Winter 2013/14 | P2P Magazine |
15
OPINION
Looking ahead to 2014
Claire Dodds,
Marketing Communications
Manager,
Neopost
“The vision of a paperless office
has been with us for a long time.
Although much progress has been
made, many organisations still
rely on paper documents which
take up storage space, slow down
administration and can get lost.
“2013 has seen an increasing
trend towards electronic document
management and we expect that
trend to accelerate in 2014. The good
news is that a wide range of solutions
are now available, from entry level
scanners to more sophisticated
online processing systems such as
the Neopost IMW-20, right up to
enterprise systems that we offer in
partnership with DCS.”
“Trends within notebooks and
notepads this past year have been
predominantly design-led.We’ve
produced a wider range of covers in
vibrant fashion colours and a whole
host of different patterns.
“Quality remains a key purchasing
criterion and there’s been a surge in
demand for premium and executive
notebooks as well as for ones with
extra features/functionality. For
Sinclairs, our environmental credentials
and the fact all our products are made
in the UK, remains a key differentiator.
“We believe that the demand for
design and fashion-led covers will
continue into 2014, as will notebook
partnering and accessorising, and that
consumers will continue to look for and
focus on quality and value for money,
even in everyday products at lower
price points.”
“A key observation from 2013 was the
important role that postal communications still
play in the workplace. Recent Avery research
found that letters often do a much more
effective job of getting important messages
across than emails. 95% of study participants
said that letters appeared more ‘real’ to them
and 80% thought they were more persuasive
than emails. Office workers are also 40% more
likely to take action and respond positively to
business propositions if they are communicated
by letter, rather than by email.
“Thinking about 2014, the value placed on
postal communications could well be set to
increase as the volume of emails goes up.With the
average office worker receiving 80 emails a day
and rising, many people simply don’t give them
their full attention.
“Although this year has seen tough times for
many organisations, what we’ve also seen is a
keenness from businesses to maintain professional,
high standards across all areas. Despite budget
cuts and freezes for many, we have found that
businesses haven’t wanted to compromise on
quality.Whether it’s their marketing and branding
materials or postal communications, it seems that
upholding a smart, professional image is of the
utmost importance.
“Looking to 2014, we expect the trend for
personalisation and ‘doing it yourself’ – for
instance, customising shipping labels with seasonal
or company graphics so that important mail really
stands out, or designing and printing professional-
looking marketing materials and signage in-
house, rather than paying external design and
print costs – will continue.While there may be
some welcome signs of economic recovery, many
organisations will still be cautious and keen to
keep costs down where possible. As such, flexible
and cost effective solutions that allow business
to uphold a professional appearance without
excessively using up budget will continue to prove
popular.”
As we embark on a brand New Year, P2P asks several leading vendors
within the office products market to identify key trends from 2013
and predict what’s going to be big in 2014.
Fiona Mills,
Marketing Director,
Avery UK
Continued...
Simon Medley,
Marketing Manager,
Sinclairs
...design /
fashion-led
covers will
continue
into 2014...
