How private storefronts can give you a competitive edge

Businesses selling print online today face numerous challenges, from the increasing commoditisation of print and growing demands for ever-shorter turnaround times to the shift to lower inventory models among their buyers. In addition, many of today’s print buyers do not have a background in print, while even more are accustomed to the instant gratification approach to buying that permeates online retail in the consumer goods world. Add to this mix tight marketing budgets, demands for resource savings and a need for brand consistency, and the online print buying environment looks like a minefield for buyers and print businesses alike.

Enter the private storefront. Sometimes also called a client portal, a private storefront is a dedicated online print shop through which organisations - from private companies and brand franchisees to educational institutions, healthcare organisations and even government bodies - can order, edit and manage print orders from a selection of pre-approved and pre-designed branded items. Sometimes also offering customisable templates, private storefronts can be very appealing to brand custodians, procurement heads and financial decision makers.

For print businesses themselves, the benefits of offering private storefronts to their customers are many, but typically fall into one of three categories - operational efficiency, revenue generation and customer satisfaction.

By enabling self-service ordering, private storefronts reduce sales friction for print customers and also open the door to more automated workflows, with orders potentially flowing directly to production without any need for manual data entry. Where products need to be outsourced to trade suppliers, that can also be seamlessly accommodated and automated on the backend of the website, enabling print businesses to offer a wider range of products to their private storefront customers.

When it comes to design and approvals, because users of private storefronts can only access pre-approved templates, the margin for error is significantly reduced and risks relating to version control and accidental brand modifications are all but eliminated. This of course streamlines the approvals process, reducing time-consuming administrative and design costs, freeing up account handlers to focus on more valuable sales.

As any print salesperson knows, it is far easier to sell new products to an existing customer than introduce existing ones to a new customer. Private storefronts enable print businesses to capitalise on this by offering customers optional upgrades to highlight new capabilities, showcasing products related to the ones being ordered, and even offering promotions directly on the storefront. Not only that, but, as mentioned earlier, private storefronts can also enable seamless reselling of print, making it possible to introduce whole new product lines that may otherwise be beyond a print business’ in-house capabilities. Finally, because of the level of autonomy they give to print buyers, private storefronts can also free up team members to serve a greater number of customers, and ultimately sell more print.

One of the least tangible, but most impactful benefits of introducing a private storefront is the boost it can give to the customer’s overall print buying experience. Beyond greater brand control and easier inventory management, private storefronts can dramatically reduce the potential for friction in the customer relationship over aspects such as ease of ordering, approvals and order visibility. Conversations (or disagreements) about price also become far less important, because the customer is aware of the overall value their print delivers rather than simply focusing on the cost per item printed. What’s more, once an organisation has taken the time to pre-approve the products and designs in their store, they are far less likely to ‘jump ship’ to a new print supplier, making it possible to build more valuable long-term relationships.

While many of these benefits may seem obvious, one of the most frequently overlooked benefits for print businesses is the added competitive advantage it offers. For many large organisations, digital-first procurement is fast becoming standard, which means that private storefronts are rapidly becoming an expectation rather than a nice-to-have feature. In fact, when it comes to tender processes in particular, the inability to offer a branded portal is increasingly resulting in businesses losing out to competitors who do.

VB Media’s private storefronts have already given many of our users the edge they needed to secure and retain larger corporate clients. Their customers love having access to an access-controlled website tailored to their branding and populated with a range of pre-designed, brand-approved products that can be personalised and ordered as needed by individual offices, branches or even franchisees, streamlining procurement and simplifying print buying.

To see a restaurant-themed example of a private storefront from VB Media in action, click here, or arrange a demo to learn more about how a private storefront can help you sell more print.