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1. What are white label products?

9 Best white label products to sell in 2024

White labeling makes it possible to start selling products featuring your branding or designs without having to actually create the products themselves. Imagine, for instance, that you've come up with a witty phrase you'd like to start selling on t-shirts.

Rather than starting your quest by Googling how to hand-sew your own t-shirts, you'd more likely search for print on demand companies that supply blank tees you can customize. As you can imagine, selling products manufactured by someone else is far more accessible and more lucrative than attempting to DIY the entire process!

But what's the difference between white label and private label products? And where do you find high-quality white label items to sell in your online store?

You've come to the right place to find out. Join us as we dive into the beautiful world of white labeling, private labels, and what you need to know about each when creating your brand.

Main takeaways from this article:

  • A white label manufacturing company creates products they sell to other retailers, who then resell them under their own brand names.

  • Many retailers buy white label products that they customize in some way before reselling. They might print their logo or artwork on the product and then sell it using their packaging design.

  • While-label suppliers sell the same product to multiple retailers. On the other hand, private label manufacturers create products that they sell specifically to one retailer.

  • Partnering with a print on demand service to offer customized white label products is a great way to increase the inventory you offer while decreasing your overhead costs.

What are white label products?

Think of white label products as blank canvases - some literally are blank canvases that custom artwork is printed on. But others might be things like white label tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, or any other generic product.

White label manufacturing aims to create products that different retailers can sell under their brand names. Sometimes retailers customize white label products in some way before reselling them, such as adding their design or logo to a t-shirt.

Other times, they add their custom packaging to a product. For instance, imagine that two companies want to add lighting products to their inventory.

They each turn to a white label lighting manufacturer like Aspect LED Lights, making everything from novelty to solar-powered camp lights. Both retailers might purchase identical products from Aspect LED, hire graphic designers to create branded packaging and sell the same thing under two different brand names.

What is white labeling vs. private labeling?

Private label products are similar to white label products because they are created by a third-party manufacturer and sold under another company's brand. The major difference is that while white label manufacturers sell the same product to multiple retailers, a private manufacturer creates a product sold exclusively to one company.

Private labeling has become particularly common among grocery stores, which often offer generic products under their own private label brands. In 2022, private label merchandise accounted for 77.5% of Aldi's total sales and 59.4% of Trader Joe's revenue.

Some companies use the same private label manufacturer as other popular retailers to sell cheaper versions of similar products under their own private labels. For instance, Kirkland sells certain private label coffees that Starbucks brews.

Finding private label manufacturers for everything from fitness equipment and accessories to skincare products or essential oils is now possible. Creating your own private label product can be a great way to go if you have a wholly original and highly customized product idea you want to ensure is sold exclusively to you.

But if you're just looking to offer custom products that feature your own designs, there's probably no need to go the private labeling route. While private labels can be lucrative for large retailers to increase their brand equity, white labeling is an inexpensive way to turn an existing product into your own.

What are the benefits of white labeling?

In the US alone, the print on demand industry was worth 1,890.1 million in 2022, and it's expected to expand from 2023 - 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 24.4%. Print on demand companies often source blank products from a white label manufacturer and customize them for online retailers.

White labeling offers plenty of great benefits for online sellers and their customers. Let's look at several ways white labeling can help boost your online store's customer experience.

Quicker time to market

The beauty of white label brands is that sellers have a great blank canvas to create their unique brand items. By allowing other companies to handle the manufacturing process, online retailers greatly reduce the time it takes to create the products they want to sell online.

Flexibility in product offering

Print on demand companies like Gelato makes it easy for online retailers to feature their designs on many products. You can offer your customers anything from t-shirts featuring your logo to wallpaper printed with your custom designs.

Cost savings

Part of what makes white labeling profitable is that, when combined with the print on demand sales model, you only have to pay for orders already placed. Rather than ordering a bulk order of t-shirts for your clothing brand and hoping they sell, you can rest assured each shirt will only be created after it has a buyer.

For many independent retailers, using white label products over private labels is a huge advantage. Private label manufacturers often require a certain number of orders to create a product exclusively for a certain brand, while POD partners like Gelato have no minimum order requirements.

Increasing revenue through print on demand white label products

White labeling effectively turns your product idea into a profitable online business without taking on the overhead costs of opening a physical store. For a low initial investment, you can turn POD white label merchandise into branded products for your customers.

With the right marketing strategy and POD partner, you can expand your product offerings, reach new markets, and increase revenue. Let's check out several top white label products you can customize to sell under your brand.

Nine top white label products for a successful online store

Whether your brand identity revolves around a specific type of product or integrates several, finding the right branded products can take trial and error. Here are some suggestions for the white label merch you might consider taking for a test drive on your online storefront.

1. Wall art

wall art

The wall art industry is expected to rocket from $48.59B in 2021 to $72.61B in 2028. Because let's face it, there's nothing more boring than an empty wall.

With the growing prevalence of remote and work-from-home employment, plenty of customers are giving more thought to home decor. This can be great news for artists and graphic designers, who can use white labeling to sell their custom artwork as prints.

When you partner with a print on demand provider, you can offer customers the chance to have your work printed on several products. Offer customers the option to have their custom wall art printed as:

2. T-shirts

From small businesses to independent creators, t-shirts are one of the most popular products for white label branding. By partnering with a print on demand partner like Gelato, you don't have to source products from multiple manufacturers to offer your customers various styles and material options:

Best of all, you never have to worry about running out of certain sizes. Your customer can specify what product they'd like, and Gelato will take care of everything from production to delivery.

3. Tank tops

tank tops

Much like t-shirts, tank tops make great white label products! Simply upload a photo of your custom design or logo on a sample tank and offer customers the chance to purchase it in various sizes and colors. 

You can even offer specialty products like performance tanks. Businesses like gyms can immediately offer members the option to purchase merchandise from their websites by offering workout-friendly tanks featuring their logos.

4. Hoodies and sweatshirts

hoodies and sweatshirts

Hoodies and sweatshirts can be an excellent way to keep revenue flowing from your sales channels all year. If you have a trendy design or logo that's been selling well on short sleeve shirts, then offering it on sweatshirts is often a great move.

Hoodies also make great white label products because they come in various colors, materials, and styles. Give customers the option to choose between pull-over hoodies, zip-up hoodies, or even organic hoodies.

5. Kids and baby clothing

kids and baby clothing

The kids and baby clothing market is a multi-billion dollar industry that appeals to customers worldwide. If your market research reveals that your audience includes many parents, cash in by offering your designs on pint-sized white label products.

From shirts and hoodies to baby bodysuits, offering kids and baby clothing lets your customers shop for themselves and their children right from your site. You can offer the same designs on adult and children's products or create separate labels for each.

6. Tote bags

tote bags

As the world becomes more eco-friendly, the reusable tote bag is becoming a more popular white label product than ever before. Not only is a tote bag far more sturdy than most single-use grocery bags, but it's an affordable accessory that directly contributes to sustainability.

Let your customers express their personalities with a white labeled tote bag featuring your designs. Gelato offers tote bags in various colors, with delivery options in 14 different countries to help you take your business global.

7. Phone accessories

At Gelato, we know that other manufacturers can make selling cell phone accessories tricky. While phone cases make excellent white label products, there are now so many different models on the market that it can be hard to know which to offer.

That's why we offer white labeled phone cases for many different phone models. We can even print your customized design on cases made of a variety of different materials, including:

8. Mugs

Everyone has that one unique mug that just can't be replaced. If you plan to sell white label products, including custom mugs in your offerings can be a great way to go.

Mugs make excellent white label products because they're easy to personalize and make for popular gifts. They also come in various shapes and sizes to give your customers plenty of options.

There's the classic ceramic mug, the amazing color-changing mug, the latte mug, and even the indestructible enamel mug. Offering your customers the chance to choose which type they'd like your design featured on is a great way to ensure they'll find the right fit.

9. Water bottles

Water bottles are also great white label products, especially now that the word is out about exactly how much damage single-use plastic containers can do. Quality control is incredibly important when choosing white label water bottles to start selling in your store.

Gelato can help you remove the guesswork by offering 17oz stainless steel water bottles that will hold up for years. While plenty of other retailers offer water bottles, white labeling makes it possible to offer your customers a one-of-a-kind product featuring your unique designs or slogans.

Whether you choose to offer the same product to multiple customers or offer to create unique designs for an extra charge, water bottles can be a very lucrative product. You might even consider offering both options to see which generates the most revenue.

Create print on demand white label products with Gelato

Partnering with a print on demand service like Gelato to offer customized white label products has plenty of benefits. No more worrying about product production, inventory, or even shipping.

Gelato offers integration to plenty of different ecommerce platforms so that you can quickly establish a connection to your online marketplace. You develop the designs and select your products, and we'll handle the rest.

Ready to experience the benefits of white labeling? Gelato is ready to help you start creating and selling custom white label products today.

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