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Wi nter 2013 | p2p Magaz i ne |
19
www.binfo.co.uk
Wendy Vickery,
Marketing Manager,
Pentel
Despite the double-dip recession and
speculation about a triple-dip in 2013,
the UK hasn’t closed for business.
People still need pens... and pencils
and markers.Whether the need is for
work, study, hobbies or everyday use
at home, writing instruments provide a
quick, easy to use and readily available
tool to put a message on paper, card,
plastic, metal, glass and many other
surfaces – at a price that most can
afford.
Our parent company has been
trading since the late 1940s and in over
six decades the business has witnessed
significant changes. But the last ten years
have been especially notable, thanks to
new ink technologies and changes in
patterns of use.
Although pricing has been and will
continue to be important to consumers,
Pentel predicts that in 2013 value for
money will remain a major consideration
in purchasing decisions. Added value
promotions, such as three for the price
of two, will play their part, in addition to
longer-writing and refillable pens, pencils
and markers.
This will follow on from trends that
have been starting to become established
in 2012, but should become stronger
in 2013, as consumers still feeling
the recession bite, try to find ways to
make their budgets go further without
compromising quality.
The last point is especially important
because a product still has to be fit
for purpose. It’s a false economy, for
example, to buy a permanent marker
simply on the basis that it’s cheaper than
your usual brand if you then find that it
DavidWindsor,
Director,
Railex Filing
There has been a marked increase in sales of our premium polypropylene suspension
files. That in itself is not very earth-shattering, although good news for us!
However, I do think it is representative of a shift in attitude from end-users during this
recession. People are thinking, I’m only going to get one chance to buy this and so I want
it right. It’s as if the end-user has so much hassle to get the authorisation to spend that,
when they do, they make sure they buy something that’s going to last.
On the flip side, our sales of routine, price-led products were static which perhaps
suggests a split opening up in the middle of the market. As far as 2013 is concerned we
will keep banging the drum for ‘value for money’ against ‘lowest cost’ and continue to offer
end-users products that work rather than products manufactured to a price, whether they
work or not.
David Hymers,
Managing Director,
Totalpost Services Plc
In 2012 one of the biggest trends that I have seen
is companies going back to printed mail shots as
opposed to e-shots. For our industry this has led to
a steady upsurge in the use of franking machines
and other mailroom equipment such as Folder
Inserters.
Additionally we have seen an increase in franking
machine usage in general, which has been driven by
Royal Mail. Large increases in stamp prices has led to
an increase in the gap between the price of stamped
and franked mail and this has prompted many
businesses to go back to using a franking machine.
I believe this growth in mail and therefore mailroom
equipment will continue into 2013.
won’t write on the surface you need it to,
or if it writes for half the length of your
regular product.
While fashions may come and go
some trends have been emerging for the
last couple of years, notably the rising
popularity of violet ink. Many of us are
probably familiar with the decline in
usage of red ink by school teachers for
marking homework, in favour of more
‘neutral’ colours such as green. However,
there’s been a noticeable shift towards
violet ink for everyday writing as well
as marking up. In some of our products,
violet is even more popular than blue ink
at the moment.
Some products that start out as
fashionable, however, have the ability
to stand the test of time, none more so
for Pentel than its iconic Sign Pen, which
celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2013.
The Sign Pen was the first felt-tipped
pen, and when it launched in 1963 it
really broke the mould. Suddenly, the
convenience of writing with water-based
ink was available in the style of a pen
with a durable tip.
Within a year of its launch Sign Pen
had become extremely popular, thanks
in no small part to President Lyndon B
Johnson, who expressed a personal liking
for the product. From 1965 to 1966
Sign Pen was sent into orbit aboard the
Gemini 6 and 7 space missions. Today,
the Sign Pen is sold in 100 countries
and around 2,100 million have been
produced since its launch, enough to
circumnavigate Earth 7.5 times. Twelve
ink colours are available and the Sign
Pen is still one of Pentel’s most popular
products half a century on. Some trends
do endure.