2/2/01- State Street Consultant's Expanding the Digital Path: E-Commerce in the Printing Industry – Print Buyers and Creators is the second of a two-part in-depth study analyzing e-commerce and e-business as it impacts the North American printing industry. While the first study focused on printers, this second study analyzes 197 interviews with print buyers and document creators. Print buyers and document creators can see where e-commerce will be successful but they're not going to rush. One reason buyers and creators are slow to embrace e-commerce is that nothing is pushing them to change the way they've been doing things. What's more, change involves potential risks, such as losing one's job or the power and control one currently has. And, except for publishers, printing automation is a low priority. Another factor in slow adoption, is that within many companies print is not part of regular procurement management (supply chain management, e-procurement, strategic sourcing). Every print job is batched, unique. Print jobs that aren't unique, that are ongoing, are typically procured under long-term contracts. And within one company there can be a number of print buyers each of whom are unaware of the print jobs the others are buying. Additionally, some print buyers and document creators have the misconception that if they tried e-commerce they'd have to leave their current, perhaps long-time, printers. On the other hand, most would willingly follow their printers' suggestions to try a web-based service. They trust their printers and many are waiting for their printers to tell them what to do. However, the first study found that printers are less likely to adopt e-commerce on their own initiative and are more inclined to do so as a response to customer demand and the need to stay competitive. Dot.com companies Initially targeted printers, failed, and then targeted large corporate print buyers. They need to re-target printers. But with greater clarity about their offerings and price structure. They will need to convince printers that they'll be around for the long haul though, and that may take some time. For more information about Expanding the Digital Path: E-Commerce in the Printing Industry, contact State Street Consultants at 617-482-1234 or at [email protected] or visit web site www.StateStreetConsultants.com.