Images_Digital_Edition_April_2019

KB BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com 84 images APRIL 2019 unique.“ He adds that the growth of personalised products is largely due to the good return on investment potential of the equipment. “Customers see a lot of value in tailored products and they’re willing to pay a premium to have something unique. Since this additional value costs the seller very little once the initial investment has yielded a return, they can easily increase their margin.“ Jim notes that retailers all emphasise the need to improve the ‘customer experience‘, which he sums up as “basically finding ways to keep the customers in-store longer and spending more money“. He adds: “It‘s P ersonalisation is on the rise in the high street as bricks-and-mortar retailers realise that to compete with online stores they need to offer their customers more than simply good quality, affordable products – they need to offer an inviting and memorable shopping experience too. “Over the past three years we have seen increasing demand for personalisation within the retail sector,“ reports Jim Nicol, managing director of TheMagicTouch (TMT), which sells the TMT/Oki printers as well as the Ricoh Ri 100 DTG printer. “We have good experience with many customers operating as concessionaires within department stores such as Selfridges, Marks & Spencer and Harrods, which at selected times operate very successful personalisation services. These have included the production of Santa sacks, eco bags, mugs, babywear and garments in general. However, there is an increasing demand for more events and occasions – Valentine‘s Day, Mother‘s Day, Father‘s Day etc.“ Rob Goleniowski, head of sales for UK and Ireland for Roland DG, which has just introduced the BT-12 DTG printer, comments: “In almost every consumer setting, customers have come to expect a level of tailored experience. With the current unpredictability of the retail arena, businesses must use everything in their power to create spaces which attract customers and offer something Jim Nicol and Rob Goleniowski discuss how to engage customers and win orders by adding a countertop DTG printer in a retail outlet Retail ready very clear that personalisation ticks all the boxes in that department.“ On-site opportunities Decorators can take advantage of this trend in a multitude of ways: they can set up a small DTG print kiosk in their own retail shop, take on a concession in a shopping centre, sports arena or retail store, run a DTG experience for a local boutique or tap into the trend for pop-up shops by setting up a temporary customisation station – the opportunities are wide and varied thanks to the introduction of ‘countertop’ DTG printers with small footprints such as the Ri 100 and BT-12. “Today we have the perfect direct-to- textile product with the Ricoh Ri 100 for the retail sector, offering simple and easy production which is scalable due to the low entry-level cost and offers good margins being achieved across the product range,“ explains Jim. “The Ri 100 with its small footprint is perfect for any low space restrictions and, more importantly, its built-in heat press removes any health and safety issues, which have in the past been concerns for many retailers. The other great advantage of the Ri 100 is the simple operating process for producing the printed item, which enables staff to very quickly become experts in producing the products.“ Similarly, Rob reports that the BT-12 is “perfectly suited“ to retail environments for several reasons. “It’s very compact, The Ri 100 is perfect for any low space restrictions and its built-in heat press removes any health and safety issues Display examples of printed items to give customers an instant impression of what‘s possible