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Point-of-sale, or POS, signage is becoming an ever-more critical factor in the world of advertising and promotion. As a proven, cost-effective method of increasing in-store revenues, POS signage is being awarded a growing role in the marketing mix formulated by retailers and brand marketers alike. That translates to profitable opportunities for those in the wide-format imaging industry. But the ground rules of this game are continually in flux. Today, their customers' demands are changing. Clients are demanding green and fire-retardant materials like never before, calling for banner stands, asking for POS assortments that include tablecloths and, as always, demanding work be done more quickly and cost-effectively.
Easy To Be Green
Customers' demand for environmentally-friendly POS materials is a clarion call growing louder every day. Among those who have heard the call most clearly is Nora Norby, president of Banner Creations, Inc..
"We've always been interested in the environment and in recycling," Norby says. "Back in 2000, we found a fabric called EcoPhab, made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled soda bottles. The product is made by Foss. We started printing on it, took it to some trade shows, offered it to our customers as an alternative, and sold a few jobs."
Demand continued to be lackluster until 2006, when Banner Creations produced signage and table covers for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's exhibition called EcoExperience, which showcased and celebrated green products ranging from building materials to rain gardens and environmentally-friendly vehicles.
Finding buyers were suddenly interested in ecologically-aware POS materials, Norby and colleagues began calling Foss, asking the firm to reconsider its decision to terminate production of EcoPhab. It took a determined campaign by Banner Creations that lasted into early 2007 to convince Foss to start manufacturing the material again. In the past year, Banner Creations has purchased 30,000 yards of EcoPhab, and used it to create banners for a national Mohawk Carpet POS promotion.
"We went from 300 yards annually to 30,000 yards annually in just a matter of months," Norby says. "And all of a sudden, everyone wants it. We've been doing a lot of printing on it, and we're thrilled to death."
Dye Into Print has seen the same growing demand. "We've gotten a lot of inquiries from clients as regards to green," says president Matthew Lederman, whose firm evolved out of a table linen manufacturer called Something Different Linen.
Selling wholesale to the trade only, Dye Into Print produces fabric POS for other printers that don't handle digital dye sublimation, as well as for advertising, promotion and marketing companies and print brokers.
"We have now developed a line of environmentally-friendly fabrics called Earth First," Lederman adds. "They're completely green, and we can produce any type of product, whatever the need may be, completely green."
Solar Imaging is also experiencing an upsurge in requests for green materials, says sales manager Gina Spring. In response, Solar Imaging has acquired a new product called ReBoard, a recycled and recyclable material that can be used as a substrate and comes in a variety of thicknesses. The firm also makes use of a green banner material called BioFlex. "If our environmentally-conscious customers are seeking to create a completely green trade booth, this is one way to help them achieve that goal," Spring says.
Retractable Stands
Retractable stands are becoming a major customer demand area, says Norby. "The portability is the chief advantage, and the fact they can be stored when not in use, using minimal space," she says.
Dye Into Print is also finding collapsible stands are becoming prevalent in the market, because they represent a very easy-to-implement display unit, Lederman observes. Dye Into Print doesn't manufacture the stands itself, but does distribute them for many of the stand manufacturers. "People come to us to fabricate the backdrop to fit these collapsible stands," he says. "They make life so much easier for whomever's doing the set-up, and doing the presentation. We have wrinkle-resistant fabrics that work really well on these stands. We formulate the banners to fit them precisely."
Table Coverings
Customers ordering POS signage are also requesting table covers. Because Dye Into Print was the offspring of Something Different Linen, tablecloths are a natural for the shop.
Many POS purchases are now ordered in kits including mini-banner, backdrop, and tablecloth, Lederman says. He believes the increased demand for tablecloths results from the fact that they lend a more refined appearance to product displays. "It enhances and provides more exposure to the concept you're trying to promote."
At Banner Creations, Norby reports if a customer wants a POS banner for a store, a table cover or table runner is often requested as well. Producing table covers is also a good fit for Banner Creations, as the shop has focused on fabric printing since the day it opened its doors, and now concentrates on dye sublimation on fabric because "it's more aesthetically pleasing and easy to work with," Norby says.
Tighter Deadlines
Customers don't appear to have problems with quality, but many are demanding work be done bigger, faster and cheaper, Spring says. Deadlines and budget constraints are becoming ever more onerous for customers, so they are looking to their wide-format imaging suppliers to produce work as affordably and quickly as possible.
When cost containment is a major concern, Solar Imaging will print point-of-sale signage directly to the substrate, saving about a third of the cost, Spring observes.
"The Durst also prints roll-to-roll, so with the Durst our end costs are a little lower," she says. "It saves the customer money, without sacrificing any of the quality."
Other Trends
Additional developments impacting POS cut across other areas of wide-format output as well. For instance, Lederman reports Dye Into Print customers are asking for flame-retardant materials, not only in POS, but in any other materials destined for indoor applications. "That's grown as a matter of safety," he says. "In some venues, it's an absolute requirement. In other settings, customers may not be quite as demanding."
The other noteworthy development affecting POS is the ever-expanding width of substrates. When Dye Into Print was founded, widths of 54 inches were the norm. Today the shop can print up to 126 inches wide. "If it's a retail establishment, that capability is there, and people are taking advantage," Lederman says.
author: BY JEFFREY STEELE