Let’s play a quick game.

Here you need to count how many times during the day you hear these words.

Coronavirus, COVID -19, uncertainty, pandemic, case numbers, toll, vaccine, etc. I am sure it is more than you think about your coffee.

As this dire epidemic is disrupting the entire world, it also comes with some of the positive notes.

For example, as per the research, closing the factories in China in the past 2 months almost cleared the sky again. The nitrogen dioxide is now 30% less than normal.

Most of the brick-and-mortar stores are understanding the importance of digital presence and making shifts to keep up with the current market.

Hence this article. All about the current things taking place in the Printing industry and how you can keep your Printing business up.

Shift from Offline to Online
The traditional print business model is not sustainable at least for now. With physical stores closed down, you won’t get orders unless you have an online presence.

So, it is time you launched your online store for people to place orders online. For example, Trust Printshop in Ft. Worth, TX partnered with several local businesses to help them through merchandise.

Their vision is: "We've decided to do something we've always wanted to do: sell our own garments with our own designs directly to you." You can also offer customization to your customers by integrating a product designer tool in your backend. This way, you can not only keep your business running but also sales-oriented and engaging.

Localized Order Delivery
With shipping restrictions imposed across various parts of the globe, you may not be able to ship orders to distant parts. However, you can still continue delivering your local orders. Once you create your business website, you can inform your customers that you are operating remotely to deliver local orders in the vicinity of your remote location.
If you have local warehouses, you can fulfill local orders as localized shipping doesn’t face stringent shipping restrictions or heavy costs. For example, repro print express is still accepting orders online and delivering them. Their customers can also design their products.

Custom Products (Especially T-shirts, Signages, and Photo Albums)
If it were not the COVID-19, all custom products would be in demand as usual. Unfortunately, this is not the scenario.

Nevertheless, some custom products are still in high demand. A custom t-shirt for fundraising, spreading awareness, thanksgiving, inspiration, etc. can be a good source of income today.

Similarly, custom signages are valuable as big hospitals, health care clinics, or local administration authorities, etc. can use them to create awareness. For instance, they can display these signages in public places to appeal to people to stay indoors, instruct people about the lockdown rules and restrictions or guidelines to follow in case anyone suspects COVID-19 symptoms. Hospitals can display them to aware people of COVID-19 and safety measures to follow to prevent infection.

Old photos may also help people escape the harsh reality outside and give them a few moments of relief in this distressing situation. They may cherish their memories and stay positive by looking at them. Therefore, custom photo albums may also be a product worth selling today.

Flexibility in Return and Exchange Policies
As per a study, 96% of digital buyers would repeat purchase with good returns experience. So, it is imperative for you to ease your return and exchange policies and extend the return period. This will engage your customers better and enhance their shopping experience. And they will keep returning to your store and boost your sales.

3-D Printed Personal Protective Equipment
3-D printed PPE kits are in high demand as they are cost-effective and can help reduce the shortage. Many companies and even individuals from this field have stepped up and are aiding governments and local health authorities of their countries to curb the PPE shortage.

For example, A number of 3D printing companies are believed to be amongst the 1,400 businesses which have already pledged their support including 3T Additive Manufacturing, an ISO 13485 approved service provider.

According to them, they have the capacity to produce metal and polymer parts in varieties for the medical industry and believe they could help with the manufacturing of casings, clips, fixturing and more. Ventilators, hand gloves, hospital gowns, etc. are the products you can manufacture and sell to local health authorities and hospitals at nominal prices.

Printing Security
Several cyber hackers are ready to prowl and hack into others’ bank accounts, social networking accounts, with an increase in the usage of the internet. For instance, Zoom has come under the scanner recently due to privacy lapses in several countries. Taiwan has gone to the extent of even banning the app.

The print industry is no exception. With the increased use of mobile-to-print technology, security issues and data leak issues might increase. Hence, security is the need of the hour so as to build trust in customers and secure their sensitive data.

Sustainability in Printing
COVID-19 has forced all of us to rethink our practices and assess them whether they are environment-friendly or not. The print business is no exception and print business owners must think of print sustainability measures.

For instance, HP has initiated an environment-friendly practice by pioneering engineering ink and toner cartridges with recycled content. It has also aimed at cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible.

In a Nutshell

Tough times need tough and smart decisions. The landscape of the print business is changing and you need to change and adapt the new trends and grab the new opportunities. It is time you acknowledged the COVID-19 influence and be prepared to deal with it with the appropriate adaptations.