How Print Service Providers Can Reinvent Customer Relationships in the Digital Age

By Dave Prezzano, Vice President and General Manager, Americas Graphics Solutions HP Inc.

Last week at Dscoop Edge in Orlando, I discussed with my industry colleagues a topic that is core to all of our organizations: How, in 2019, can we cut through the clutter and reach customers in clear, succinct and inspiring ways?

We are at a time of unprecedented change within the technology industry. Consumer demands are shifting rapidly. Traditional purchasing paradigms are being flipped on their heads. The world — from east to west — is becoming digital at an exponential rate.

But what formerly seemed like a slowly turning tide is quickly becoming a tsunami. Our anchor amid these rough waters? The customer.

As the Head of HP’s Graphics Solutions Business in the Americas, I see the importance of customer centricity daily. In order to compete in the digital age, every growth-minded print service provider (PSP) will have to become a long-term trusted partner to clients who are seeking to redefine how they reach customers.

Offer Standout Technology and Personalization

Using modern digital printing presses, PSPs can help clients create customized packaging, labels, brochures, flyers, photo books and more that will appeal to specific target audiences, such as Millennials or Gen Zers. At Dscoop Edge, HP presented the Inkspiration Awards to brands that have proven how innovative digital printing is creating value in today’s competitive landscape. Here are just a few of our innovative winners:

• QTL, based in Smyrna, Georgia, used HP Smart Stream Designer to create bespoke Halloween-edition popsicle wrappers for King of Pops, which quickly sold out in all five flavors.
• Brazil-based P+E Galeria Digital Ltda. created a commemorative liquor box for the Scotch Whiskey company Johnny Walker, allowing consumers to connect with the company’s history.
• Graphics and Converting Solutions in Mexico created colorful, multi-SKU pouches for the coffee brand Tresso Café. Printed solely using an HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press, this PSP demonstrated how packaging innovation can make a big impact for a small brand.

Customization via digital presses is a growing area that represents a huge opportunity for PSPs. By 2022, digital printing will account for about 19 percent of global print and printed packaging — up from 16.5 percent in 2017 — and 4 percent of volume, according to a Smithers Pira report. PSPs that enable their clients to personalize their work help them reach the more than 50 percent of consumers who say they are interested in purchasing customized products or services, according to Deloitte.

Engage Consumers Where They Are

At one time, reaching customers was fairly simple (from a printing standpoint). You advertised in a newspaper or magazine, dropped printed ads in the mail or on doorsteps, and hung posters where it made sense. Today, anyone with an internet connection can do their research to know which brand offers the best products, service, and support. As a result, consumers are empowered to be more discerning in purchase choices.

PSPs can help clients meet this demand by providing data-based research, advising clients on how to break down mass-market lists into specific groups tied to things such as: purchasing histories and preferences, location-based factors, and activity on the web and social media. Whenever possible, PSPs must supply relevant insights to help their clients deliver customer experiences that are relevant across platforms.

Hire the Right Talent

The skills PSPs should covet are varied but having individuals who understand the breadth of digital print technologies — and how to use them — is key. PSPs need to hire digitally savvy people who know how to produce the right content and get it into the right channels. They must also be able to monitor, analyze, and make intelligent recommendations for improvement.

From an omnichannel perspective, PSPs might also look for individuals who have worked in the eCommerce sector — who understand content, data and feed structures, and how to use analytic tools, such as artificial intelligence, to glean insights to advise clients. Because PSPs are not just skilled creators, they are also strategists by necessity. Hiring talent with this in mind will help you build a team that can guide your clients effectively through the competitive consumer landscape.

Progress is not for the idle, and innovation is not always comfortable. But down the road, what will be even less comfortable are the implications of not changing — of seeing your business slowly fall behind. HP understands what change means. We’ve reinvented our company many times throughout its storied history. We welcome our partners to weather this storm with us by re-calibrating toward what is most important — the customer.