For retail businesses, leveraging an ecommerce presence is an important part of a smart, pandemic-resistant business strategy. With more consumers wanting low or no-contact shopping options, the market for ecommerce is skyrocketing, pushing the global market share of ecommerce to 17% in 2020 alone.
There are a number of factors to consider when adding an ecommerce range to your retail store. First, consumers are drawn to companies that offer them a personalized experience. And, with customization high on the list of consumer must-haves, smart retailers are looking for ways to provide both personalization and customization options cost-effectively. One of the best ways to solve this equation is to take a closer look at product packaging, which, with the right equipment, can be created to provide benefits for both consumers and businesses alike.
That’s why many savvy retailers entering the ecommerce market are considering the small-scale production printer — a production-level printing press that can create custom packaging on the fly for the ultimate in branding and personalization.
The Benefits Small-Scale Production Presses Bring to the Ecommerce Equation
In an ecommerce-based retail market, packaging is key to keep brands front and center, protect products during shipping, and be available for short runs. Here’s how production printers can help:
Cost-Effective for Short Runs
Packaging plays a large role in seasonal promotions, monthly boxed goods specials, and product launches. And while your package might reflect a sale, a season, or even a company value such as sustainability, it must also carry your branding. And for small businesses with small inventories, investing in thousands of boxes — the amount necessary to order from a typical package supplier —just wouldn’t make good fiscal sense.
Instead, companies can invest in a production press that can allow them full control over customization and on-target branding in a cost-effective way, even if they are just creating a few boxes.
Providing Sustainability
Sustainability is critical to winning the trust and loyalty of consumers. In fact, 66% of respondents to a survey said they consider sustainability when choosing to make a purchase and more consumers than ever want eco-friendly products. Production presses can provide small- and medium-sized retail businesses with the capacity to create recyclable, eco-friendly packaging products. Modern presses can print on compostable materials and other recyclable media and they can also print labels that will allow PET-type containers to be recycled.
Reduced Waste for Reduced Costs
Finally, current production press technologies allow businesses to keep control of media waste that can occur during packaging production. Many activities such as switching print jobs, press calibration, and changing media type can impact waste. Today’s presses feature improvements in both software and hardware that can help minimize excess waste during these activities for improved cost-effectiveness and a better return on investment.
Smart Design for Bigger Impact
Pared down packaging and a smart design are a winning combination in direct-to-consumer business models. Owning an in-house production press allows you to tweak designs as you receive feedback — or as products change — to keep pace with consumer wants and demands. Conceptually, you will be able to better differentiate yourself in the marketplace by responding more quickly to changes in consumer and industry trends. And, if you partner with a strong managed services provider such as a Managed IT specialist, you will have access to evolving hardware and software, and even upgraded printer models, at one predictable monthly cost.
Check Out Our Range of Versatile Production Presses at Doing Better Business
Choosing a small-scale production printer is a big, but exciting, decision for your growing retail business. An in-house production press not only provides you with big benefits when it comes to packaging for your ecommerce business, but it can be incredibly useful for printing banners, window and wall decals, and other signage for your brick-and-mortar locations.
At Doing Better Business, we only carry production printers from leaders in the print and imaging industry such as Sharp, Ricoh, and HP, so you can be assured you’re getting the most evolved features and technology available. Our team of industry experts can help you make the right choice of printer for your unique circumstances — and we can even help you manage IT needs and challenges if your in-house IT team needs a little extra assistance.
Consider taking your packaging (and signage) to the next level to win at all aspects of retail this year. Contact a representative from Doing Better Business and discover how one of our production printers can help take your retail business to the next level.