KITE

KITE is a print-on-demand software platform and fulfillment network that lets sellers, apps and websites sell custom merchandise and photo prints without holding stock. Its homepage describes "Over 250 products of custom merchandise and enterprise grade photo print solutions on the most advanced software platform for powering global print on demand internet businesses," and calls itself "The internet's print button." Orders are printed through what KITE calls its Global Print Network, a set of partner fulfillment centers that manufacture locally and ship worldwide under the seller's brand. A banner across the site states that "Kite is now part of the Prodigi Group." KITE serves four audiences: artists and creators, small businesses, enterprises and developers.

What a seller gets

KITE sells through software rather than a single storefront, and it offers several tools depending on who is selling.

eCommerce Merch Plugin. The main route for merchants is a free app for Shopify and BigCommerce. KITE says it "empowers individuals, creators, SME's, brands and businesses to start selling customised products, with any choice of design, from our goods catalogue within 30 minutes." The steps are install, create (apply your designs to KITE's catalog), publish to your Shopify or BigCommerce store, and promote. The benefits it lists are "No minimum order or upfront costs," "Local manufacturing and worldwide fulfilment," and the ability to "Apply your designs effortlessly to over 250 products."

Merch App. For enterprise Shopify partners, KITE builds "a white label smartphone App experience on iOS and Android that mirrors the products in your online store." KITE builds the native app, the store's products appear in it automatically, and orders placed in the app are printed and fulfilled on demand. The pitch is community building on mobile, with KITE's mobile marketing tools to drive communications and sales.

Kite API. "Our free-to-use REST API is built by developers for developers. With a single API request to KITE your users can have personalised products created, packaged and shipped anywhere in the world." A developer integrates using the API documentation, markets the new range, and "When your users purchase their personalised products the orders are automatically processed, created and shipped by us."

Mobile print SDKs. "Advanced iOS & Android print SDKs to easily add print-on-demand functionality to your app within minutes!" They print postcards, magnets, photo prints, posters, stickers, t-shirts and photo books. KITE says its technology is "Installed in more than 250m devices worldwide."

Photo print software. For businesses selling photo products, KITE offers a white-label web photo book builder and a white-label photo print smartphone app, available "for MOBILE, TABLET & KIOSK (iOS & Android)." These come with a full shopping experience including basket and checkout, "Multi-language & multi-currency" support, "Realtime customer data to monitor sales & growth," and "Dynamic & real-time control over the pricing of products in your app pricing using our web developer dashboard."

For needs beyond these tools, KITE invites buyers to "contact us for a costed bespoke solution."

Seller dashboard and branding

The artists and creators page lists what the web dashboard does: "Revenue & order volume analytics available in the web dashboard" and "Review, refund or reprint any order within the web dashboard." A seller can handle a damaged or wrong order from the dashboard directly. "Rich customer profiles are built automatically for you when you or your users place an order."

White labeling is central. KITE writes that "Packaging will carry your branding, not ours – your customers never need to know we were involved!" and describes itself as 100% white-label, a "silent partner" whose focus is on the seller's brand. Its global print network prints orders on demand and handles "white label shipping globally."

The catalog and prices

KITE says it has "over 250 products" and describes its range as "second to none, and we're adding new ones all the time." The homepage shows starting prices in pounds for four examples:

• Mobile snap cases from £7.50
• Men's sweatshirt from £12.80
• Mugs from £3.85
• Women's t-shirt from £7.25

The full catalog and pricing sit behind a "Products & Pricing" link and a product catalog page. The SDK list adds postcards, magnets, photo prints, posters, stickers and photo books to the apparel, phone cases and mugs on the homepage.

Four kinds of customer

KITE pitches a different offer to each audience it names. For artists and creators it promises "Super efficient custom merchandise solutions," with the benefits of delighting fans, building a brand, and the chance to "Turn on an additional stream of revenue with minimal effort." Its creator page sums up the approach: "We provide the simplest tools to create products for your fans quickly whilst generating additional income for you." For small businesses it offers "Turnkey solutions for eCommerce and small business," mainly the Shopify and BigCommerce plugin. For enterprises it offers "Bespoke integrations for large scale organisations," including the branded Merch App and costed custom projects. For developers it offers the API and SDKs, which it describes as "loved by developers," with code published on GitHub. Across all four, the homepage promises the same basics: sell "hundreds of customised print-on-demand products globally within minutes," "Create with drag and drop simplicity," and "Zero inventory, no minimum orders, no fuss." Help runs through a help and FAQ section, a contact page and a blog.

How fulfillment works

KITE explains its fulfillment in three steps: "Your customers visit your app or website," "When they purchase we manufacture & print," and "Orders are shipped and delivered worldwide." It describes the network as "the local manufacturing and shipping network that forms our print-on-demand eco-system," adding, "We have partnered with the world's most reliable fulfilment centres to provide a truly global distribution network." The aim, in its words, is "to get orders into your customers hands faster."

Who it suits

KITE suits Shopify and BigCommerce merchants, artists and influencers who want to add merchandise to an existing store without a subscription, a minimum order or upfront costs, and who want the parcel to carry only their own brand. The dashboard tools for refunds and reprints give them control over customer service. It is an especially natural fit for developers and app businesses, since the free REST API and the iOS and Android SDKs let a product add a print button to its own website or app, and for photo businesses that want a white-label photo book builder or kiosk app.

Enterprises get the most tailored options, from a branded merch app mirroring a Shopify store to costed bespoke integrations. Sellers comparing unit costs can check the published starting prices in pounds and the full product catalog before connecting a store.