How Variable Data Printing Works In The Real World | Variable data printing (VDP) can
support a wide variety of applications that add value to printers' services.
These range from personalized direct mail campaigns with or without
complementary online elements, to 'self-service' publishing models for both
business-to-business and consumer products in which customers choose the
content and unique documents are assembled, printed and shipped to them.
Print-led direct marketing for
customer loyalty club: Pet food manufacturer Royal Canine increased its
customer club membership in Sweden from 5000 to nearly 40,000 through a VDP
campaign linked to an online questionnaire and prize draw. The direct mail
campaign was sent out in three stages to a total of 520,000 recipients. It
included a brochure and a personalized card which pictured the recipient's pet
breed - by partnering with the Swedish Kennel Club; Royal Canine was able to
use a mailing list that contained detailed information about the Kennel Club
members' animals.
The data gathered during the
campaign can be used to better communicate with customers in the future and to
further customize promotional mail pieces.
Starting with data that only
included name, address, year of first and last donation, duration and frequency
of the contribution and the project for which the donation was made,
comprehensively personalized mailings with a donation form and personal landing
pages for donation were created. Reminder emails were sent and each recipient
was also contacted by a call centre.
Images were selected according to
previous donation themes and some were further personalized with the
recipient's name. The overall conversion rate was almost four per cent.
Web-driven custom business report
printing: A print-on-demand implementation of cross-media software has been
used by Zurich-based information provider Neither + Schön (N+S) to
enable customers to order customised financial reports on publicly-traded
companies via an online portal. Declining print volumes and price pressures led
N+S to implement a system that allows shareholders to choose the chapters that
interest them and combine them into a finished document that is either
delivered in digitally printed form or as a downloadable PDF.
Complete documents are presented for
download or sent to print. An additional option allows for personalisation of
content and layout of the cover to suit the customer.
Consumer web-to-print for customised
greetings cards: UK personalised greetings card business Funky Pigeon (owned by
WH Smith since 2010) has used variable data printing software from the outset
to support its rapid growth, offering tens of thousands of designs and products
via its web portal. Image personalisation is a key component of the brand's
success, with in-house designed image sets offering customers more than 10,000
motifs on a wide variety of themes, from spoof and humour to content suitable
for virtually any occasion.
Other complementary high volume
products are continuously being added to the portfolio to expand the appeal and
increase sales value.
These varied examples demonstrate
how VDP is a powerful enabling technology for a multitude of value-added
services that print service providers can use to expand their portfolios, build
customer loyalty and increase profitability, even to the extent of forming the
basis of a complete business model.
This is one of a series of articles
based on The ABCs of VDP, a free
e-book from EFI that explains the benefits of variable data printing (VDP) and
describes with examples how print service providers can produce, promote and
sell VDP services to their customers, expanding their business portfolio and
increasing profit margins.