Can small really be beautiful? We’ve become well versed in the arguments for and against diversifying into new niche markets and experimenting with low volume bespoke applications yet, as the Widthwise 2014 survey highlighted, it’s the big, established wide-format print markets like posters, signage, display graphics etc. that continue to have the strongest pull and top the list of areas where companies are still looking to get newly involved over the next two years. That’s great in a way – it signifies that people still see plenty of life in these areas. But what does it say about today’s attitudes towards innovation and risk in the wide-format market?
In this issue there’s a piece on the Simpson Group’s new shop4pop ecommerce venture, which chairman Mark Simpson hopes will get small retailers spending more on POP. Despite its blue chip clientele, the group is convinced that its new outreach programme to small businesses is an untapped source of revenue and profitability. It’s a risk, but one Simpson believes worth taking given the potential wins.
Others continue to push the envelope too – and not just those who make money from large format print. Just look at what the University of the West of England’s Centre for Fine Print Research is achieving (see Turning on the Talent feature) by going out on a limb.
Perhaps yours is one of the small number of companies that currently subscribe to the new meaning of ‘sustainability’ and forging new business models to meet the much wider and more complex redefinition? Make that decision now and you’ll get a head start on the pack.
In the wide-format digital print sector we’ve thrived on constant innovation. Long may it continue.