Print will HAVE TO change!
It’s fast and there’s plenty of software and even more experts to help implementing it on various digital devices. However, even onliners are slowly realizing that there is a target group that is not always using smartphones or computers. Customers who love to leaf through catalogues, supplements and magazines. Zalando, for example, has recognized – after some years of online pure-play – the need for printed catalogues or magalogues in order to reach further target groups.
The output channel challenge
Consistency of all output channels is crucial for reaching all different target groups efficiently. Omnichannel Excellence – what does it mean? Many of our customers have realized that operating separate channels in isolation is no longer enough. Convergence of all channels has become a critical success factor.
But how to integrate offline, online and mobile maximising the value and effectiveness of these various connection points?
And what does this have to do with print?
Of course this is not just about printed media: all processes are changing – in all areas. Thus, it is essential to assess organizational structures within a company and to determine which improvements may benefit an organization. Time and again we observe that different departments, which (in principle) should work hand in hand, are often left to fend for themselves and that the IT department has nowadays to deal with a variety of stand-alone solutions. Processes and organizational structures can help!
PIM as a business model – Ever heard of it?
The key question is: How can you optimize your IT infrastructure and processes to be able to feed all output channels from a central data pool that also includes channel-specific product information?
As I said before: All departments have to work hand in hand towards the same goal. Different needs and requirements must be consolidated. Employees should revise their way of thinking and product information management should become an integral part of management strategy. Omnichannel requires excellent data quality. Excellent data quality requires clear, department independent responsibilities.
A gaze into the crystal ball?
Let’s face it: yes, they still exist, those heavy, 600-1500 pages catalogues. Organizational structures that have evolved over time cannot be altered overnight. However, print has to change! Issues such as postage charges, waste circulation, time-to-market, printing costs and customer loyalty are becoming increasingly relevant when it comes to print communication.
Here’s an example on how to change print:
Just imagine a customer who’s registered on your online shop and is about to buy something. Based on existing profile information and ordering behaviour, your recommendation engine will create a ranked list of recommended products in order to provide the usual services, such as “Customers who bought this item also bought” or “Recommended for you”. If the recommendation engine sent the same information to a print system, it would be able to generate, with this customer specific product information, a flyer in real-time – fully automated and personalized for just this one customer. The flyer’s print data could then be sent to logistics or to your fulfilment provider, printed and shipped to the customer together with his order. Thus, you could reach your customers exactly at the moment when he is happiest, and offer your customer services or products that he is likely to accept at the right time without any extra shipping costs and waste circulation.
Is it a gaze into the crystal ball or reality? “Real-time target publishing” is no longer just a far-off vision for mail-order companies; it is already being used successfully by some innovative companies. Of course it is far from being the perfect solution for everyone. By now it should be clear that the seamless integration of distribution channels is an essential feature, but every company will have to find its own fitting omnichannel strategy.