The rise of e-commerce: easier access to promotional products
The rise of e-commerce has revolutionized the distribution of promotional products. Long dominated by large companies capable of placing massive orders, this market is now accessible to structures of all sizes, thanks to online platforms that facilitate purchasing and product customization.
For printers, this means a change in the way they approach customers. SMEs, which now represent a significant proportion of buyers, are looking for simple, flexible and fast solutions. The challenge is to offer ergonomic web interfaces capable of managing an ever-expanding portfolio of products, while offering a high degree of personalization. This is a technical and logistical challenge for players in the graphics industry, accustomed to more traditional production cycles.
Durability: an essential criterion for promotional products
With the rise of environmental concerns and corporate social responsibility, the demand for greener promotional products is growing. Companies today want to reflect their commitment to ecological and social responsibility, and this is also reflected in the objects they distribute to their customers and partners. Online printing marketplace HelloPrint, for example, plans to switch 80% of its promotional product sales to sustainable label products by the end of 2024.
Recycled, biodegradable and responsibly-sourced materials are becoming essential criteria. For printers, this means reviewing their supplies and sometimes rethinking their production processes. Using materials such as bamboo, organic cotton or recycled plastic means adapting to new production chains and guaranteeing the traceability of the materials used. Sustainability must no longer be seen as a mere marketing argument, but as a technical requirement in its own right to meet customer expectations.
Increased competition from traditional printers
Faced with the decline in traditional print volumes, particularly for high-volume offset runs, many printers are turning their attention to the promotional products market. They already have the infrastructures and customer relationships needed to penetrate this market, which could enable them to rapidly establish themselves as major players.
However, the transition is not without its difficulties. Traditional printing systems are optimized for the complex personalization of paper media such as flyers or brochures, with fine management of variables. In the promotional products sector, however, requirements are different: the aim is often to manage a very large catalog of products, but with fewer variants per item. This calls for an overhaul of management tools and customer interfaces to enable efficient searching and simple personalization, notably with online preview tools.
Technological innovation: an asset for printers
To remain competitive, industry players need to invest in technological tools capable of automating and optimizing order management. Companies like HelloPrint have already taken the lead by implementing Product Information Management (PIM) systems and online logo editing tools to speed up production and enhance the user experience.
Automation not only cuts order processing costs, it also means shorter delivery times - an increasingly crucial criterion in a market where responsiveness is a key competitive advantage. Printers will therefore need to focus on integrating these new technologies to remain relevant and competitive in the face of online platforms that focus on ease of use and speed.
Entering the promotional products market also calls for a rethink of printers' business models. While they are accustomed to low margins in traditional printing, the promotional products sector offers opportunities for diversification with higher margins, especially on premium and ecological products. However, this transition implies investing in training teams, adapting production tools and setting up partnerships with suppliers specialized in these new materials. This could represent a substantial investment, but one that seems necessary if we are to capture a share of this fast-growing market.
