If you have an existing niche store that already sells print on demand apparel, then yoga pants can be a great addition to your product catalogue.
If you are thinking of starting a new store and you are looking for a solid product to be the foundation of your store then print on demand yoga pants could be a great option.
Yoga pants as an idea might be a bit deceiving. While most people refer to it as yoga pants it does not mean that its sole purpose is for someone to do yoga in them.
It has a broad appeal and with the right design, it can work in almost any print on demand store. The so-called athleisure trend is only on the increase.
Yoga pants is also not what it used to be either. Thanks to LuluLemon it has taken on a whole new dimension. The original yoga pants from the 1980’s where loose-fitting pants that most people associate with hippies and ‘new agers’.
Print on Demand Leggings vs Print on Demand Yoga Pants
In the last five years, many print on demand providers started offering leggings. As sublimation and cut-and-sow started becoming more economical it is a very affordable product to add to the line-up.
There is however a few differences between leggings and yoga pants. If you try and sell everyday leggings as yoga pants then you will most certainly get some resistance from customers.
The biggest difference between leggings and yoga pants is in the fabric. Yoga pants usually have at least 10% spandex. This is what makes it very stretchy.
Generally speaking, the higher percentage of spandex the more expensive the leggings will be.
LuluLemon’s leggings usually have 20% to 25% spandex. They also tend to use Lycra which is a more expensive brand of spandex.
There are currently no print on demand providers that use Lycra. I suspect it is because it is so much more expensive than the more generic spandex.
Another big difference between leggings and yoga pants is the fit. Yoga leggings tend to be a much tighter fit and the additional spandex gives it a much better body-slimming compression.
Yoga leggings also tend to have a much higher waist since it is often worn without loose clothing handing over the belly area.
This higher waist also has a compression effect on the lower belly area – something most women want “tucked in”.
The added flexibility from the spandex in yoga leggings allows it a 4-way stretch which makes it much more comfortable when doing exercise. It is a comfort factor that you won’t find in standard leggings.
It also makes the leggings much more durable. Spandex can withstand a lot of stretching before it gets “stretched out”.
Which Print on Demand Providers Offer Yoga Pants?
There are a number of print on demand providers that now offer leggings. We’ve already made the distinction between leggings and yoga pants and trying to sell polyester leggings as yoga pants simply won’t fly with most customers.
1. Printful
Printful is one of the most reliable print on demand providers. They are known for their quality and reliability. They are also the most expensive across the board.
They offer three styles of yoga pants – regular, capri and yoga shorts. This gives you great scope for expanding your product line.
They have really easy to use templates which makes it easy to create artwork. For more complex artwork it tends to create very large files so be mindful of that as it can take a lot of time to upload artwork.
Printful’s yoga leggings cost $29.95 with $3.99 domestic shipping in the USA and $4.39 in Europe.
With Printful’s fulfilment facility in Latvia, you have to option of fast (and cheap) fulfilment to both the USA and the rest of Europe.
This is a big plus.
You can confidently sell these leggings for $75. This is a high-quality product that ships fast and with Printful’s custom packaging slips it can be a great way to build a brand around this product.
Printful’s Shopify app is 100% free and it has product personalization built into the app by default. This makes it very easy to add personalization to your products.
An added benefit to using Printful is that you can use them even if you don’t use Shopify. It integrates seamlessly with almost all the major eCommerce platforms.
You can easily sell these yoga pants on Etsy or Amazon even if you don’t have a Shopify store.
2. Subliminator
Subliminator is a lesser now print on demand provider and they specialize in all-over print sublimation products.
Since they specialize in this type of product they really offer very high-quality products in general with some really unique stuff that can easily be offered as complementary products to your yoga leggings (use the same designs on different products).
Subliminator’s yoga leggings are $28.50 (including shipping) which is slightly cheaper than Printful.
Their fulfilment is slower though because Subliminator is based in China.
Before you skip and read on, it is not what you think. Even though they print and ship from China it is all run very professionally and your customers will never know the product comes directly from China.
They also use DHL for fast shipping and their shipping times to the USA is 6 – 9 business days on top of the 2 – 7 business days for production. On average your customers will get the product in around 10 days which is still very acceptable.
Subliminator’s Shopify app is free but it only works with Shopify and they not offer customization as standard. You will need to use third-party apps to make to allow your customers to customize the products.
Subliminator’s print on demand yoga leggings are high quality leggings that you can easily sell for $75.
Personally, I think the quality is better than Printful but the fulfilment is slightly slower.
3. Printify
Printify is one of the biggest and most popular print on demand providers. Unlike Printful and Subliminator they don’t have their own facilities.
They are essentially just a service that outsources the printing and fulfilment to a number of printing partners.
They offer a number of sublimation products and their leggings is very popular – mostly because of the price.
While their leggings are not specifically yoga pants, they certainly can pass as yoga pants. It has 13% spandex and 4-way stretch with a mid-rise waist that is similar to yoga pants.
At from $21.55 (they charge more for bigger sizes) with $4.00 shipping it is a price that can not be beaten. This will allow you to sell your leggings at $50 and still make a decent profit.
Printify is definitely a more economical option and the quality of the leggings is decent. You can also use their Shopify app for free but they offer a paid option that allows you to get as much as 20% the products.
This makes a lot of sense when you start making consistent sales and it can make a huge difference to your bottom line.
Like Printful, you don’t need a Shopify store to use it and they integrate with Etsy and most other eCommerce platforms.
They don’t offer product customization and you will need a third-party app if you want to offer customization to your customers.
4. Teespring
If you prefer to use a merch platform where you don’t need Shopify or your own Etsy store then you can always use Teespring.
While Redbubble and Teechip both offer leggings they simply can not pass as yoga pants since it is low cut polyester.
Zazzle offer leggings that certainly can pass as yoga pants and is probably the next best option to Teespring.
Teespring allows you to create your own storefront and it is a really easy platform to use. Recently they have become a lot less popular and their traffic has definitely died out a bit.
If you are expecting boatloads of sales by simply uploading your designs to Teespring then you will be disappointed.
If you have your own traffic and your own audience then Teespring is a great option. It makes it incredibly easy because you don’t have to worry about any customer service.
Their prices are high at $44.99 plus shipping but you can still make around $17 profit per sale if you use their recommended pricing.
Why Print on Demand Yoga Pants is a Great Product To Sell
Print on demand yoga pants is a product that can work in almost any niche. Yoga pants is NOT just for yoga enthusiasts. In fact, people who are really into yoga will probably prefer a higher-end product from LuluLemon.
Yoga leggings generally have a much better fit than standard leggings and the compression effect usually gives women a much more flattering look which is why many women prefer these types of leggings.
Because of this, yoga leggings can pass as everyday wear and this allows you to target virtually any women – wit the right design.
For the most part, yoga leggings is a staple for any woman who does any sort of exercise. This is why these leggings lend themselves perfectly to any sports niche or market.
Here are the 5 reasons why yoga leggings is a great print on demand product.
1. High Perceived Value
If you buy high end yoga leggings you can expect to pay well over $100. Yoga leggings have a high perceived value.
Unlike a t-shirt, mug or phone case you can charge a lot more for leggings in your print on demand store because it has higher perceived value.
If you sell yoga leggings for $75 you can make as much as $40 profit per sale. At the higher end you could sell your leggings for $90 to $100 and make a $60 profit per sale.
2. High Quality Product
Yoga leggings from Printful and Subliminator are super high-quality products. The prints are of a high quality with vibrant colors and meticulous stitching.
If your customer paid $75 for a pair of these leggings they will not feel hard done when they open the parcel.
It is also a much better quality product than standard polyester leggings that tend to lose its stretch very quickly.
Selling high-quality products is a really important factor in the longevity of your store. If you sell products that will leave your customer disappointed then they will most likely never buy from you again.
3. Broad Appeal
If you sell print on demand yoga pants then your market is NOT yoga. Yes, you could sell to different yoga niches and see a lot of success with the right designs but the appeal for yoga pants is much broader.
Yoga leggings are effectively fitness leggings and will appeal to any fitness niche. Running, gym, crossfit, tennis, or any other sport.
It also goes well beyond those obvious niches. Hunting, fishing, hiking or even just general wear.
The comfort and the fit of yoga leggings make them look better and more flattering. It is why most women prefer these types of leggings for everyday activewear.
4. All Over Print
All over print products like yoga pants give a big blank canvas to work with. With POD, your design is everything. With mugs and T-shirts the design area is very limited – often to a small square box.
With all over leggings, you have a big blank canvas to work with and a lot of room to create something unique.
A good designer will have a field day with designing leggings. There are so many creative ideas and options to explore and with that you can really stand out from the competition and even set yourself apart from big brands.
There are a number of great designers on Fiverr that can design some killer leggings without breaking the bank.
5. Evergreen Product
Yoga leggings are an evergreen product. It is a staple in most women’s wardrobes and it has been for years now.
Print on demand products tend to be more evergreen products anyway but with yoga leggings, you have a product that people buy year-round.
During the winter months, there tends to be a slight increase in demand but for the most part, there’s no strict seasonality to it which makes it a consistent seller in most stores.
Most women own several pairs of yoga leggings and anyone who is into health and fitness will buy several pairs of yoga leggings every year.
6. Custom Products
One of the biggest trends in print on demand is product customization. Allowing your customers to create custom product by adding their own name or text (or even photo) can be very appealing to the right audience.
With Printful you can easily add customizable text fields to your designs. Something as simple as a name on the product opens it up as a great gift opportunity.
There’s also a lot you can do with customization and yoga pants. How about targeting sports teams with team gear and custom team colors and logos?
I’ve even seen yoga leggings for bridal showers with custom names and matching pants. Smal gyms and trainers might need custom designs for small groups.
The options with personalization and yoga pants are endless.
The Challenges With Print on Demand Yoga Leggings
While this is a great product to add to your print on demand store, there are a couple of serious issues you need to be aware of.
Personally I’ve learned some expensive lessons with print on demand leggings. It is an expensive product and mistakes can cost you.
1. Price
With the cost price of print on demand yoga leggings at $25 to $30 plus shipping, it is definitely at the higher end in terms of POD products.
If you where to apply the cost price x3 model then you would have to sell your leggings at around $100. That is pretty steep and puts you at the LuluLemon on Nike level.
Is that impossible? Is it the wrong strategy?
It is important to remember that you are not trying to compete with these big brands. Your print on demand products are offering products that can NOT be bought in stores.
As long as you offer something truly unique that appeals to your audience then price is not a factor.
Selling leggings at $100 will always be a tough sell though. I would recommend selling it at $60 to $75. This still leaves you with a healthy profit margin while making it an affordable product for your customers.
Selling a $75 pair of leggings is not as easy as selling a $20 t shirt. You will need the right designs with the right audience to pull this off.
2. Design Issues
Print on demand leggings are made with a printing process called sublimation where your design is transferred on to a blank fabric. It is then laser cut and sewn together based on the size.
This process has a lot of room for error. If you have any designs that rely on precision elements then it can be near impossible to get it 100% right.
Designs with stripes means that it has to wrap around the legs perfectly and applying this to different sizes will take a lot of careful consideration when you design it.
If you want to position text on your design it can also be a bit tricky. The way that the cut and sew process works means that for different sizes, the text will be positioned differently.
The ideal designs for print on demand leggings are patterns that repeat across the entire fabric. This is not great because it can be quite boring and quite limiting.
3. Color Issues
The sublimation process will always print your design on white fabric. If your design has a lot of dark colors then this can be an issue.
While the outside of the fabric will print just fine with dark colors, the inside will always be white. With very stretchy fabrics like yoga leggings, it will appear faded as it stretches a lot because it exposes the white fabric underneath.
For this reason, I stay well clear of any design that has large blocks of flat dark colors. Customers simply do not like the way this looks and I’ve had way too many complaints whenever I had designs like that.
4. Sizing
Sizing is by far the biggest issue. When you are selling print on demand products, offering returns and exchanges is not a viable business model.
Any return or size exchange will effectively be a loss for you unless you have a way of warehousing the products to ship them again at a later stage. Unless you sell large volumes, this is not a viable option.
Most women BS themselves about their sizes.
Most people never really look at a size chart.
This is a problem when you sell print on demand products like leggings where the sizing is not very forgiving.
The only real way to protect yourself is to not offer size exchanges. It’s not great for business but there is no other way.
You need to make it very clear to your customers if you do not plan on accepting size exchanges. Make sure you offer very detailed size charts and make them easily accessible on your store.
Print on Demand Yoga Pants – Conclusion
Print on demand yoga pants is a great product that lends itself perfectly to print on demand. It has a broad appeal, high perceived value and is a high-quality product that you can easily sell for $30 to $40 profit.
Because it is a sublimation product it tends to require some more design input. Simple text based designs that work well on t shirts and mugs simply won’t work on leggings.
Pattern-based designs or large graphic designs with no definite borders tend to work best since it is very hard to align designs with the cut and sew process with which it is made.
The higher design costs is definitely a factor and the higher product cost brings a lot more risk. Offering returns on leggings could kill your business since these are one-off products and you will have to eat the costs if there are returns.
Printful and Subliminator are the two top print on demand providers for yoga leggings and both offer a high quality product at around $30.
If you prefer to use a merch platform instead of your own shop then I would recommend Teespring.
As far as niches go, yoga leggings work in many more niches than the yoga niche. Any sports or activity niche will work but the appeal is much broader and many women will buy it as an everyday item.
Don’t be afraid to test all over print on demand yoga leggings in your store. It can be very lucrative.
