With the rise of Print on Demand shoes, the footwear industry in India has changed significantly. Over the last few years, customers have been buying shoes for comfort, style, identity, and everyday lifestyle use.
This shift has opened a massive opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to sell shoes online in India without any old or traditional online selling models. Instead of producing shoes in bulk, sellers can now use the print shoes on demand model, where each pair is created only after a customer places an order.
Even entrepreneurs are building successful businesses selling shoes online by focusing on niche audiences, creative designs, and branding. Sneakers, casual footwear, and lifestyle shoes have become especially popular online, driven by social media and influencer advertising.
This guide explains how to sell shoes online step by step using Print on Demand (POD), from understanding on demand and choosing the right niche to selecting the best site to sell shoes online, setting prices correctly, promoting your products, and building a sustainable shoe brand for the Indian market.
Key Takeaways:
- Print on demand shoes allow you to start a shoe business in India without manufacturing, inventory, or storage costs.
- The print on demand shoe companies help reduce financial risk for individuals, while also allowing them to focus on design trends and customisation.
- Platforms like Shopify can be used to test and analyse the best print on demand shoes, but owning your store builds a real brand.
- Accurate sizing information, strong product visuals, and clear descriptions reduce returns in your selling shoes online business.
- To be the best site to sell shoes online, consistent marketing and branding are more important than discounts and social media ads.
What Are Print on Demand Shoes?
Print on demand shoes are custom footwear products that are made only after a customer places an order online. Unlike traditional shoe businesses, there is no bulk printing or manufacturing, no warehouse storage, and no pressure of unsold stock. Each pair of shoes is produced based on real demand.
Print on Demand shoes India has gained attention because it allows almost anyone to enter the footwear market without a heavy investment. You do not need to own a factory or buy thousands of shoes upfront. Instead, you focus on designs, branding, and marketing while production and shipping are handled after the sale.
This concept of print shoes on demand is especially useful for online selling brands. Customers today are not only buying shoes for utility, but they are also buying shoes that match their personality, lifestyle, or daily routine. And precisely, print on demand supports this trend by allowing customisation and design flexibility on shoes.
The base shoe is manufactured by a supplier, and your unique design is added later based on the customer’s wish and order. You will list multiple designs online, and only the designs that customers choose are produced. This makes print on demand shoes in India a low-risk and flexible business model. In simple steps,
- Create and upload designs for shoes.
- Customer orders your design on the shoe.
- The shoe is printed after order confirmation.
- Earn your profit margin through your selling price.
Print on demand shoes are suitable for a wide range of sellers. You do not need prior experience in footwear manufacturing or fashion design to start. Either you are a content creator, an entrepreneur, or a new brand wanted to test a product, this model helps you build a brand without heavy operational complexity and offers a practical starting point.
Are Shoes a High demand?
The footwear industry has firmly shifted from being a necessity to a lifestyle-driven category. Selling shoes online in India is supported by internet penetration, smartphone usage, and growing trust in online-first brands.
Customers are more open to new brands, especially when the product offers detailed information, such as design, size, and other specifications.
Shoes are performing online well, because they wear out faster than most fashion products, which leads to regular replacement. Customers also tend to buy multiple pairs for different use cases like daily wear, workouts, travel, office use, or casual outings.
Recently, customers increasingly discovered shoe brands through Instagram reels, short videos, and influencer recommendations rather than traditional ads.
Success depends on how well the product is positioned, explained, and marketed, and most importantly, customer experiences are the ones that can truly benefit from the growing online shoe demand in India.
What Products Are Commonly Sold as Print on Demand Shoes?
Not all shoe types work well with print on demand. The model performs best with categories where design and everyday use matter more than extreme technical performance. Common print on demand shoe categories include:
- Sneakers – Fesigned for casual use.
- Lifestyle Shoes – With minimal creative designs.
- Slip-on or Low-top Shoes – Very suitable for customisation.
- Casual Footwear – Targeted at niche audiences.
Highly technical sports shoes or specialised performance footwear are harder to sell through print on demand because customers expect advanced features and materials.
How to Sell Shoes Online?
Before beginning a shoe selling business, you need to understand how the process works, from listing a product to delivering it to the customer. This guide explains how to sell shoes online using print on demand in a clear, practical way.
Step 1: Niche Designs that Suit the Shoes
Selling shoes online is not about uploading random designs. The most successful print on demand shoe sellers design products for a specific type of customer. There are lots of successful print on demand designs that are readily available to purchase from official sources like Shutterstock or Pinterest.
Rather, you can create your own design with plenty of AI apps and designing platforms like Canva and Adobe Photoshop. Try creating minimal, wearable and aesthetic designs that perfectly fit for printing a shoe and are visually appealing.
Step 2: Choose a Print on Demand Shoe Supplier
Your print on demand supplier plays a critical role in product quality and customer satisfaction. The supplier provides the base shoe, applies the print, packs the product, and ships it to the customer. When evaluating print on demand shoe companies, focus on:
- Print quality and durability.
- Comfort and material standards.
- Production and delivery timelines.
- Integration with your selling platform.
- Customer support and order tracking.
A reliable supplier reduces complaints, returns, and long-term damage to your brand. Pick your print on demand partner wisely, or try creating your own site to sell shoes online.
Step 3: List Your Shoes on Your Online Platform
With a proper online store, your customers can view your products, place orders, and make payments easily. For building a long-term growing brand, owning your store gives you more control. This is why print on demand platforms are popular among serious sellers and buyers.
After setting up your platform, your product listings decide whether a visitor becomes a buyer or just gets added as one visit to your site. In the footwear-selling industry, clarity and details are more important than exaggeration. Clear listings reduce confusion and lower return rates. A good shoe product listing should include:
- Multiple product images.
- A clear description.
- Accurate size charts.
- Details of material, type, and fit.
- Estimated delivery time and tracking.
Step 4: Understand Pricing
Pricing print on demand shoes requires planning. Since shoes are produced one by one, the cost per unit is higher than in bulk manufacturing. Your pricing should include a decent profit margin, adding to the product cost, shipping and other charges.
Instead of charging a low price, price your product based on design value, niche appeal, and brand experience.
Step 5: Manage Orders and Fulfilment
Once a customer places an order, the process should move smoothly without manual effort. Automation is important here. Manual order handling increases errors and delays. Once your customer order is confirmed, your POD provider takes the order and completes the fulfilment, also updating the customer on tracking.
This typical flow will complete the fulfilment, and managing returns and refunds will be added for some orders. Additionally, make sure to communicate clearly with your customers to increase repeat purchases and earn a trusted brand name. Some tips to be remembered while managing fulfilment are,
- Clearly mention every detail.
- Explain the usage honestly.
- Avoid information like performance and comfort.
- Respond to customer queries quickly.
Appreciate feedback and reviews from your customers, so you can analyse and optimise your store. Keep a record of your sales and identify your type of branding, and lead your selling shoes online business in your own way.
Step 6: Promote and Scale
Most of the print on demand shoe companies follow effective marketing, as every best product needs its own promotion to reach the people looking for the product. Some strategies to follow, so you can become the best site to sell shoes online:
- Influencer collaborations for niche audiences.
- Paid ads targeting specific interests.
- SEO content explaining your brand and products.
- Email marketing for repeat customers.
Consistency is what matters in every online selling business. Identify the trends, choose your niche and suitable designs, improve quality and clarity, increase sales and scale your business to become a brand identity.
Best Site to Sell Shoes Online
Choosing the best site to sell shoes online is not about picking the most popular platform. It is about selecting a platform that supports your business goals, your product type, and how you want to grow over time. In the footwear category, especially for print on demand shoes, platform choice directly affects trust, conversions, and repeat sales.
Indian customers buying shoes online expect clarity, smooth checkout, reliable payments, and easy returns. If the platform feels confusing or unprofessional, customers hesitate, even if the design looks good. This is why the selling platform matters as much as the product itself.
Marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon have millions of shoppers, along with FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon), Prime subscription and other offers, which allow sellers to earn a considerable profit, paying only a minimal platform fee. Whereas a platform like Shopify helps you build your own brand for long-term growth with higher profit margins.
Print on Demand Shoes Shopify
For print on demand shoes, Shopify works well because it supports direct integration with print on demand shoe companies. Once a customer places an order, the details are automatically sent for production and fulfilment. This reduces manual effort and order-related mistakes.
Many Indian customers are already familiar with Shopify-powered stores. This improves confidence during checkout, especially for footwear purchases where customers worry about size, fit, and payment safety. Shopify also allows the sellers to:
- Create clear product pages with detailed descriptions.
- Add size charts and FAQs to the page easily.
- Control branding and store layout.
- Offer multiple Indian payment gateways.
- Track orders and customer behaviour easily.
Unlike marketplaces, Shopify lets you own your customer data and helps you build email lists, retarget previous buyers, and launch repeat collections without depending on third-party platforms. While marketplaces are useful for initial exposure, Shopify helps you become one of the best print on demand shoe companies in India and worldwide.
Dropshipping or Reselling Shoes - Choose your method
At this stage, most people reading this blog are serious about starting to print shoes on demand. They understand print on demand, but still wonder whether dropshipping or reselling shoes might be a better option.
The truth is that both the model works well for every entrepreneur and established brand, but only when it matches your goals, budget, and risk tolerance. Choosing the wrong method early often leads to losses and wasted time. Let’s break down a little of these two other methods:
Dropshipping Shoes
Dropshipping allows you to sell shoes without managing inventory. You list products, and when a customer places an order, the supplier ships directly to them. Dropshipping works well because of its advantages, like
- Very low startup cost.
- No inventory or storage responsibility.
- Easy to test demand quickly.
- Suitable for trend-based selling.
Even though this model has some disadvantages, selling print on demand shoes through dropshipping does not matter much limitations; instead, it works better to sell shoes online India.
Reselling Shoes
Reselling involves buying shoes in bulk from a manufacturer or wholesaler and selling them at a markup. You manage inventory, packaging, and shipping yourself. This method gives you more control but requires more commitment. Sellers enjoy benefits from this model, such as
- Better control over product quality.
- Faster delivery if the stock is ready.
- Stronger branding possibilities.
- Potential for higher margins.
Although storage and logistics management come as the biggest challenges in this model, it works best when you understand the print shoes on demand and have confidence in your designs or product selection for your business.
Which Model to Choose to Sell Shoes Online?
The dropshipping and reselling shoes models have equal advantages and risks coming along with them. Yet the print on demand model fits exactly in between the dropshipping and reselling shoes models, which should be noted. It combines low risk with reasonable control. With print on demand:
- Shoes are produced only after an order is placed
- Sellers can avoid bulk inventory
- Design and custom branding are available.
- Scale gradually based on the demand.
This balance is why many new sellers choose print on demand before committing to reselling or manufacturing. If you want fast testing with minimal responsibility, dropshipping may work short-term, or if you want full control and are ready for risk, the reselling model can be profitable.
Blending both the models’ low risk with branding flexibility, is the print on demand shoes selling online mode, which will be the most balanced choice for every new seller who is interested to start selling shoe online India.
Mistakes to Avoid in Print on Demand with Shopify
Many sellers face challenges when starting up their site to sell shoes online and in their print on demand business. By understanding and preparing for these challenges upfront, you can become one of the best print on demand shoes selling platforms in India. Below are the most common things to avoid before starting to sell shoes online:
- Choosing designs without knowing the niche and audience connection can lead to even your best designs being a loss.
- Shoes cannot be purchased like a customised phone case or coffee mug. So ignoring size charts will lead to customer dissatisfaction, especially among Indian sellers.
- Do not value products based on competition, rather price the products according to its print on demand value.
- Depending only on marketplaces will not let you increase your profits and scale your business, so try to move on and launch your own site to sell shoes online.
- Starting to sell print on demand shoes does not give you instant success, and it needs more hardwork and consistency to stay active in this market.
Avoiding these mistakes helps you build a stronger foundation in your selling shoes online business. Specifically, when combined with the right platform, supplier, and branding approach, print on demand shoes become a more sustainable business than a side hustle.
Selling Shoes Online Tips
Selling shoes online business is not only about launching a store or uploading designs, but also a long-term goal, which comes from understanding customer behaviour, improving clarity, and fixing small issues beforehand. The following selling shoes online tips focus on what actually helps footwear brands grow in the Indian market.
- Clear sizing communication improves conversion rates more than adding new designs. Use Indian size charts and explain how the shoe fits, like ‘best for regular size’ or ‘recommended to buy with a huge size’, which also increases brand value.
- Customers will need to see realistic images of the shoes rather than AI images, which increases trust and reduces dissatisfaction with the product and your store.
- Honest descriptions build credibility. Instead of writing the product description like ads, try to make it a realistic background story of the product and explain it clearly.
- Provide estimated delivery time, expected shipping duration and tracking updates to keep your customer engaged and build the trust factor among your customers.
- Send order confirmation messages, shipping updates, and follow-ups after delivery. Respond quickly to queries. Customers remember good communication more than discounts.
- Share updates on WhatsApp, offer discounts and special rate cuts for repeat purchases, which increases your customer base to the next level.
Turning browsers into repeat buyers in the print on demand shoes India market leads to being more competitive and alert.
Ignore the competition and focus on your store profit, and optimise everything on your site to sell shoes online, from choosing themes that load faster on mobile to perfect payment checkout pages, everything must give your customer an easy wayout.
Everyone starts smaller, so be consistent and focused on your business ideology. This approach is what separates growing shoe brands from struggling ones.
The selling shoes online tips mentioned above will help you reduce mistakes, improve customer experience, and grow steadily in the Indian eCommerce market.
How to Earn Profit with Print on Demand: A Step-by-Step Guide
Final Thoughts
Print on demand shoes are no longer an experiment in India. They represent a practical way to enter the footwear market without the risks of manufacturing, inventory, or storage. Print on demand naturally fits into this shift, allowing sellers to respond to trends quickly and build products around real demand rather than assumptions.
Success in selling shoes online does not come from following trends or copying existing brands. It comes from choosing a clear niche, communicating honestly, delivering consistent quality, and improving gradually. Print on demand gives you the space to learn, test, and grow without any traditional hassles.
If you are willing to start selling shoes online, you must stay patient, focus on clarity, and build trust step by step. Print on demand shoes can become more than a passive income. It can be a profitable online business built around creativity, smart execution, and customer satisfaction.
India’s best print on demand fulfilment partner, like Qikink, is helping its sellers with many advantages in the POD industry to shine in their online selling business. Creators, influencers, entrepreneurs and every aspiring seller are joining Qikink in thousands and benefiting from their discounts. Join Qikink today and enjoy selling online!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to Sell Shoes Online and make money?
You can sell shoes online by choosing a niche, listing products on your own website or marketplaces, and promoting them consistently. Using print on demand shoes helps reduce inventory risk while earning profit on every order.
Can I Sell Shoes on Amazon?
Yes, shoes can be sold on Amazon in India. However, high competition and platform fees may reduce margins, so many sellers also run their own store for better control and branding.
Is there Print-on-Demand for Shoes?
Yes, print on demand for shoes is available. Shoes are printed only after an order is placed, eliminating the need for inventory, storage, or bulk manufacturing.
How to Start Selling Shoes?
Start by selecting a selling model like print on demand, choose a niche, set up an online store, and list your products with clear descriptions and size charts. Promote consistently to grow sales.
How to Sell Custom Shoes?
To sell custom shoes, you have to follow several steps.
- Create unique designs to offer customization options.
- Find a manufacturer or use a print-on-demand service.
- Create a seller account on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, or your own website.
- Add detailed product descriptions, high-quality photos, and pricing.
- Market your shoes through social media, ads, and SEO strategies.
