TrendWatch recently reported that a paltry 2 percent of printers see bulk email services as an opportunity, also noting that Forrester Group predicts significant expansion of email, especially as a replacement for direct mail. This points out where traditional printers either refuse to see the future or are happy to relinquish it to those with an affinity for handling data.

Some traditional printers, whether they put ink, toner or both on a page, are either oblivious, or don't see the opportunity because their customers don't come to them for that kind of job. They may print every piece of collateral material for a customer, but the customer thinks of them as a "printer" and looks elsewhere for purely electronic communications services. The customer's non-print needs never even hit the printer's radar.

Given the way printers make their money, this is understandable, but as communications shift to being both physical and virtual, there is money and opportunity on the table and the 98 percent of printers with myopia are having trouble seeing past the printed page.

I wrote in this space some months back about how direct mail and transactional printing service bureaus are poised to seize a big share of the variable data color printing market once they become comfortable with the nuances of color printing. The same holds true for bulk email services, something service bureau customers are already asking for--and getting--from these data-savvy printers.

Traditional direct mail is hardly about to go away. (I wrote a white paper about this recently, which I'll send you if you drop me a line.) Although direct mail is expensive and can be unwieldy, it will remain a powerful tool and has many advantages over email. And email, when properly done with careful targeting and compelling messaging, can be a powerful tool for sales and many aspects of CRM. But the future is most likely not about using one or the other, but in using hybrid technologies, which, for better or worse, favor those who can handle data.

Printers who can't see this are going to get a rude awakening in the next couple of years as service bureaus, direct mailers and bulk email operations begin taking business away from them.

For example, a company has a direct marketing campaign that starts as an email to a select group of customers and prospects. When a customer/prospect responds by following a link in the email, it will trigger production of a print document. This will most likely be customized or personalized, and produced on-demand on a digital press. That document is mailed to the customer/prospect who is now expecting it and, because they asked for the information, may be predisposed to act on the offer.

Given that the company making the offer probably prefers to use a single supplier for this chain of events, the average printer is never even in the loop because they lack the knowledge and services to (a) do the bulk emailing, (b) create a customized or personalized response document and (c) provide the necessary tracking services to enhance the company's customer database. The advantage goes to the data-savvy service bureau, direct mailer or even a bulk emailer with a relationship with a printer. Or maybe a printer with a relationship with a bulk emailer.

It will be two or three years before hybrid mail techniques begin taking hold, If you are a printer, especially one with digital printing capes, look for ways to build a relationship with a firm offering email services. I know such business relationships can be difficult to start and maintain, but being able to add new services through partnerships or other alliances only add to a printer's capabilities and better position his/her business to take advantage of the coming shift in direct mail.