Capture new business
Customers’ shopping habits have changed dramatically in recent years following the Covid-19 lockdowns, with more people than ever now turning to the internet as their first port of call for purchasing goods, be it gifts for friends and family or their weekly food shop.
This is also true in the print industry where many customers are making use of print-service-providers’ (PSPs) online stores to place orders for print. With this trend expected to continue, print businesses are having to put in place or upgrade web-to-print offerings so that they can cope with rising demand.
Here, we speak with providers of web-to-print solutions about their latest offerings and look at some of the main features PSPs should be on the lookout for when investing in new products.
Thrive and survive
First up, Flex4 has over 15 years’ experience in the design, development and support of web-to-print software solutions, providing its OPS software to more than 150 customers across the UK. David Whiteley, managing director of Flex4, says without investing in web-to-print software, this could be putting the entire print business at risk.
Flex4 provides its OPS software to more than 150 customers across the UK
“Today, the starting point for any business or individual looking to source print products or services is to search online,” Whiteley says, adding: “It goes to follow that any print business needs a highly visible website aimed at either generating enquiries or winning online orders.
“In addition to helping gain a share of online print revenues, web-to-print software can be integrated with other software platforms, including print MIS, accounts and courier software which accordingly helps to minimise administration overheads.
“Furthermore, businesses that procure large and recurring quantities of print are increasingly necessitating that their print suppliers provide a secure online ordering platform in the form of a private branded storefront or portal for their staff. A web-to-print storefront system implements a secure and cost-effective approach which yields savings for both the print buyer and print supplier.
“Simply put, without investing in web-to-print software, it is unlikely that a print business will be able to grow or even survive in today’s increasingly competitive print marketplace.”
Without investing in web-to-print software, it is unlikely that a print business will be able to grow or even survive in today’s increasingly competitive print marketplace”
With this, Whiteley expands on Flex4’s OPS software product, which he describes as being both highly flexible and affordable. He also explains that it can be deployed either as a print eCommerce website, private branded storefronts, or a combination of both.
Building on this, Whiteley explains that Flex4 can also provide integration with third-party software platforms such as print management information systems, accounts and courier software, along with bespoke development where needed, in order to help the customer establish an effective software system.
“In addition, we support with highly effective digital marketing services to help ensure printers’ websites are highly visible on search engines and receiving a good return on their investment,” Whiteley explains.
Create revenue growth
Elsewhere, in January this year, the Productivity Software Business EFI became eProductivity Software (ePS), a standalone, independent business focused on transformational technology for the packaging and printing industries.
Chris McDowell, senior product marketing manager at ePS, explains that part of this offering will be web-to-print solutions, with the aim of matching the same levels of innovation within the wider EFI business.
“As the print marketplace has become increasingly competitive, web-to-print offers PSPs – large or small – much needed options to become more competitive and create revenue growth,” McDowell says.
Part of eProductivity Software’s offering is web-to-print solutions
“The overwhelming majority of consumers are now completely comfortable with selecting, customising, and paying for items online. For PSPs then, we believe that giving customers the ability to place orders online is mission critical for long-term growth.
“Web-to-print provides a relatively low-cost and low-risk opportunity to grow beyond the confines of the traditional brick and mortar business model. Further, web-to-print gives print owners multiple paths for growth, such as the opportunity to create their own e-commerce presence to expand their reach and increase their exposure to new customers.”
Leading on from this, McDowell goes on to outline the dangers of not adopting web-to-print in the modern world, explaining industry consolidation, rising costs of raw materials and a hyper-competitive market means PSPs are having to find new ways to generate revenue.
“Web-to-print gives PSPs the ability to generate more revenue by offering an increasing number of high-demand, high-margin products and services including fulfilment services, VDP customised and personalised products, corporate gifts, specialty items, and even on-demand marketing support,” McDowell says.
“Web-to-print also can help PSPs move beyond serving as a one-order-at-a-time print vendor to becoming a customer’s integrated business partner which can increase overall spend per customer.”
With this, McDowell draws attention to the MarketDirect StoreFront (MDSF) Suite, which he says remains the industry’s only end-to-end web-to-print solution that includes storefronts for branded web-to-print experiences, a fully featured crossmedia marketing campaign toolset that requires no programming knowledge, integrated variable data for storefronts and campaigns and of course, an integrated printing workflow.
O Factoid: In January 2022, the Productivity Software Business EFI became eProductivity Software, a standalone business focused on transformational technology for packaging and printing O
McDowell goes on to say that the solution is scalable, will grow with a customer’s business and can be integrated with ePS and non-ePS MIS and ERP platforms, and by design.
“MarketDirect StoreFront removes many of the barriers that prevent PSPs from incorporating web-to-print into their businesses,” McDowell says, adding: “It makes it not only easier to create an e-commerce site, but to also expand product offerings, and improve customer loyalty by enhancing the customer experience.”
Efficient and attractive
Such has been the emergence of online buying in recent years that some print businesses have moved almost entirely online. VistaPrint has been around since 1995 and has one of the strongest online presences in the entire industry.
In more recent years, Vista has focused on being the partner for small businesses in everything design, print, and marketing. With the expansion of its brand into Vista and the acquisition of 99designs and Crello, now called VistaCreate, Vista now works with small businesses across marketing and branding.
Emily Shirley, general manager of Vista UK and Ireland, says the company’s early adoption of online has served the business well and recommends others follow suit in order to remain successful and competitive in the modern market.
“Just as we see other sectors moving online, the same is happening with print,” Shirley says, adding: “Customers want to be able to configure and order their products online and they expect print providers to have efficient, attractive user experiences in the whole flow.
“There will always be customers that are happy to work offline, indeed there will always be customers who prefer that, but the experience we all have across our consumer interactions are training us to work online and that consumer exposure will only accelerate the customers preferring a web2print experience. Beyond that, web-to-print can offer a fantastic way to grow your reach, letting you address customers outside of the area you would be able to reach with an offline approach.”
On the flip side, Shirley offers a word of warning when it comes to web-to-print, warning of some of the dangers PSPs could face from adopting this technology. First, she says the user experience needs to be top notch, explaining customers are used to slick flows in their consumer interactions and will judge the web-to-print experience against that.
Secondly, if PSPs are going to look to use web-to-print to increase reach, then they need to understand the costs and risks of online marketing.
“It requires a different skillset to ensure you sell online efficiently and that the costs of online marketing don’t run out of control, a skillset a lot of companies don’t have,” Shirley says, adding: “However, get it right and you suddenly become more relevant to a growing segment of customers.
“The younger demographic is already firmly in the camp of preferring online conversion but the adoption of online purchase in older demographics is growing and has been accelerated by the pandemic. Simply put, if you don’t have web-to-print, you risk becoming irrelevant to a growing segment in the market.”
If you don’t have web-to-print, you risk becoming irrelevant to a growing segment in the market”
As the world continues to evolve into a more digital environment, the use of the internet is becoming near enough a necessity for any business, print or otherwise, to succeed. Web-to-print offers PSPs a cost-effective way of capitalising on this trend and helping them access new growth opportunities.
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