ImagesMagUK_September_2020

www.images-magazine.com 04 images SEPTEMBER 2020 Published by: 360 Communications Ltd images magazine, 360 Communications Ltd, 58a Livingstone Road, Hove, BN3 3WL, UK 01273 748482 | www.images-magazine.com Advertising: advertising@images-magazine.com Editorial: editorial@images-magazine.com Subscriptions: subscriptions@images-magazine.com | images is available free of charge to UK subscribers | Subscribe / unsubscribe / update contact details online: www.images-magazine.com Publisher/advertising: Jonathan Vince | jonathan@images-magazine.com Features editor: Rachael Glazier | rachael@images-magazine.com Features writer: Mark Ludmon | mark@images-magazine.com Publishing assistant: Gaby Bowring | gaby@images-magazine.com Design/Production: ATG Media | production@atgraphicsuk.com Printing: Stephens & George Ltd | Goat Mill Road,Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 3TD ( issn 0966 7512) Opinions expressed by contributors in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the Publisher. Editorial contributions are invited, on the understanding that the Publisher has the right to alter or abridge all such material as he sees fit. While the greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the Publisher accepts no liability for either errors or omissions. SEPTEMBER 2020 | VOL.29 NO.9 EDITORIAL O ver the past five months, businesses, workers and industries around the globe have been forced to adapt and find new ways of working in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. What seems inevitable is that some of these changes will stick, altering the way business is conducted, sales made, orders taken, and products produced, marketed and delivered for good. Take schoolwear, for example: in ‘Fast learners’ (page 63) we speak to Matthew Easter, MD of Trutex and co-chair of The Schoolwear Association, together with school headteachers and schoolwear suppliers, about the sector’s response to the coronavirus and how it has affected this year’s Back to School season. (Quick note: we’ve received numerous reports of the fantastic support and resources the Schoolwear Association has been providing to schoolwear retailers over recent months. If you’re not already a member, now is the time to sign up and help the association to continue its good work – it’s in your long-term best interests.) The pandemic has prompted many schoolwear retailers to develop their ecommerce solution and they’ve enjoyed an associated leap in online sales as a result. Will parents who have bought uniform online for the first time this year return to traditional stores Sticky changes in the future, or are these online uniform sales here to stay and only likely to increase? It’s not only schoolwear retailers that have embraced ecommerce – schoolwear manufacturer David Luke has taken the decision to start selling a range of core ‘greywear’ direct to end-users from its new B2C ecommerce site. In ‘The direct approach’ (page 71) Bryony Pestell explains why schoolwear retailers should be encouraged by this move. Picking up on the growing importance of online and social media marketing, in ‘How to market your company in 2020’, Marshall Atkinson shares practical tips on how to get your website, social media and drip marketing campaigns working for you and generating more sales. One company that has embraced change is Squeegee & Ink. In ‘TikToking all the right boxes’ (page 24) we talk to Chessie Rosier-Parker about how the business has harnessed the TikTok social media platform to market its print and embroidery shop, clocking up 2.6 million views for one video alone! The growth of online retail since the start of lockdown has led to DTG being one of the success stories of 2020, and there has been plenty of activity in this sector. In ‘DTG update’ (page 42) we report on the latest developments from the main players in the market, including the launch of the new Brother GTXpro printer and Polyprint PreTreater Pro auto- pretreater, plus the high-volume OvalJet printer, which Adelco is bringing to the UK following the end of its UK partnership with Kornit (see news, page 6). Speaking of Kornit, the company’s acquisition of Custom Gateway (page 18) points to the fact that cloud-based ecommerce and workflow software is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but is fast becoming an essential cog in garment decoration businesses’ operations. Caldera has increased the available options with the launch of Caldera WebShop (page 22), while The Brick Factory (page 44) promises to allow businesses to run their “entire merchandising empire in real time, from any device, anywhere in the world”. During a period of social distancing and remote working, that’s a genuinely compelling proposition. How are you adapting your way of working and which of the changes are most likely to stick? Get in touch with us – we’d love to share your story. Jonathan Vince Squeegee & Ink has successfully incorporated the TikTok social media platform into its marketing mix, clocking up 2.6 million views for one video alone