Packaging / Advertising & Office

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, many of our habits have changed, especially in the retail industry. Because of the city blockade or in order to reduce contact with the outside world, more and more consumers choose to shop online, which makes the global e-commerce market surge.

According to statistics, Amazon has increased by 21.7% in 2021 compared with 2020, and increased by 37.6% in 2020 compared with 2019. The growth level of other e-commerce giants is similar. JD's sales in the Chinese market increased by 27.6% in 2021. This is a huge positive for the packaging market. Because packaging products can provide more transportation protection, and more and more brands choose to use digital printing technology to enhance the unpacking experience of consumers.

However, it is not just industry giants that need e-commerce packaging. During the blockade period, many start-ups, such as new artisan brewers, candle manufacturers, distillers, fitness equipment suppliers, high-end cake bakers and possibly other companies, began to develop rapidly. Every time they sell their products, they also need packaging. With the rapid development of enterprises, these start-ups' demand for short version packaging is also increasing, and digital printing can well meet these needs.

Not surprisingly, these new e-commerce entrepreneurs supply and sell their products mainly through the Internet. Some commercial printing companies can make good use of the network printing system to provide some supporting products required by these enterprises, and they have also obtained many new customers, because buyers are usually unable to purchase more complex packaging or customized packaging designed for specific products.

Packaging processors who still use traditional methods do not enjoy more dividends in this regard, because the number of short version orders is usually small, which is not attractive enough for them. Sales and order processing, as well as manual participation in customer service, are expensive. Increasing prepress design turnover may make the cost of emerging micro enterprises that want professional appearance packaging prohibitive. Moreover, most enterprises do not have packaging design experience and expertise.

The latest generation of network packaging and printing system is becoming more and more complete. It can not only handle most of the packaging specifications and design work, as well as easy-to-use process steps, but also help emerging enterprises create high-quality packaging products. For example, it can generate graphic design drafts, or upload files, conduct pre press inspection, and then conduct color management, tracking, batch processing, planning, composition, and send them to the job queue. Integrating it with workflow can handle a large number of jobs without increasing time or cost. At present, few packaging processors run these systems in their sales process, but this situation is beginning to change.

Baker uses infigo as an online packaging supply store for sportsticks track and field logo products. Infigo's online system allows customers to manage their orders, which helps to reduce unnecessary e-mail and phone calls with the sales team, and ultimately enables Baker to improve process efficiency and reduce production costs.

Jamiedugan, commercial manager of Baker, commented: "we foresee that the network printing capability will become a necessary condition for success and sustainable growth. Our cooperation with infigo is a big step on this road. This platform is very suitable for us. Although it is still in the early stage of development at present, we believe that we can achieve all the goals we set and hope to have greater development in the future."

Infigo CEO and founder douglasgibson believes that packaging processors will take advantage of infigo's platform to flourish, "More and more printing companies are beginning to realize the opportunities offered by online printing. Our e-commerce solutions enable users to build brands for their websites and create a unique and simple ordering experience. We are very excited about Baker's plan to provide its packaging department with a B2B portal, look for other ways to diversify its business and create new revenue sources through online printing."

In the United States, boxmaker, which operates two HP C500 corrugated inkjet printers, launched the custom design website fantastapack as early as 2015. It is aimed at small business owners, entrepreneurs, subscription box start-ups and marketing personnel. It provides easy-to-use high-quality cartons with low order start-up and delivery time. The minimum order quantity is 250-500 pieces. It can also avoid expensive printing plate and tool costs.

At the end of 2021, fantastapack launched the pro department, which also provides packaging structure design. Justin Stacey, vice president of fantastapack e-commerce solutions, said: "Customers often need a unique packaging solution that can not only protect their products, but also improve their unpacking experience. We have established the fantastapack Pro for the brand to take their packaging to a new level. The brand works with our professional sales strategists, and we will guide them every step from concept to finished product."

Also in the United States, zumbiel digital is developing an online carton ordering service for a series of carton products using standard formats. The minimum order quantity is 180. This concept is to process the orders in batches according to the format, print the versions in sequence, and then use the standard knife plate to complete multiple operations together, so as to reduce the cost of post press processing.

Network printing is widely used in graphic and commercial printing, and has proved to be very useful. Although the structure and materials of packaging are certainly more complex, this technology has also proved to be very practical. In addition to the newly released printing presses, many inkjet and toner companies focus on workflow and business processes, providing customers with tools that help drive digital printing. The network printing and workflow system helps to change the process required to effectively handle a large number of relatively low value operations, and eliminate manual sales management and prepress steps, which may make some small-scale digital printing uneconomical.

Print vendors create custom systems, while many professional software vendors provide applications and integration. The whole packaging field is developing professional systems to drive the company's sales, and then effectively handle many small operations. Suppliers are working to simplify order processing and workflow optimization from query to delivery in an end-to-end integrated system.

Some systems will be connected to the company's MIS and suppliers (including third-party distribution companies) to deliver many small jobs directly to customers. The system can arrange and track orders and provide key performance indicators, such as on-time delivery, machine utilization, available capacity, etc. As more and more processors gain growth through e-commerce packaging, they should also consider channels as a way to contact customers with new products.

Experience has shown that new and simpler ways of doing business will attract new participants, usually middlemen, into the business field. This is the mechanism of Amazon's explosive growth. As the founder jeffbezos famously said, "your profits are my opportunities." In order to avoid losing the hard won profits obtained through digital packaging, processors should explore these new market approaches. If you don't, others will do it, and they will make profits instead of them.