Mathew Faulkner, EMEA marketing and innovation director, wide format printing group, Canon Europe talks about how print for interior décor is creating profitable growth opportunities for print service providers.
Recent years have seen print for interior décor experiencing a boom, and this is showing no signs of slowing down, with the market remaining buoyant[1]. This trend is helping to create profitable growth opportunities for print service providers (PSPs) within many areas of interior décor - from wallcoverings to fine art prints – across residential and commercial applications. In fact, the Big Picture Magazine and Keypoint Intelligence ‘Application and Utilization Survey’ released in 2022, found that interior décor and wall coverings were in the five most profitable applications for PSPs.
Elevating consumer experiences
Evolving consumer habits and the rise in popularity of e-commerce are also factors driving this trend. Global retailers must consider the need to create seamless online and instore shopper experiences – whilst it has become important to enhance the aesthetic appeal of retail spaces and create immersive experiences for customers through wayfinding, point of sale (POS), floor and display graphics. We are also seeing retail décor evolve with many brands looking for ways to drive consumers back in-store – for example through colourful signage and banners to support seasonal celebrations and events.
In a similar vein, pop-up shops and markets have also risen to the fore in recent years. PSPs have been able to support them through turnkey print-based solutions, which can help small businesses create the right look and feel or even support guerrilla marketing for their brands.
Printed décor is also an important tool in hospitality and plays a key role in branding, creating ambience, and optimising guest experience. This also extends to the workplace, where employers are increasingly using digitally printed décor elements to create more attractive working environments for their employees; one of many strategies to tempt staff back into the office.
Personalising spaces for hybrid living
Recent data has also shown an increase in people becoming more ‘home conscious’ and seeking out individualised and customised décor to help them update and revamp the spaces in which they live. This trend has been driven by factors such as increased flexible working, and the rising cost of out of home entertainment – all of which have encouraged people to spend more time at home.
Print also plays an important role in helping people refresh their living spaces - enabling on-demand bespoke applications such as personalised art prints, wallpapers and canvases with unique colours and designs. It can even help homes to become more multifunctional with printed décor solutions which help to separate living and working spaces at a relatively low cost.
One important socio-economic factor driving this trend, is the escalating cost of natural materials, which is causing traditional renovation projects such as home extensions or commercial refits, to become costly and time consuming. With this in mind, the cost effectiveness of printed décor makes it an attractive solution for revitalising interior spaces.
Consult and inspire
Digital print on demand is the ideal response to these evolving needs as it provides the means to produce short runs, customise products and reproduce a rich colour gamut. The ability to print on a wide range of materials delivers the practical performance qualities and durability required for use in various settings.
Décor offers a great opportunity and commercial scope for PSPs in both consumer and business-to-business markets, but there are a few factors to bear in mind. Firstly, it’s a fast-moving market. Constantly changing design and fashion trends, mean that décor service providers must be agile, responsive and adaptable to stay competitive.
Secondly, a consultative mindset is critical. PSPs need to be ready to proactively approach prospective customers with creative solutions, showing them the multitude of options available. It’s a question of inspiring them with achievable ideas as to how they can refresh their spaces - and explaining the practical and cost advantages of print-on-demand compared with traditional decorating and renovation methods.
One way PSPs can inspire clients is by evolving the typical PSP client relationship by not just printing customer designs, but also providing them with creative interior décor content ideas. This presents an opportunity for designs to become more accessible, and an opportunity for partner artists, photographers and designers, who are then able to showcase their work in an expanded network of online marketplaces.
For more technically able PSPs, the recent advent of generative AI presents yet another opportunity to create and inspire by bringing new visual concepts to life – from scratch or by updating previous images and concepts - with relative ease.
With such a plethora of vibrant printed décor applications available and the market projecting continued growth, it’s a great time for print businesses to dive into this expanding market and show customers just how effective print can be.