GETTING STARTED GUIDE
You will need to meet some key requirements before creating an account and connecting to MWW On Demand.
WELCOME
The MWW On Demand program is set up to be self-served and allow orders to be submitted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through one of our ordering options. The most important aspect of being able to take advantage of our services is to make sure that you and your business can submit your customers’ orders to our system properly. Are you and your business ready to take this next step?
We’ve developed the following guide so that you and your team can have a concise overview of the requirements and prerequisites that will need to be completed in order to begin working with MWW On Demand. Let’s take a look at some main topics starting from the very beginning of the process and how it fits together.
BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS
MWW On Demand operates exclusively as a Business-to-Business service, providing wholesale and tax-free products. As such, MWW on Demand requires all businesses who sign up for our service to provide a federal EIN number if the business resides in the USA. This includes Sole Proprietorships attempting to use their SSN (social security number) as their taxpayer identification number. This affords our service (and the businesses utilizing our services) the peace of mind that consumers are not able to order our products from us directly.
In addition to a valid Tax ID/EIN, we also require customers to provide a Resale Certificate, also known as a Reseller Permit or Tax Exemption Certificate. A Resale Certificate indicates to us that you as our customer can purchase our products without paying sales tax at the time of purchase since you’ll be reselling the items to an end consumer and you’ll be collecting sales tax from them. A Resale Certificate can typically be acquired at no cost from your state’s Tax Commission or Department of Revenue.
ORDERING OPTIONS & INTEGRATIONS
1. API CONNECTION
Businesses can connect to us via an API connection for automatic order submission. API stands for Application Programming Interface. In web development, a programmer will utilize API protocols in order to communicate between online systems. So, in order to transmit orders automatically from your ecommerce platform to our ordering system, you may need to employ a web developer or consult your IT department so that this connection can be programmed properly. For those clients that have the ability to build a direct API connection, you can connect to our ordering system via our JSON API. A sales associate would be happy to help you out with any questions regarding the connection process. Documentation for the MWW On Demand API services can be found here: mwwondemand.github.io
2. THIRD PARTY ORDERING SOLUTIONS
Businesses who may not be able to develop a direct API connection to us, operate on multiple ecommerce platforms, or use multiple vendors and want to consolidate ordering, may want to consider using a third-party service like Order Desk or Spark Shipping. These third-party services have already integrated with MWW and will help manage and transmit orders automatically from your ecommerce platform to our ordering system. Once you’re an MWW On Demand customer, you’ll be sent the information you need to set up these services by just following your third-party provider’s instructions on integration.
3. PORTALS FOR MANUAL ORDERING
We offer multiple web portals for manual order submission. We have direct ordering options through our Legacy Portal where any product offered in our catalog can be ordered manually. We also have our Merch Maker app that allows businesses to create from a selection of available products using a basic product designer, save them to their product library, and place orders for them. Click HERE to sign up for a Merch Maker account and to try out the designer. Information on how to access and place orders through the Legacy Portal can be provided once you’re an MWW On Demand customer.
PRODUCTION READY ARTWORK
Since you are connecting directly into a manufacturing facility, it is of utmost importance that your artwork be designed to our template specifications for each product. Apart from a selection of products found in our Merch Maker designer, we are unlike marketplace websites where you can upload your artwork, make edits, and see preview images. Working with MWW On Demand will require some knowledge and skill in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator (or similar graphic design suite). This is to make certain that all the images for the products you wish to design are properly formatted to our templates and submitted to us as production ready files.
FILE STORAGE
Every time an order is placed on your web site or ecommerce platform, the properly templated production ready files will need to be included with the order. This can be done by providing a URL that has been set up for automatic download to the production ready file for the item being ordered. This will require you to store your files, as MWW does not store or retain files for customers. Production ready files can be stored anywhere as long as the URL being provided is publicly available and set up for automatic download.
Depending on where your web site is hosted or which ecommerce platform you use, you may have file storage available to you. To be certain that you have the proper online data storage required to transmit production ready artwork files over an API connection, please consult with your web developer or IT department. Some file storage services such as Dropbox and Google Drive can be used to store files and generate the proper URL, but not all file storage services offer the ability to provide an automatic download URL.
SHIPPING
Shipping is another aspect of your business that customers will need to consider. As MWW On Demand does not provide shipping rates or estimates, it is very important to determine which shipping carrier would be best for you and your business. It’s very likely that you will be shipping within the USA as well as international, and you may need multiple carriers depending on where your customer base is ordering from.
While we can provide such things as package dimensions and weights, we leave it up to you as our customer to decide which postal carrier will be shipping your packages. Every order that is sent to MWW On Demand to be manufactured will need to have the proper shipping method code and shipping information included.
DROP SHIPPING AND PACKAGING
One of the unique features of the MWW On Demand program includes white label packaging when your items are ready to be shipped directly to your customers. Since the vast majority of the items we manufacture are soft goods, most items are shipped in plain Mylar type shipping bags that are free of markings. In the event that large items or consolidated items reach a point where a box is utilized, these boxes are also plain. All packages will be white labeled with your business address listed on the shipping label, making it so that each package will appear as if each product is coming directly from you and your business.
With each package that we ship, we always include a generic packing slip that will also have your business address. These packing slips are designed to be very plain and simple, and do not include any product pricing, which is good for the majority of our customers. If you desire a custom packing slip, our ordering options are designed to allow you to send over a packing slip per each order. Details can on how a custom packing slip can be included with an order can be provided once you’re an MWW On Demand customer.
BRANDING
The MWW On Demand program is designed to allow companies to create high quality textile home décor items with a rapid turnaround time and then drop ship directly to your customers. In order to keep thousands of items a day flowing through our system, it is of utmost importance that every operation within our facility is streamlined and efficient. For these reasons we do not offer branding services in the MWW On Demand program, as items like sew-in tags, hang tags, package inserts and special packaging tend to slow down manufacturing for everyone.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
For some companies, many of these requirements have already been met, and we realize that there will be some that will need to start from the very beginning. MWW On Demand has a fantastic program that offers unique advantages such as zero inventory for you to carry, no set up fees, and no minimum order quantities. Taking your business to the next level will require some work, but the good news is that when you connect to the MWW On Demand program, we are ready and waiting to manufacture high quality home décor, soft goods and apparel products for you and your customers!