Save Money on Your Printing
Soaring rents and business rates, competition from online retailers and a lack of footfall are all
contributing to the tough times faced by many high street retailers. While a report from the British
Retail Consortium shows an improvement in the high street’s performance in July, time will tell
whether it is sustained for long enough to qualify as evidence of the return of the infamous green
shoots of recovery. Until such time, we’ll probably continue to see the results of retailers’ efforts to
entice us into their stores – and keep us there - with reduced pricing, BOGOF offers, customer loyalty
schemes and even free Wi-Fi in some cafes and bookshops.
Of course, when profits aren’t what they used to be, businesses need to ensure they’re running as
efficiently as possible and plugging gaps that are leaking money. For retailers, whether they’re a sole
trader or a chain, reviewing their print fleet could be an exercise that not only helps them save
money, but boosts their productivity and their ability to create eye-catching promotional material to
draw customers into their stores.
New Printers are Smaller and More Flexible
New devices are often smaller and can offer a combination of print, scanning, faxing and copy, all in
one unit. This saves valuable retail space by consolidating multiple functions into one compact
device. Print and image quality has improved considerably too. This means that posters or shelf edge
tickets can be created, changed or updated quickly in store to take advantage of a new line or
promotion, or even a change in weather; the recent heat-wave for example was an excellent time
for retailers to respond promptly and quickly promote lines that appealed to sun seekers from sun
cream, to sunglasses to sandals and bits for impromptu barbeques.
A New Printer is more Reliable
New printers are more reliable, too. Old devices take time to fix and slow down important document
processes critical to the business like managed print services letters, invoices and receipts. With
new devices, any maintenance headaches can be resolved with an optional managed print service.
One call to one number attends to all print needs, leaving the retailer to focus on what matters servicing their customers.
One high street retailer benefitting from a managed print service, is Ireland’s fastest growing
indigenous fast food chain, Supermac’s. Thanks to print devices from Xerox and digital presses and
equipment from Xeretec, it is now enjoying greater visibility into its print costs and usage, alongside
vastly reduced device downtime and fewer support calls. Interestingly, the detailed print usage data
revealed that while there was a slight spike in print volume, the print costs were still lower than
what the company was paying before it had a managed print service. This shows that a managed
print service can be very good value for money at a time when the retail industry needs to be careful
with every penny.