NEWS
the new device features a 8.8cm LCD touchscreen for user operation, with wired, wireless, USB and NFC connectivity. “Resellers have a key role to play in helping customers drive down margins by boosting productivity and creating new efficiencies across their supply chains,” said Terry Caulfield, chief commercial officer at Brother UK. “In one versatile machine, resellers can offer businesses the option to create quality signage and displays themselves, on top of day-to-day paperwork tasks. “This will help retailers, for example, make the most of every second and every inch of their shop floor, and they no longer need to wait for suppliers to take advantage of sales opportunities, while chain stores can immediately react to signage shared by
head office. “We’re committed to arming resellers with the best solutions that can help their customers operate more efficiently and productively. This launch is a symbol of that commitment, with the new X-Series inkjet device complementing our comprehensive range of labelling machines for shop-floor pricing to shipping labels in the warehouse.” To coincide with the launch, Brother has partnered with signage solutions provider Shoppa to offer a three-month free trial of the Shoppa Go platform, which allows retailers to create professional visuals from a wide range of pre-designed templates.
Channel partners seek help from print vendors to support customer sustainability initiatives
The print channel is taking steps to implement sustainability strategies, with 71% reporting that they have some form of company sustainability strategy in place, according to Quocirca’s Channel Sustainability Study 2023 . The dominant driver for channel sustainability initiatives is to meet customer expectations (52%), while a quarter report that it is driven by a need to differentiate products and services and the same proportion say that their aim is to unlock new revenue opportunities. Meanwhile 69% of channel partners say customers are showing strong or moderate interest in sustainable offerings. The survey, undertaken among 114 channel companies, found that the industry is proving resilient to challenging circumstances, with 53% reporting increased revenues in the last financial year. However, with 51% expecting print volumes to fall in the year ahead, channel partners need to prioritise sustainability – looking at their own sustainability practices and providing support and guidance to customers. Currently, respondents estimate that an average of 12% of channel revenue derives from sustainability-led sales, but they expect this to rise to 22% by 2025. “Channel companies are clear about the potential they see in sustainability-led sales, with growing demand from customers,” said Louella Fernandes, research director,
Quocirca. “The challenge now is how to evolve their go-to-market strategy and messaging to resonate with customers and prove their credentials in what may quickly become a very competitive market. Support from vendors with tools and data is crucial if channel businesses are to demonstrate genuinely differentiated solutions and services backed by evidence of sustainable performance.” The research also found that channel partners need vendor support to capitalise on sustainability-led sales opportunities, with 39% of channel companies saying that sustainability criteria feature in some or all the RFPs they respond to, and 92% saying that customers are prepared to pay more for solutions with stronger sustainability, at least some of the time. Despite this, only 24% already hold accreditations related to sustainability (for example, BCorp, ISO14001, or CDP). A similar proportion (25%) are working towards such accreditations, leaving half lagging on sustainability certifications. The key areas of interest for customers are energy-efficient hardware, cited by 65% of respondents, long-life consumables and toner (35%) and minimum end-of-life waste (30%). These priorities are reflected in the topics on which channel partners most want support from vendors: clear and detailed metrics on product lifecycle impact (38%), help identifying ways to advise customers on saving energy across a print fleet (36%) and
Louella Fernandes research director
quocirca.com
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printinthechannel.co.uk
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