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To get a sense for how the use of these solutions is evolving, we went back to commercial printers interviewed last ýear and asked, "What's changed?"
What does print workflow have in common with an automotive production line or a Coca-Cola bottling plant? More than you might think. Just as with any manufactured product, by standardizing and automating as much of the ordering and production workflow as possible, you enable greater throughput, minimize errors, and achieve far greater efficiency. This translates into bottom-line benefits for both printer and client, while still providing creative flexibility within the guidelines established by the brand owner.
It is no wonder that the use ofWebto-print (W2P) and online storefronts is on the rise. According to a study by NAPCO Research on behalf of RadTech ("Why Service Providers Arc Migrating to Web-to-Print Solutions"), more than half (55%) of commercial printers have some type of W2P solution. Off-line print shipments are projected to decline by a CAGR of-6.0% by 2021, while W2P is projected to grow by a CAGR of 5.2%, reaching $48 billion by 2021.
In a separate survey on behalf of SGIA ("The Impact of Customer Buying Preferences on the Commercial Printing Industry"), NAPCO Research found that commercial printers, on average, expected the share of their job volume generated by Web-based ordering systems to rise to 26% between 2018-2020.
It's not just the use of W2P solutions that has expanded, it's their functionali ryas well. As W2P storefronts have matured, printers and their clients have continued to automate more and more formerly manual functions, including preflight, reporting, mailing and list purchasing, and fulfillment. We are also seeing rapid expansion in functionality, like the ordering and management of wide-fonnat and promotional items.
Because of the investment necessary to set up W2P workflows initially (templates, rules, and assets), once the client has spent the time and resources to do so, they aren't likely to switch easily. Titus, a side benefit of W2P is that it tends to increase customer retention. Indeed, increasing customer retention by just 5% has been shown to boost profits by 25% to 95% (Bain &i Co.). That translates into real money.
While the introductory benefits ofW2P are well-documented, less often discussed is whats next? Once you have...