Content area
Full Text
The advantages of Web-to-print are significant - but so are the challenges.
When Web-to-print services were originally offered in e-commerce solutions, they were nothing more than curious novelties. Today, offering Web-to-print services has become an essential part of an in-plant s arsenal.
While the advantages are significant, there arc challenges as well. In this article we will discuss both and outline a strategy to help avoid the typical stumbling blocks.
'The benefits of Web-to-print are undeniable. Customers appreciate ordering any time of day or night. They love the convenience of ordering online and from mobile devices, and appreciate the automatic responses informing them that files were received and products were shipped.
In-plants report increasing sales from Web-to-print too. During my tenure with NAPL (now part of IdeaAlliance), I worked on the study, "Web-to-print: The Promise, the Potential and the Reality," and found that 58% of respondents reported sales increases and 55% reported that profitability increased after investing in Web-to-print.
For service providers, Web-toprint can automate manual steps in the process such as estimating, design, job ticketing, prepress and billing. For customers, it can enhance their experience. The gold standard for online ordering is Amazon.com, which allows ordering at anytime, and provides greater feedback including emails when the job ships, with tracking information. As a former manager of a 24-hour Kinko's, I can tell you that you'd be surprised to see how many customers come in at strange hours.
Better Customer Experience
The ability to offer online estimates also improves the customer experience. Many print providers don't realize that waiting for estimates is a common complaint from customers. For over a decade, we have used surveys with assessments of in-plants, and we consistently hear complaints about waiting for estimates. Truth be told, Web-to-print software does not create true estimates, but instead uses standardized pricing from a price sheet.
There is a feature that eliminates designers' time to customize standardized products such as business cards, letterhead and envelopes. Often referred to as a template-based feature, it provides customers with templates of standardized products such as business cards that allows them to fill in their information and automatically see a PDF proof, which they can approve...