Online shopping shakes up print

May 15th, 2009

From cashflow management to savings on administration, implementing a web-to-print strategy offers a host of benefits to cash-strapped printers, says Barney Cox

Can web-to-print be part of the armoury to recession-proof your business? The answer from companies that have made the move and suppliers of the technology is an emphatic "yes" on several different levels. In the right circumstances it can lock in customers and change the relationship from one of the printer being a commodity supplier, to that of a trusted partner by helping customers to save costs through streamlining their internal processes. This moves the conversation beyond the cost of print - it can simplify and speed up payment through the use of credit card transactions, while internal efficiencies offer a route to cutting your own costs.

For Peter Lancaster, managing director of web-to-print consultancy W2P, it's even simpler than that. "Print isn't exempt from the trend towards online buying," he says. "If I were a bank manager I wouldn't lend to a printer that doesn't have an online strategy. And I'd be worried about the viability of any digital press investment without one."

His suggestion is to put yourself in the shoes of your ­customer and consider who they are and how they are ­likely to buy. "I'd suggest every printer buy something from firms such as Vistaprint or Pixart - you need to know your enemy," he says. "I'd love to know how many printers have ever been online to buy print, or have been to a trade show such as Internet World. It's all important for understanding print's place."

That place will be different depending on the purpose of the print and the type and size of customer.

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