Web to print is gaining in popularity – but not everyone knows exactly how it can help their print shop! Today, we’re going to be doing some myth busting of the most common web to print misconceptions. You’ll learn why web to print matters, how it can help your print shop grow, and why right now is the best time to add online eCommerce to your print shop. Let’s get started!
1. “Our Customers Don’t Want a Digital Storefront.”
Even if your customers aren’t expressing interest in web to print, it doesn’t mean they don’t want it! A recent study from NAPCO Research found that online ordering is growing more popular and will only continue to do so. That’s because online ordering is both more convenient and easier for customers and print shop staff.
As a service provider, the best thing you can do is anticipate your customers’ needs. Investing in web to print will put you ahead of the game! Web to print makes ordering easier for your customers. It also frees up your staff’s time by removing touchpoints – which means they can dedicate more effort to growing your print shop.
2. “Web to Print Software Is Expensive!”
Let’s turn back to that NAPCO article. According to their research, the average annual cost of a web to print solution is about $15,000. At PageDNA, we frequently fall below this average.
You can also think of web to print costs as a small fraction of an employee’s salary, with a force multiplying impact. Investing in a web to print solution leads to more sales, fewer mistakes, and happier customers. To put it even more simply – you can’t afford not to have web to print!
It’s also not too expensive – if you don’t believe us, reach out to learn more about pricing!
3. “There’s No Personal Touch.”
No one wants to de-personalize the customer buying experience. Unfortunately, one of the most common web to print misconceptions among many print shops is that a web to print solution will do just that. But the truth couldn’t be more different!
At PageDNA, our software allows you to provide an even more personalized experience to your customers through unique, customer-focused storefronts and catalogs. We’re also able to provide support for multiple customer types through our Divisions feature.
These approaches work no matter your profile:
Commercial Print Sales
PageDNA’s multi-tenancy function means commercial printers can give each of their customers a personalized ordering catalog. Read our case study on multi-tenant eCommerce platforms to learn how a large Midwest printer was able to provide hundreds of unique experiences for each of their customers using PageDNA.
Internal Print Shops
PageDNA’s personalized approach also helped Cornell University’s in-plant print shop create efficiencies, expand services, and keep customers happy. Learn more in our blog on educational printing.
4. “We Will Lose Control Over Pricing.”
A lot of print shops voice concerns about web to print because they think it will destroy their ability to have some degree of pricing control. However, many web to print providers (including PageDNA) don’t show pricing until a customer logs in. They can also support different pricing levels.
If you don’t want to show pricing and still want customers to start and finish their orders online, PageDNA also offers a unique feature called a Hold for Quote that brings together the best of both online and offline job quoting workflows.
5. “Our Customers are Old School.”
For those print shops that say their customers like to order “old school”, it’s time to ask yourself a hard question – how’s business? If you’re seeing a decline in your volume, it could be because your customers have found a way to order that is easier and faster.
Today’s print industry is still about personal connections, but it’s also about convenience. Just like your team, your customers have ten things to do today – and they only have time to do five or six of them. Anything you can do to make their lives easier is going to improve your business, make your customers happy, and help you maintain a personal touch.
6. “We Don’t Have the Time or Resources.”
We understand that print shops are busy. Maybe you don’t feel like you have time to set up or run a web to print solution. However, not only can set up be quick, maintaining your web to print system itself doesn’t have to be your responsibility.
At PageDNA, our web to print SAAS platform means that we maintain everything for you in our secure, private cloud.
If you really think about it, investing in web to print actually saves you time. Instead of manually taking orders, entering information, and going back and forth with customers on order specifics, a web to print system gives hours back to your already time-crunched team by automating all of these processes.
7. “It’s Too Hard to Set Up.”
Web to print can be hard to set up. But what you may not know is that it’s a mostly hands-free process! At PageDNA, we do 95% of the work when it comes to setting up your system. We only need your project manager to be available for 30 minutes per week, plus another hour of additional work to gather information and test the storefront.
Clarifying Your Web to Print Misconceptions
Did this article change any of your opinions? Did it challenge you to think outside the box? We hope it did! Questioning and facing difficult truths are the first steps to making a change for the better. Once you can move through the misconceptions, you’ll come out with clarity and a better understanding of your next steps.
It’s been said that “knowledge is half of the battle” – the other half is taking action. If you’re prepared to take action and help your print shop grow, we’re prepared to help. Reach out to sales@PageDNA.com to learn more and schedule your demo today!
