How to Achieve an Efficient Print Flow

 An efficient and optimized print flow is crucial in a web-to-print store – especially for big print stores that have to handle a large number of jobs in less time. An optimized print flow helps cut down on inefficiencies, reduce costs, and increase return on investment.

Therefore, if you are also a web-to-print store owner and are looking to streamline your print workflow and prevent any problems; there are a few tips you can follow.

Make Your First Impression the Best Impression
Your online print store is far more than an attractive web-to-print storefront. The overall print flow should also be so smooth that customers can place orders easily. In your web-to-print store, you should introduce product personalization. An online product design software product can give customers the freedom to design products as per their requirements. This implies that there would be no back and forth when it comes to design-related issues.

If you let customers specify their requirements from your web-to-print storefront; ensuring that specification of requirements is easy and speedy is important. Customers should be able to design products in minimum simplified steps. So, always go for a clean and secure interface to ensure more orders from repeat customers.

Keep Track of the Inventory
Inventory management is of vital importance for any online store that sells products. And a web-to-print store is no exception. You should always have the products and supplies you offer in the right quantity. Further, they should be easily accessible.

Hence, checking on your inventory on a regular basis is essential for a balance between maintaining inventory and inflowing on-demand orders. Ensure that you never run out of stock and are always able to cater to customers’ orders.

Automate Prepress
Before the ‘actual’ print job, there are some other stages that lie between receiving orders from customers and sending ‘products’ for actual printing. Therefore, automating prepress tasks like inspection, pre-flighting, error-checking, imposition, cropping, etc. can help.

This way, you can save your time and allocate it to other business tasks. Hence, you won’t only be able to save time but also enhance productivity and efficiency.

Keep Track of Print Jobs
Without an idea about the current stage of the print jobs, there are high chances that you accidentally fail to notice some issues and miss out on some good opportunities.

To avoid this situation, keep a centralized system of central dashboards. This will help facilitate collecting all the relevant information together in one place. Through this collected information, keeping your data updated becomes easier.

Moreover, your staff would also find it easy to keep the customers updated about the progress of their orders. By automating job ticketing and error notifications, your staff can get updated about the ongoing print job progress and prevent any possible roadblocks well in advance.

Define Custom Workflows
Defining custom workflow is of great help in saving time at each stage of printing. However, doing it manually can possibly cause several glitches to creep in. It can also lead to redundancies in the workflow despite taking care of all specifications required at every stage.

So, look for a print job management solution to automate the entire printing process. Whether it is defining custom work stages or scheduling print jobs, it helps achieve efficiency in every process. An automation software tool can help finish jobs efficiently and on time.

In a Nutshell
If you face any glitches in the print flow of your web-to-print store; it can slow down the entire process, affect productivity, and ruin your brand image. However, an automation print manager software solution can help streamline print processes and high productivity.

Original Source: https://whattheythink.com/news/102373-how-achieve-efficient-print-flow/

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Top 5 Wholesale Blank T-Shirt Suppliers in USA

Customization is the need of the hour. Whichever industry you take, customization is in high demand and the fashion industry is of exception. So, if you offer customized products through an online t-shirt design software to let customers create their own designs, you will need a continuous supply of blank t-shirts. And for that, you’ll need to collaborate with a wholesale t-shirts bulk supplier company unless you manufacture them yourself.

Read on to know the 5 top wholesale t-shirts bulk suppliers to pick the one suitable for your requirements.

ShirtCotton

One of the most popular online manufacturers in the USA, ShirtCotton specializes in wholesale blank t-shirts at nominal prices starting from $3 only. If you are looking for a blank clothing vendor who can supply blank t-shirts, hoodie, polos, etc.; ShitCotton is the right pick.

It offers top brands like Bella + Canvas, Next Level Apparel, Gildan, Dickies, Yupoong, etc. to choose from. Besides, multiple color variants for a single product are available for customers to select exactly what they want.

With warehouses spread across the United States, its delivery time is as short as 2 days. And these speedy deliveries help screen printers and fashion retailers meet their rigid deadlines easily.

Needen

Needen is a popular t-shirts bulk supplier company that offers a broad range of products. Ask for tank tops, t-shirts, sweat shirts, polos, sport shirts, jackets, work clothes, hats or other accessories; Needen has it all.

Further, at least 10 color variants of all products available are available for customers to choose from. Moreover, there are tie-dye, V necks (with or without sleeves), burnouts, and more such variants.

On top of that, 95+ brands including Champion, Hanes, Gildan, and more with volume discounts of up to 40% make the brand even more appealing. It also offers free shipping for purchases exceeding $129 in value.

BlankStyle

BlankStyle offers:

• T-shirts – Crew necks, V-necks, blank inexpensive blank t-shirts, long tail tees, of over 500 different varieties and 85 brands and more.
• Polo Shirts – Available in a wide range of prices, sizes and fabric to choose from to fit your budget or project needs.

Blank Apparel

Besides being a popular wholesale t-shirts supplier, it also supplies other blank apparel items like hoodies, pants, tank tops, jackets; and charges prices according to quantity.
You can also avail of instant decoration services for DTG and screen printers and drop shipping service.

Cotton Connection

Cotton Connect Inc. is one of the most popular t-shirt manufacturers in the US. Headquartered in Chicago, it deals in all types of sportswear, t-shirts, fleece, socks, and other accessories. Whether you require apparel for non-profit or charitable organizations, institutions, retailers, wholesalers, promotion companies, flea markets, or any other, Cotton Connect Inc. provides it all.

Anvil Irregular, Champion, Gildan, Cotton Plus, Jerzees, and more such popular brands are there to pick from. It offers a 50% shipping discount on orders exceeding $500 across the US excluding Alaska and Hawaii which makes big purchases even more profitable.

Hanes

Hanes is a leading wholesale bulk supplier from the USA renowned for its quality apparel. It charges direct-from-the-manufacturer pricing on a plethora of best-selling brands. Further, it also lets customers order products as per their schedule due to the 24/7 convenience it offers.

A one-stop shop for all HanesBrands family of brands, it deals in apparel from brands like Bali, Champion, Leggs, and more.

In a Nutshell

An online fashion industry is among a plethora of industries that customization has taken a storm. If you also provide apparel customization through an online t-shirt design tool and are looking to tie up with one of the most renowned and reliable t-shirts bulk suppliers in the USA, referring above list of top can help make the right decision.

Original Source: https://whattheythink.com/news/102289-top-5-wholesale-blank-t-shirt-suppliers-usa/

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How to Navigate Competition in Online Retail Industry with Customization

 Until a few years ago, e-retail was not a common thing. Only a few businesses had access to it and could run it successfully. However, as the big e-commerce giants like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart came into the picture; the online retail landscape has changed drastically. The competition has become cut-throat with these big e-retail giants ruling the ecommerce industry. When the competition is so huge, you can’t just sit behind relaxed after simply opening an e-store. There is a need to do something to stand out among your competitors for people to notice you!

While there are a number of other strategies to make your online store interactive, offering customization is an important one. As you can’t attract people anymore simply by offering standard factory-made products with no uniqueness.

So, how to provide customization? By integrating a Magento 2 Product Designer or any other designer tool based on your ecommerce platform.

Read on to know how a Magento 2 Product Designer like Magento T-Shirt Designer can benefit.

Beyond Customization
Offering customization by yourself can be helpful at times but not always. When the customization demands get too specific to cater to, it is best to enable your customers to ‘self-help’.

All you need to do is to integrate a web-to-print design software with your site and allow your buyers to design their products themselves through a Magento 2 product designer. For instance, if you deal in custom t-shirts, a Magento t-shirt designer can help you give your customers the freedom to customize t-shirts as per their needs.

Enhanced Web Traffic and Conversion Rates
Picture this. You have an ecommerce website with a highly engaging UI and UX. But when it comes to buying products, your e-store is lagging behind your competitors. This is a common problem with several e-stores as they lack an appealing sales point – an online designer.

If you too are witnessing a poor web traffic and low conversions, it is time you amped up your store with a Magento 2 Product Designer and let customers unleash their creativity. An online product designer won’t only help increase traffic but also drive better engagement and higher conversions and sales.

Relief from the Ordinary/Mundan
Accept it – The only constant in the world is change.

Have been selling t-shirts, mugs, cards, photo albums etc. for years, but witnessed plummeting sales and higher cart abandonment rates in the recent past? Have you ever tried to find out why this is happening? It’s happening that customers are too satiated now to buy cliched products. And they want something out-of-the-box.

Luckily, an online designer tool like a Magento 2 product designer can help you offer that. As 1 in 4 of customers are ready to pay more for a personalized product/service, you can get an edge over your competitors by offering the freedom of personalization.

Enhanced Brand Loyalty
When your customers notice that you are offering something unique, they will be more interested in purchasing more product(s)/service(s) from your store. And when you always stay on top of their expectations and satisfaction, they are sure to turn from your occasional customers into permanent customers. This won’t only help win your customers’ trust but also build your customer loyalty. As the customer loyalty increases, sales figures will also easily go up.

To Wrap It Up

In the state of a huge competition that the online retail industry has witnessed of late, relying on traditional practices can’t benefit much. It is high time you switched from ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to out-of-the-box idea and integrate an online tool like Magento 2 Product Designer tool to make your store engaging and sales-driven.

Original Source: https://customerthink.com/how-to-navigate-competition-in-online-retail-industry-with-customization/

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Covid-19 and the Printing Industry: Curb the Slowdown and be Future Ready

 You probably might have read hundreds of articles greeting you with how awful this ‘new world’ is. I will save you on that and quickly come to the topic that we will be discussing.

Here’s a question for you.

People buy essentials like masks, sanitizers, medicines, groceries, etc. But do they purchase the ‘usual’ stuff? By usual I mean from a cellphone to impromptu jewelry shopping. Because if we practically think about this, people would want to save more as the future seems unpredictable.

However, the statistics have a different story to tell. Retail platforms have undergone a whopping 6% increase in global traffic between January and March 2020.

Now given that online sales are booming, there are high chances of rising sales in the print in demand as well. The 3-D print vendors are producing masks, gloves, and other medical supplies for deliveries which implies that this space is not dead. Moreover, data reveals that 58% of online shoppers expect to order more online in the coming months. This means consumers will commit to continuing online shopping and therefore there are opportunities available for printers who are operating online.

So, let’s discuss all about the printing industry in the times of Covid19 and how you can be future ready?

Let’s get started

Rise of 3D printing

The pandemic has caused a spike in demand for masks, gloves, sanitizers, etc. It is becoming difficult for medical device industries to cope with the increasing demand and large-scale production of healthcare, and protective equipment. In this situation, the 3-D printing industry is proving to be a valuable resource.

A Bangalore based Global 3D Labs developed a 3D printed 4-way ventilator splitter. It supports 4 patients on a single ventilator. They also developed 3-D printed N-95 masks.

Producing thousands of 3D-printed parts in a relatively short time frame has become convenient thanks to technologies like Stereolithography and Powder Bed Fu. This can be helpful for large-scale production of medical devices.

Formlabs, a US-based company is now using its more than 250 in-house 3D printers to produce up to 150,000 COVID-19 test swabs.

Immensa, a 3D printing company from Dubai is developing connectors for ventilators and items like spare parts for medical machinery that are hard to source.

This shows how the 3-D printing industry is a knight in shining armor in the wake of this global crisis.

Industry 4.0 is Booming

Coronavirus has set the stage for a techno future with Artificial Intelligence and robots. These technologies are being of great help in healthcare, and manufacturing industries. For instance, Robots are being used to disinfect a hospital and for patient examination. A Danish company shipped hundreds of its UVD (ultraviolet light disinfection) robots to China and Europe during the pandemic. The global pandemic has accelerated the trend of robotics, automation, and AI. These trends will, in fact, rise in the post-COVID world.

But why will industry4.0 come to play like never before? Well, the reasons are obvious. Social distancing has caused a radical shift in the workflow. There is a massive disruption in the global supply chain. Few businesses like restaurants are getting shut permanently. Enterprises are adopting Industry4.0 technologies to mitigate these changes. Industry4.0 is no longer a matter of choice but a way of survival.

For your business to survive in the print industry, adapting quickly to technology is the need of the hour. This can be done by automating your workflow or using the web to print design tools. As work from home becomes the new normal, it is critical for your business to embrace smart printing processes and a digital workflow.  Moreover, customers prefer to shop online therefore, investing in digital tools will be a smart choice.

Journey to Automate Businesses Has Begun

Automation is not new. Even before Covid-19, there, investments were growing at US$ 12 billion in 2017 to a projected US$ 60 billion in 2021. It’s just that the pandemic has intensified the need for automation.

In today’s scenario, a paper-based workflow is not feasible. And digital workflow is the answer. That is why print vendors are leveraging the online space to get more orders even during the lockdown. They are also leveraging the latest automation trends like integrating online t-shirt design software to enhance customer experience and increase the capabilities of online shopping.

Think about this- you no longer have to run to the print vendor to get the changes done. Your employees will have more time for other works of the organization. You will be able to complete more orders in less time. How relieving!

Secondly, Covid-19 forced companies to switch to remote working. It is important to know how the players of the printing industry have dealt with this change. Because workers do not have access to printers at home, they are bringing innovations and making a digital shift. According to Quocirca, print industry’s leading source of market insight, 80% of print industry executives see the crisis as an opportunity to innovate and introduce new products and services. Here comes the importance of cloud-based digital workflow services. Cloud print services are emerging as an effective way to implement a cost-effective, scalable and sustainable print infrastructure.

With this, I finish discussing the current situation of the print industry. Now let’s quickly talk about how to make your print business future-ready.

• Analyze your business strategy and invest accordingly.
• Encourage your staff to effectively work remotely.
• Be creative in your approach and come up with solutions to strive in the market.
• Invest in online solutions and tools to provide a better customer experience.
• Stay updated and adapt to industry changes.

Wrapping up

There is an opportunity in every crisis. The pandemic has presented the print industry and an opportunity for innovation. This is a good time to buckle up and use our creativity to flourish!

Original Source: https://www.namasteui.com/covid-19-and-the-printing-industry-curb-the-slowdown-and-be-future-ready/

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Reasons Why Most Web-to-Print Projects Fail (and How to Avoid Them)

For the past few years, the web-to-print industry has witnessed a huge growth alongside ecommerce and the internet. No matter how intricate a web-to-print project is, high-end tools can help accomplish it. However, there are times when these projects also fail miserably.

To understand the reasons behind failure is important to prevent repeating the same mistakes. Read on to know a few common reasons behind the failure of a web-to-print project.

Being too technical

Thinking that web-to-print is all about technology is wrong. It is actually a concept of marketing that uses technology. Therefore, executing a web-to-print project doesn’t require sales teams to have full knowledge of the mechanics of printers. Rather, they should be able to listen to a customer’s idea and help turn it into reality.

While having too much knowledge about technologies can be good for personal understanding, sharing them with customers can actually confuse them. As they only want their project to be executed successfully. A complete web-to-print web front software solution can help you refrain from investing your time and energy in technological aspects and focus on only marketing and operations.

Investing without Thinking

Whenever you invest in a particular technology, it is of vital importance to know your thought process and end goals you want to achieve with that. If you invest in a web-to-print storefront software solution or online product design software, your reasons behind installing it may vary.

Several ecommerce or print businesses invest in web-to-print technology just because it is in trend and they feel that peer pressure. At first, they find the solution that gives better value and best functionality. But as the time passes by, they start assigning handling of all web-to-print projects to the most technical person(s) of their team. This actually causes more problems than convenience.

If you are a true entrepreneur, evolving yourself and involving yourself in the entire production cycle is a must. You should not delegate entire tasks to your technical staff. By actively participating in execution of all projects, you won’t only get creative insights into them but also help you deal with clients of similar needs better.

Lack of Sales Involvement

When sales teams treat web-to-print projects too ‘technically’, problems start. You should involve the sales team from the beginning of the project itself to avoid any confusions later on. As they are the first to interact with customers and are a major medium of communication, they should have a complete understanding of customers’ expectations from your product. Only with all this knowledge at their disposal, they would be able to design a reachout plan and decide on the members that are going to work on a specific project.

As a business owner, you should ensure that everything – pre-defined features, rightly designed product, and a perfect marketing plan are all in place before the printing cycle starts. As it is difficult to amend it once it starts.

Lack of Customer Engagement

Failing to pay heed to customer engagement is also one of the major reasons why a web-to-print project fails. If you offer a web-to-print storefront software solution, coming up with a communication plan to communicate with your customers is crucial.

Don’t assume that your customers are aware of your products and services. Rather, you should walk the extra mile to involve creative communities, conduct printing workshops, provide sales collateral and market your brand well. Implementing all these strategies only will help get you better prospects and customers interested in your customization services.

Conclusion
A web-to-print business has a great potential but only if you don’t make some common mistakes as mentioned above, choose the right web-to-print storefront software solution, research the right workflow, involve your sales teams well and offer your customers the best way to customize products.

Original Source: https://whattheythink.com/news/102160-reasons-why-most-web-print-projects-fail-how-avoid-them/

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6 Ways to Modernize Your Photo Album Printing Business

 Today when digital technology is at its peak disrupting almost every industry, how can the photo album printing business stay unaffected?

A traditional photo album still holds importance and people still like to look at something ‘tangible’ of their memories – like photographs in photo albums.

If you also run a photo album printing business, it is time you modernized it to re-engage customers. And here are the ways to do it.

Make Pre-Selling Count

Pre-Selling is crucial – especially in seasonal businesses. As the photography business is also seasonal, paying attention to pre-selling before a wedding season or festival season is indispensable.

Here are a few pre-selling strategies that can help garner a bunch of customers interested in exploring your services beforehand.Creating a sample album with creatively clicked snapsPreparing a slideshow of images to showcase the final look of the photo album, putting it on display, and sharing it across social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and more.Sharing photography samples with details of packages and pricesPresenting your photo album beautifully as a story which will allow customers to visualize what their own photo album would look once created.

Strong Online Presence

Whichever business you take, the advantages of an online presence provides are incomparable. Relying on an offline store is no more as beneficial as it was earlier with anything and everything online.

So, go with the flow and take your business online to showcase all your products and offerings to maximize your outreach. Make sure that your website is appealing, truly represents your style of work, and range of products to engage a vast customer base in a short duration of time.

Let Customers ‘Design’

Customization is the key to high customer engagement and satisfaction today. As an online photo album business owner, allow your customers to showcase their creativity and design products themselves. Yes – it is possible via an online photo album design software program integrated into your store.

This photo album design software won’t only help customers personalize photo albums easily but also help engage them better. This way, you can stay on top of customer satisfaction and conversions.

Promote Your USP

Show more, sell more! Integrating a photo album design tool doesn’t mean an end to your efforts. Spreading awareness about the personalization services you offer is also your job. This is because as long as customers don’t know about your offerings, your personalized services won’t benefit much.

Use social media, PPC, and other digital marketing strategies to make customers aware of your services and attract them. Also, ensure that your offerings are high-quality and engaging to give your first-time customers a reason to keep returning to avail of your products and services.

Help them Visualize the Future

Awareness is an important stage in a sales funnel. Unless you don’t give a strong reason to justify purchasing photo albums in this advanced digital age, customers may not buy from you.

Therefore, make them realize how no social media profile or online gallery can replace a traditional album. Make them feel the delight that ‘material’ touch of the tangible photo album they would get by turning ‘leaflets’ and refreshing memories 20-30 years down the road instead of scrolling their Snapchat or FB profiles.

Offer Packages

Include the albums into your packages to attract budget-conscious customers. It will help encourage customers with budget restrictions and use your services more. Further, offering some special accounts, free gift cards/coupons, bulk discounts, or credit points can also appeal to customers and you can expand your customer base.

In a Nutshell

Modernizing your photo album business using the above-mentioned strategies can not only help you sustain in the photo album printing business level and take it to the next level.

Original Post: https://customerthink.com/6-ways-to-modernize-your-photo-album-printing-business/

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Why T-Shirt Printing Business is the New Trend Today

 Of late, a number of startups and aspiring ecommerce stores are flooding the market. Amid this ever-growing competition, it can be difficult to decide which niche to start with and what to sell.

While every niche has its own set of customers, the fashion industry is an evergreen niche that never goes out of ‘fashion’. Customers always keep looking for something new from this industry.

With personalization growing popular, custom t-shirts have emerged as the new popular attire. You won’t believe it but the global custom t-shirt printing market is forecast to reach $3.1 billion by 2025.

So, if you are a fashion lover and want to make it big, it is time you started your online custom t-shirt selling business. All you need to do is launch an e-commerce store, integrate a t-shirt design software to enable your customers to create custom t-shirts bearing the design, logo, colors, text or quotes of their choice.

However, If you are a brick and mortar store owner and can’t make up your mind whether to sell custom t-shirts online or not, read on the reasons why you must go for it.

Reasons T-shirt Printing Business is Tending

T-shirts Matter – A Lot

A T-shirt is one of the best mediums of expression. Whether you are a nerd, caffeine lover, a game addict, or a foodie; you can get others to know it – with T-shirts.

Custom t-shirts help people bring out your unspoken feelings that you otherwise wouldn’t express openly. You must have come across several online movements online or offline where people wear t-shirts with certain quotes to get their point across effectively. Besides, a t-shirt is often an epitome of comfort and fashion that people can put on easily and walk out just like that.

A Means of Advertisement

People hold corporate functions, funding events or parties to support a cause. You must have come across one thing common in all people attending such parties or events. Their t-shirts.

A custom t-shirts with a message is a go-to means to advertise on behalf of a company easily. If you own a t-shirt store, you can offer support for customization of t-shirts with t-shirt design software.

You can help corporates stand out and advertise effectively through custom t-shirts they create and order from your store. The more the customization options you offer, the higher are the chances of people visiting your online store and making purchases. A custom t-shirt can be a great means of advertsing:

Popular TV series
NGOs that stand up for a noble cause like saving animals, promoting children education, etc.
An upcoming sports event or series
A fundraising campaign
and all such things like them.

Less Investment, Big Earnings

In the initial phase, you can keep prices of your t-shirts a little lower to engage customers. When people notice the prices of your t-shirts are nominal, they would show more interest in placing bulk orders. And if they find your t-shirts really good, they are sure to turn into your long-lasting customers.

However, selling t-shirts at nominal prices doesn’t mean that you sell t-shirts at too cheap rates or throw-away prices. This is because this too will backfire as customers would form a wrong impression of the quality of your t-shirts.

You should rather analyze the market prices of the same t-shirts that established players and startups like yours charge. Only after a detailed comparison, decide on the final prices you are going to charge.

Remember, you need to maintain and upgrade your t-shirt design software also from time to time and would need a certain amount of investment for that.
So, consider this investment also in mind while deciding final prices to ensure you have enough capital in reserve and avoid a deficit for such investments.

Brand Loyalty

People look forward to personalization in everything they purchase today. The same is the case with t-shirts. If you sell routine t-shirts with fixed patterns and designs, your customers may not show that much excitement.

On the contrary, offering them an option to unleash their creativity and give that ‘personal’ touch to t-shirts through t-shirt design software, chances are that it whets their interest. And they start visiting your store frequently to create and order unique t-shirts with self-made patterns close to their heart!! Voila, your sales can go up in no time.

Besides, customers can help retain your customers better. This in turn will help increase your brand loyalty as well.

In a Nutshell

Personalization is the need of the hour. As everyone is looking for personalization, it’s time to rise to the occasion. If you are a genuine fashion lover and passionate enough to hit gold in this field, your time has come.

Just launching your online fashion store, pick the right t-shirt design software, apply a judicious combo of promotional and marketing strategies, and start minting money right away.

Original Post: https://whattheythink.com/news/102008-why-t-shirt-printing-business-new-trend-today/

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