There is no doubt that TECHNOLOGY has created massive number of opportunities for people those looking to enhance their business, one such technology is web-to-print. Over the past few years there was a lot of talk about web to print and why it’s the need of the time for printers to offer their products and services online, and nowadays having a web to print storefront has become a must decision for every print entity.
There is no doubt in the fact that revenue generated by web to print is incredible, but picking right web to print solution for your business is always being challenging -especially when you are dealing with complex workflow, brand Identity, budget compliance and a wide-spread end user base.
I have summarized five aspects in order of priority you should consider before choosing the right web-to-print solution for your business.
WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT?
Most of the web to print solution differentiates when it comes to user experience, never over look this one: “Customer experience is the next competitive battle ground, it’s where business is going to be won or lost”
The above statement is itself justified, happy customers are the backbone of any business, the business with good customer experience is always a victor.
Your web to print software is not just the so called storefront but the interface between you and the end users, make sure that the experience lives up to represent your organization and store itself achieve a unique identity among users because a simple and intuitive interface will dictate whether you succeed or fail on user adoption.
You need check the web to print solution you are choosing is providing simplified workflow and fully customizable storefront as much as possible so that the end user can get on with their day.
- Is it fast?
- Does it offer modern look & feel?
- Is it simple? You shouldn’t need to train end users.
- Is it designed to work on all devices – computers, tablets, phones, etc?
- Is the user experience “printy”? Typical end users are not savvy to print terms or specs.
WHAT IS YOUR PRODUCT OFFERING?
Leave everything behind; your products fit the solution need to be the first. This is the most important information to know as printing is a very diverse and comprehensive domain. You can print and sell various kinds of personalized apparel, shoes, clothes, caps, mugs, promotional items such as stationary, batches, printing products like labels, signs, stickers, business cards or even wide format banners. Each such product has unique personalization needs and it’s not possible to get a web-to-print solution that covers everything.
The best idea is to opt for a solution that is specially designed and developed for your product line. Other than this do check whether the software solution you are inclined to buy produces ready-to-print files that are good quality and acceptable with your printing machines as that will increase your operational efficiency and decrease the cost with no need for manual artwork creation or editing. .
Bottom line, look for a solution that best fits your product offerings.
SOFTWARE FEATURES
The core idea to adopt web to print solution is to meet the rising customer demands and bring efficiency to your business, but what if you end up with the wrong one? To avert this not only question what it can do today- but have the solution provider painted the picture of future too, because technology will keep accelerating rapidly.
Software features is the thing where all web to print solutions come close, which somewhere creates confusion. To overcome this mix-up mystification, I will suggest you to make a list of the core features you can’t live without, and based on their importance rank them. Narrow your options down by cancelling out software providers that don’t meet your needs or can’t even extend their solution to accommodate your must-have features. Here are some of the most common web to print features to get you started.
- Fully customizable front-end
- Pricing controls
- Ability to handle promotions and seasonal offers
- Mobile friendly design studio for personalization
- Flexible order and artwork approval workflows
- Variety of payment and shipping options
- Production/Procurement management
- Warehouse/Inventory management
- Extensive reporting capabilities
- Print-ready output generation
TIME TO GO LIVE:
Time is one of the most important factors in any business; the turnaround time on a web-to-print service is the vital place you need to look. Waste of time in business is equal to waste of money. The company that have consumed much time to complete project may put out great work, but that work is useless if it never comes in on-time. If you have already estimated the time to start your business online, you should always ask your web to print vendor about what the expected turnaround time for completion of your specific application will be.
WHICH ONE CAN YOU AFFORD?
Now that you are clear with your product offerings and customer needs and solution features, it is time to start thinking about price and how much the end solution will cost you. Whatever type of business you are, the monetary factor is always important because budget of every business does not allow going with high-ended tools; thus, it is important to analyze what extent of cost business can afford? And choose the best solution accordingly. But, make sure that the quality should not be comprised because of cost.
Looking into your budget many web to print solution provides different type of pricing plans to best suit your business.
If you are a big business and want to invest upfront capital then you can go with license based pricing.
If you are a small or start up business with low budget you can start with a SaaS based solution that is available on flexible plans designed for all business type. You can give preference to the web to print vendor that allows you to start with SaaS service and later offer you to purchase the software license with all your data thus giving you an opportunity to start with small investment and overcome the recurring expense once your business is flourishing.
CONCLUSION:
Web2print is a very prominent and exciting domain to bring your business online with the continual improvements happening regularly. Before making choice for the solution make sure you have a clear vision of your business needs and customers. Don’t forget, it’s ok to ask everything right from the beginning to your
