Whilst people often mention the benefits of web to print in general, the specific benefits offered by print ecommerce often get lost in the background.
The following article outlines the advantages of using a highly functional print eCommerce website and how it helps generate increased revenues and improves customer service simultaneously.
Building Your Reputation
Your own web to print shop software will allow you to establish your web presence and to manage your branding and market reputation.
With a system such as Flex4’s Online Print Solution (OPS) the power is left in your hands. Flex4 creates printer ecommerce sites that allow you to easily manage your non product page and add as many non-product pages as you wish.
The benefit being that you can include as much extra information about your company as you wish to and to easily promote your brand. From map and high street location information to ‘about us’, you are in control of what your customers see.
OPS websites also have a blog section should you wish to post and share blog articles for online marketing purposes. Flex4 also offer an online marketing service if you’re not feeling too confident with SEO, PPC, and other online marketing opportunities.
Customers Can Order And Pay Online
Printer ecommerce allows your customers to browse your product catalogue and order and pay directly online.
OPS offers a number of different print product pricing options, meaning that you can display the pricing as you wish, depending on your product type. You can choose the format that fits your product best. The benefits to the customer include a better online purchasing experience, improving ease of use, and therefore improving your conversion rates.
Purpose built web to print shop software will allow your customers to access a secure payment gateway to complete their order. OPS integrates with major well known payment providers to give customers the confidence to purchase through your site, providing trust for your online customer base.
Informing Your Customers
The beauty of well thought out print ecommerce software is that it can minimise customer telephone enquiries by providing instant pricing and other information on your web to print website.
OPS displays product lead times as standard and, as customers are advised of timings upfront, it both reduces time consuming phone calls and provides customer confidence.
Workflow Automation And Integrations
Increasingly print businesses are looking for ways to save time and make cost savings on administration tasks. You can gain improved workflow automation by integrating your web to print software with other software platforms like Print MIS, accounts or courier systems.
From a full print catalogue with individual product pages, plus powerful price calculations that enable customers to order directly with you and an easy to use back office system, OPS makes the online order process easy from start to finish for both your customers and your staff.
OPS has added benefits available such as an improved workflow to handle enquiries and quotations for more bespoke orders, to a back office order entry for those customer that still wish to place orders over the phone, in person, or via email.
With OPS you can set criteria to automatically route a job to be either printed in-house or outsourced which again helps to save you time and administrative overheads, particularly when dealing with external suppliers. Built in order workflow management allows you to efficiently manage customer orders and customer communications.
A good system will also allow you to integrate your existing software; from trade printers to MIS, from couriers to accounts. OPS allows for integrations that minimise the need for double keying – saving you time and improving accuracy.
When you are looking for web to print software it’s also important to ensure that your chosen system has a reporting function, so that you can download reports that will help you analyse sales and performance.
Templates and Template Libraries
Fully automated ordering makes it easier for your customers to place orders, and by using online editable templates, as opposed to downloadable templates, your customers are able to adjust their design online minimising customer service enquiries and saving on design studio time.
An added benefit of the Flex4 OPS system is that all packages include customer access to a vast business stationery template library that can be filtered by colour or industry. The result is more choice for customer, improving their online experience, and your online conversion rates.
Giving customers access to template editing functionality saves design time and reduces your pre-press time by generating print ready PDFs. You can create your own templates quickly and easily by importing designs created using InDesign software directly into OPS.
Artwork Upload
Web to print shop software that allows your customers to upload their artwork as part of the order process, also helps to reduce administrative effort.
With software like OPS, customers can be presented with a choice of uploading their own artwork as part of the order process, uploading their own artwork at a later date, or making use of your in house design team.
Fully automated ordering improve the customer experience by allowing customers to complete their entire order online at a time of their choosing.
Customer Friendly Mobile Friendly Site
When choosing your print eCommerce software it is essential that the design of your new site is mobile and tablet friendly; giving your customers the choice of ordering on the go maximises the opportunity to make a sale.
The online customer experience has never been more important. Your website should be easy to navigate with clear and easy to understand product pages. If customers can find all the information they need on your website, this will reduce telephone enquiries, allowing you the time to get on with other important tasks.
An easy to navigate, mobile friendly, site will also improve customer trust and will encourage repeat business.
OPS offers a choice of mobile design themes that can be fully customised with your own branding.
Implementation, Hosting, And Support
An important and often overlooked part of choosing your new web to print software is choosing your software supplier.
It’s important to choose an experienced company that will provide you with the solution that meets your business needs and will provide you with adequate support and advice.
If you have a specialist need, it’s worth checking whether the company you are considering can offer tailored or bespoke solutions that will work for your company.
Do the company you are considering offer additional services that may be useful for you? For example, implementation services to help you get up and running quickly, or online marketing to drive customers to your site and improve your online presence.
Do they offer hosting, training, and help desk support? Are these included as part of your order or is there an additional associated cost?
Why Choose Flex4?
Flex4 have over 10 years’ experience in designing, developing and supporting web to print systems, solutions and services for print businesses in both the UK and overseas.
We have an experienced eCommerce team with skills and experience in business development, marketing, project management, software development, website management, printer ecommerce, seo for printers, and online marketing for printers.
Our raison d’être is to help your business to grow by increasing your print revenues and reducing your administration costs. The result is a better ordering experience for your customers and a better margin and more efficient process for you.