At the moment it feels very much as if we are all poised to see what happens next.
Over the past several weeks, the UK has found itself moving in ever changing circles through what is possibly an unimaginable situation – unless of course you like to read a lot of Orwell or Huxley!
There is no doubt that every industry internationally will be changed by the effects of Covid-19. The implementation of lockdown, or shelter at home, has left many with little alternative but to turn to online shopping for their every need – a trend which some believe is here to stay.
What Was The ‘Before’ Picture In The World Of E-Commerce?
In the UK e-commerce sales have, without doubt, been growing year on year.
The Office For National Statistics released a report in November 2019 that said “E-commerce sales by businesses in the UK non-financial sector were £688 billion in 2018”, describing this as “the largest annual growth seen since comparable records began in 2014.”
Though it is too early to pull meaningful statistics from the past few months into a longer term view, it is obvious that e-commerce sales will have taken a larger percentage of overall sales during lockdown.
How Has The Print Industry Responded To The Challenge?
Whilst lockdown has obviously had a negative effect on a lot of sectors, a lot of print companies are seeing the opportunity of seizing the day and are exploring new and wonderful ways to embrace a culture shift that may be here to stay.
Many are examining the use of online print solutions such as web to print software to put them on the forward foot as lockdown measures are eased; certainly there is much efficiency to be found through integration with existing packages. For many print companies, building a new or updated online print store is putting them in a much stronger position to capture their market share in the future.
Is The Trend Of A Move To Online Sales Here To Stay?
It’s likely that it is – there has been a trajectory of growth in online sales year on year, for obvious reasons such as improvements in access to broadband and broadband speeds.
Print companies that wish to invest in the future would be wise to consider their options when it comes to their online presence. An improvement in their online print store, or fine tuning their digital marketing, is likely to make all the difference to their future success.
Flex4 OPS
The Online Print Solution – the OPS – has been developed by Flex4 and is based on over 10 years’ experience in designing, developing and supporting web to print solutions and services for print businesses in both the UK and overseas.
Flex4 have an experienced e-commerce team with skills and experience in business development, marketing, project management, software development, website management, and digital marketing.
Our objective is to help your business to both grow print revenues and reduce administration costs for a better margin and a more efficient process.