept no log, the shop’s own order history and ad reports can be pieced together, and the seller can fill in the reasoning from memory.

Study the best sellers first. Look for a common thread in the audience, the style, the wording or the time of year. Then study the failures with equal care. Some designs fail from poor images or bad titles, not from weak ideas, so check before you write off a theme altogether.

Ask what the seller would do differently and which tests they never finished. Check designs for anything that could infringe someone else’s mark or artwork, since a past winner may carry a risk. Your lawyer can advise on trademarks and copyright. Finally, plan your own first tests small, keep a log from day one and note what you change each time. Keep your own conclusions loose until you have run tests yourself, since conditions change and the seller’s results may not repeat. Treat the history as a source of questions, not as a rulebook for what will sell.

Key takeaways

• Request a log of products tested, with spending and results.
• Study failures as closely as winners and separate design from presentation.
• Check past designs for trademark or copyright concerns with your lawyer.