Web2print is the online connection between a print company and its customers, and the technology should help to solidify this relationship, not hinder it. Print companies offer their services online in response to their customers’ needs and buying trends. As web2print becomes more integrated into a print company’s day-to-day business, it becomes a main channel for interacting with a customer. A key to the strategy for implementing web services is involving the customer as much as possible, since the customer’s use and acceptance of the ordering portal is critical for its success. Print companies should research the types of products and services that will be helpful to customers in the specific target markets they serve, and not add too many products too quickly. Print companies must analyze the types of products their customer needs, and plan how a streamlined workflow will create efficiencies in its operations. Finally, a pilot phase to assess both accuracy of the storefront and user experience is important. To ensure continued customer satisfaction, print companies should be prepared to make ongoing improvements once the site goes live. System integration with print companies’ internal processes is also ongoing, as efficiencies and production enhancements are realized. The print industry continues to evolve and a successful implementation of a web2print portal will help print companies keep up with this evolution and stay in front of the competition.

References

Gunasekaran, A., Marri, H. B., McGaughey, R. E., & Nebhwani, M. D. (2002). E-commerce and its impact on operations management. International Journal of Production Economics, 75(1–2), 185–197. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5273(01)00191-8

Poon, S. & Swatman, P. (1995). The Internet for small businesses: An enabling infrastructure for competitiveness. In Proceedings of the Fifth Internet Society Conference (pp. 221–231). Hawaii, USA.

Shim, S. S., Pendyala, V. S., Sundaram, M., & Gao, J. Z. (2000). Business-to-business e-commerce frameworks. Computer, 33(10), 40–47.

Statistics Canada. (2014, July 8).  Retail at a glance: E-commerce sales, 2012. The Daily. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/140708/dq140708b-eng.htm

Supply Management. (2014, September 10). Rise in online purchasing as procurement turns to the internet to research products. Retrieved from http://www.supplymanagement.com/news/2014/rise-in-online-purchasing-as-procurement-turns-to-the-internet-to-research-products

Suggested Reading

WFTPRINTAM – Web to Print. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wftprintam.wikispaces.com/Web+to+Print