Starting a Phone Case Business: An 8 Step Guide with 8 Expert Tips

Summary

It’s surely not going to be an ‘OMG What!’ moment if we tell you that smartphone users will continue to increase and hit US$ 41,419.9 million by 2030.

Current reports suggest that the mobile phone cover market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.4%.

This suggests that the market for phone cases is exceedingly significantly. If you are planning to sell phone cases online, there has never been a better time.

Once you find a niche, you can go online with zero inventory and minimum setup costs using print-on-demand solutions. You can enable product customization in your store to thrive in the competitive market. This guide aims to help you build and grow your business.

Bring your creativity and entrepreneurial abilities to the table while we bring our technical expertise. And let’s find out how to sell phone cases.

How to start a phone case business: An Overview

With smartphones being a necessity and, more than that, a personal style statement, the demand for unique and protective cases is always high. So how do you win? It all starts with planning.

First, do your research. Research the market, your target audience, and the gaps in the market. A business plan is like a blueprint, covering everything from product selection to sourcing strategies. Regardless of the business model, a business plan is an essential tool!

And, of course, legal compliance is a must. Ensure you have the correct permits and tax registrations, and you’ll save yourself a headache. Choose high-quality materials and the proper printing method; your products will stand out. And when you launch, a strong online presence through eCommerce, SEO, and social media marketing will help you attract customers and build your brand.

Ready to get started? Let’s break down each step and turn your idea into a business. But before we dive into the details, let’s look at one of the most critical questions.

Is It Profitable to Start a Phone Case Business Online?

Yes, an online phone case business is profitable, but only if you do it right. It is all because of the convenience of eCommerce; launching a phone case brand today is easier than one could have thought.

Even platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon allow you to reach a global audience with minimal upfront investment. Print-on-demand services allow you to sell without holding inventory, slashing startup costs, and offering an endless amount of designs. In short, with the right strategy, the profit margins in this business can be super high.

But here’s the catch: the competition is crazy. As a startup, you can’t just sell generic cases and succeed. The winners in this space focus on differentiation. Unique, high-quality designs, strong branding, and smart marketing make the winners stand out. If you can tap into what people want—personalized designs, influencer collaborations, or eco-friendly options—you can build a profitable, lasting brand.

In short! The phone case business is profitable, but only if you bring something new to the table.

1. Conduct a Market Research

Successful business owners always start their journey with diligent research. Whatever it takes – talking with 50 people in the industry, reading every article available online, or more, gather as much information as possible. Here’s what your research plan must include:

Leaders of the Market – this includes studying a brand, company, or group that has the highest percentage of total revenue of the phone cases market. Study every question, what are they selling? How are they selling? What’s their marketing strategy, etc.

Market Size – this means finding out the number of people who might be interested in purchasing from you. This will help you create effective strategies that will help you in the long run.

Target market – you should have a clear idea about who you want to sell the phone cases to. Think about the groups that are most likely to purchase from you. For instance, teenagers might be your ideal customers looking for superhero cases. A working professional might look for a practical and minimalist case design. Identifying a target customer base will help you take further decisions, like choosing the design for the cover, the design of the website, marketing strategy, etc.
Expert Tip: The key to selling phone cases online successfully is to identify a gap in the market. Look for potential customer pain points and introduce your product as a solution to those problems. That way, your brand will get noticed.

For this, you can start by identifying your competition and then analyze their strengths and weaknesses. This will give you a good idea of what you need (skills, ideas, strategies) to be successful.

2. Create a Business Plan

The previous step was all about gathering essentials. This part is where you will jump into the water to win the game. A business plan will help you give direction to your ideas. Here, you have to make some important decisions like choosing the type of phone case, naming your brand, and setting a financial strategy.

1. Phone Models

Before choosing the type of phone cover you want to sell, you need to decide what phone models you want to support. For this, you need to see which phones are popular in your region.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Google Pixel 9 Pro, OnePlus 13, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, Google Pixel 8a, Samsung Galaxy A75 5G, OnePlus Nord 5, and Motorola Razr 50 Ultra are some of the most popular smartphones of 2025.

There is no shortage of resources online that will help decide the right model.

You can even do keyword research to find out what people are demanding. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Keywords Everywhere, or KWFinder enable you to track the search volume.

(Do a Keyword Research to Get An Idea About Products in Demand)

Source

2. Types of Phone Cases

There are a host of options for types of phone cases. Some are tough cases that provide great protection while some are visually appealing. Here’s a list of popular types:

• Hard Phone Cases: These cases are crafted from lightweight plastic or plastic-like materials and are specifically designed to fit your phone’s make and model. They offer basic protection against scratches and small drops.
• Gel/TPU Phone Cases: These cases are made from a soft, stretchable plastic called thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which is available in various colors. They provide a cushioning effect during drops and resist scratches.
• Silicone Phone Cases: These cases are made of flexible silicone, offering a better grip to prevent accidental drops. The thin, elastic design ensures a snug fit and can absorb impact force during drops.
• Tough Phone Cases: These cases provide extra protection against drops and impacts, usually made from a combination of hard plastic and silicone. They are thicker and heavier compared to other cases.
• Wallet Phone Cases: These cases serve as both a phone case and a wallet, often made from leather with a polycarbonate insert to hold the phone. Popular among those who want to carry their phone and wallet together.
• Leather Phone Cases: These higher-end cases are similar in weight and size, to gel, silicone, and hard cases, but they are made of leather, offering a stylish appearance and coming in various colors and designs.
• Flip Phone Cases: These cases have a cover that flips over the front of the phone to protect the screen. They are usually made of leather or synthetic materials and offer good protection against scratches and minor drops.
• Clear Phone Cases: Transparent cases that allow the phone’s original design to show through. They are typically made of hard plastic or TPU and provide basic protection against scratches and minor drops.
• Wooden Phone Cases: Made of wood, these cases offer a unique and stylish appearance, are available in different wood types and finishes, and provide basic protection against scratches and minor drops.
• Picture Phone Cases: These cases can be customized with your chosen picture or design. Usually made of hard plastic or TPU, offering basic protection against scratches and minor drops.

Once you create a list of different types of phone cases, you can find out what’s trending right now using tools like Google Trends, which lets you compare the search volume of different queries.

(Tools like Google Trends Helps You Find Trending Phone Cases)

Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, etc., are great places to check what kinds of phone cases are getting the most attention.

Trending products with an added USP of product customization can be a deadly combo. Do you know that you can also sell phone cases online using a product designer tool where your customers can customize their cases and covers. See how it will work with your store here.

3. Naming Your Brand

You might have already started thinking about this. Now it’s time to finalize the name. We suggest you choose a name that conveys the values and goals of your company. Make sure it is short, easy to pronounce, and, most importantly, unique. With the help of domain generators like GoDaddy, you can check the availability of the desired domain.

4. Planning your Budget

Budgeting is crucial to avoid early financial disasters. A financial plan will be of huge help when applying for a loan, hiring an employee, or promoting your business.

The overall cost of starting a phone case business depends on the business model you decide. However, a budget plan for a startup includes startup costs such as infrastructure, fixed costs like web hosting fees and business insurance, and variable expenses like shipping charges, transportation, raw materials, and more.

If you do not want to build a website the traditional way, you have the option to make your phone case business live at a minimum cost with a web-to-print storefront. You can also get the ready-to-use B2B and B2C Web-to-Print Storefront that comes with all the advanced features you need to start selling and making profits.

Invest in a W2P solution that comes with

• Industry themes to customize the front-end
• Fully functional product designer tool for enabling great shopping experiences
• ERP tools like inventory manager, order manager, print job manager, and more
• CRM integration for better customer relationship management
• Variety of marketing tools

Here is a sneak peek of an ideal product page that a phone case business should have:

(An Ideal Online Phone Case Business Storefront)

Curious to know more? Learn how the tool works for your business with a personalized demo.

 
Expert Tip: Looking at what others are doing is always a good idea. Check guides, free templates and samples, and other online resources to help you start the business planning process.

Clear all The Legal Aspects of Starting a Phone Case Business

It is very tempting to jump straight into selling products. But spend some time to make your online business legal to avoid any civil complications. Following are the essential business licenses if you wish to operate your business legally:

• Business Operation License – allows you to conduct business in your city, country, or state.
• Sales Tax Registration – retail operators need to collect sales tax in most regions, and this license will help you obtain a tax permit.
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)– a tax ID number that identifies your business as a distinct tax entity.
• Seller’s Permit – a license to sell goods online.

Expert Tip: If you are unsure that you can manage these legalities yourself, seek advice from a lawyer, accountant, or local economic development agency. They will help you identify all permits and licenses that apply to your business.

Find Designs for Your Phone Cases

If you have an artistic flair, you can create your designs using Photoshop, Caseapp, or mockup generator websites. The second option is to reach out to professional designers on platforms like Dribbble or Fiverr.

Apart from ready-made designs, you can even let your shoppers design your products by integrating a product designer tool. Let customizable phone cases be your biggest differentiator. Integrate a product designer tool to enable shoppers to design their phone cases.

(Full-functional Phone Case Designer Tool That is Compatible with All eCommerce Platforms)

 
Expert Tip: If you are going to create designs yourself before you finalize designs, it’s good to get feedback by posting your designs on platforms like Reddit, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.

Define Your Brand Identity

As Jeff Bezos says, “Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” A strong brand identity is crucial for establishing who you are.

Here are 4 key benefits of branding:

Customer recognition – while shopping, if shoppers find something that is eye-catching, whether it’s typography, logo, or color, they are likely to stop scrolling and explore what you have to offer.

Customer loyalty – a strong name or logo will keep your company in customers’ minds. The more they remember/recognize you, the more often they will come back.

Improves credibility – a strong brand identity will project an image of an established business, both among customers and within the industry.

Differentiation – as somebody just starting, brand identity will help you stand out from your competitors.

What to include in your brand identity strategy?

• A simple memorable logo on your website, social media handles, and packaging.
• Typography that is classic, clean, and timeless.
• Symbols and photographs that set well with the vision of your brand.
• Choose a color that reflects what you do because, remember, colors are powerful, and people have psychological ties with every color.

Expert Tip: Before you begin with this step, be very clear with your brand’s story, vision, values, and personality. Once you have that sorted, you can easily build a customer identity.

Take Your Store Online

You can take your business online with minimum setup costs and zero inventory by choosing a print-on-demand business model. Here’s how it works:

If you want to sell phone covers online using print on demand, you need to build an eCommerce website or web-to-print storefront that integrates all the essential tools and features. Popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, etc., will allow you to manage online sales operations.

Today, these eCommerce platforms go way beyond buying and selling online. Cloud-based platforms integrate both front-end and back-end to provide scalable and customizable functionality to your store. The choice of the platform will depend on your budget and requirements. But make sure you do proper research before making a choice.

Related Content: How to Start Print-on-demand Business

Once you establish a store online, your goal will be to attract customers. This is a tough task; however, offering personalization can make a significant difference. Many online businesses provide a personalized experience, allowing customers to purchase products tailored to their preferences.

One way to offer a customized experience is to give your customers the freedom to design their phone cases. You can integrate a product design tool into your e-commerce Store.

With the help of multiple features of the tool, customers can craft creative designs on the mobile cover. You can even charge a premium price for this. Following are the benefits you can expect by integrating a design tool:

• Millennials comprise a huge portion of online shoppers who love customized products. You will see a massive crowd of young buyers in your store if you give users the liberty to design.
• Shoppers get more attached to personalized products. Therefore, they are likely to return to you. This way you will be able to easily increase sales.
• You will likely get a boost in Google rankings and gain a strong online presence.

Here are the must-have mobile cover design software features:

• Background Color Management
• Multiple Design Areas
• Image Masking
• Custom Templates
• 10,000+ Customizable Clipart
• Custom Image Upload
• Image Effects/Editing
• AI Text Generation
• AI Image Generation

Not only your customers, but you as a business also enjoy the benefits of using our designer software. You can set custom pricing, manage printing methods, add warning messages, control editing, and more. Learn more about how designer software can benefit your business.

Know more about how a designer software can benefit your business.

Expert Tip: Customers who encounter positive CX are more likely to buy a product! On the other hand, 81% of these customers are more likely to buy when brands offer experiences personalized to them. Product personalization has the potential to provide a unique experience. Make sure your business has something unique to offer.

Choose Printing Method

The printing method depends on both design type and quantity. If the design involves many images, colors, and patterns, you will need a method that can accommodate the details. Moreover, if you are going to print in bulk, choose a method that is suitable for bulk printing. Check out the types of phone case printing:

 
Expert Tip: Before you finalize a printing method, look at some samples and pay attention to every detail. Always double-check the final print to ensure it’s right for you.

Finding a Manufacturer

If you are new to the phone case industry, you might find it difficult to hunt for a manufacturer. So, make your task easy, here are some options for you to try out. (a) You can find possible manufacturers from searchable directories like Thomasnet.com, (b) check online directories like Alibaba, (c) do what everybody.

Things to keep in mind while choosing a manufacturer:

• Product– choose a manufacturer who is willing to provide the type of products you want and not the one who tricks you into buying what they have.
• Quality – there is no need to explain how important quality is. Go through information on material type and process before signing a contract.
• Price – make sure you are paying the standard amount in the market.
• Timing – ask your manufacturer about the lead time and manufacturing time. This will give you a clear idea about when to place your order.
• Minimum Order Policy – check with the manufacturer if they have any such policy. Most manufacturers do not accept an order less than the prescribed quantity.
• Sample Price – check with the manufacturer if you will get a free sample or if must pay any amount.

This procedure could be time-consuming, but it is worth it. Contact potential manufacturers personally and ask every question you have. Once you have a list of preferred manufacturers, prioritize based on the above metrics.
Expert Tip: Always have one manufacturer as a backup. So, if something goes wrong, your business will keep going.

Dropshipping for your business

One of the easiest ways to source your products is dropshipping. In dropshipping, you choose a manufacturer, and they will ship your phone cases directly to your customers on your behalf.

Whether you choose the dropshipping business model or build a website from scratch, you can offer an added USP of customized phone cases. All you need is an advanced, professionally built product design tool.

Selling with Print-on-Demand

Print-on-demand (POD) is a stress-free way to start an online business without holding inventory or shipping. The process is simple! A customer orders from your D2C store or marketplace and is sent to a POD supplier. The supplier prints the design, fulfills the order, and ships it to the customer. This hands-off approach allows you to sell custom products like phone cases with no upfront investment.

Furthermore, POD is a low-risk, scalable business model where you focus on design, branding, and marketing while a 3rd party supplier handles production. Starting a POD business becomes incredibly easy with no inventory costs and endless customization options if you have an advanced product design tool. Additionally, access to global e-commerce platforms or tailored web-to-print storefronts makes reaching customers seamless.

The only thing that all of this boils down to is providing unique designs, good marketing, and strong branding—if you can stand out, POD can be a profitable and sustainable business.

Learn more about a POD solution and all its important components!

Launch and Promote

Now that you have the product, manufacturer, and an online store, it’s time to launch and market your business.

Here are some popular marketing methods that you need to know:

1. Search Engine Marketing

This is the practice of using SEO or paid advertisements to appear on search engine result pages. SEO is all about earning the top position in the search results by creating relevant content for a keyword, while paid ads give you the opportunity to put your ad in front of the customer who is looking to buy a phone cover.

2. Social Media Marketing

Here, you use social media platforms to connect with your customers and promote your brand and products. The strategy to effectively use social media includes focusing on one or two platforms that you think your target audience is active on. In your case, we suggest Instagram and Pinterest as they are popular among Millennials. Also, these two platforms are highly visual. So, phone case designs would work well here. Secondly, create a social media posting plan that includes information on the type of content you wish to share—promotional informative, entertaining, etc.

3. Influencer Marketing

Customers consider reviews and ratings from people with popularity and authority. According to a 2024 survey by GRIN, 74% of shoppers have purchased based on an influencer’s recommendation. To begin with, you can have an influencer share your product or write a post.

Expert Tip: The best way to keep your business going is to provide exceptional customer service. Satisfied customers are your brand ambassadors. Once they have a positive experience, they will spread the word.

Are You Ready to Start?

Building a business around phone cases is comparatively easy as compared to other products. However, as with any business with lower barriers to entry, competition is naturally more intense. So, if you are ready to kickstart a phone case business online and want to know the ins and outs of how to make it stand out with a web-to-print solution, reach out to us.

We have helped businesses like OtterBox build their dream store with our offerings like a product designer tool, Print ERP, mobile to print designer app, and more. Now, it’s your turn!.

It has products in its portfolio ranging from apparel, promotional products, name badges, drinkware, canvas prints, and awards.

What makes OtterBox unique is that its Shopify store has integrated our state-of-the-art Designer Tool that allows its customers to design different kinds of products based on their preferences. This eventually helped the brand gain customer loyalty.

In addition, it means that OtterBox’s products and services offered to the client will have a raised value, and customer satisfaction has greatly improved.

OtterBox continues to lead in the quest for solutions that offer its customers innovative products to meet today’s needs. Tell us about your project, and we will get back to you.

 
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