One of the greatest comforts an avid shopper will experience is the luxury of online shopping. Not dealing with crowds, parking, and the hassles of carrying more bags one can handle are just a few of the things that make shopping online an ideal experience. Additionally, in present times, it seems that online shopping has become more of a necessity rather than a luxury while we adjust to the “new normal” of running businesses post-pandemic. As a business owner and entrepreneur, it’s important to be open to change and development, which is why the benefits of opening your own online store are worth looking into.
Whether you’ve had the goal of opening up an e-commerce shop for some time now, or you’ve recently been keen on the idea due to the current economic climate, opening up an online store is a plausible method of starting or expanding a small business, or bringing in additional revenue. The world of e-commerce is highly competitive, and you may have done your research on what it takes to open an e-commerce business; but, what about the tools needed to help elevate your brand? Ironically enough, there are a number of printed materials that will provide assistance in running your online-based shop. In this blog, we share with you the different print products you’ll need for your online store, and how they can be used to establish brand identity and long-lasting clientele.
Roll Labels
Roll labels are essentially high-quality stickers that are placed on a roll, rather than individually cut. They are a versatile product because, as the name suggests, they can be used as a way to label a large variety of products. If you’re just starting out with your online store, you might be looking for some ways to save money while you build your brand. Consider printing roll labels with your logo on them, as you can use these in different instances. For example, with the right design, roll labels can be used as a means of easy branding for your packaging. As you work to get your business model off the ground, this will allow you to save up money and resources while still establishing brand identity.
Postcards
Postcards as we know them have gone solely from single page mailers to a product that can be used in countless ways. You can display literally any message you’d like on a postcard — whether it’s an invitation, announcement, thank you card, and so on. Specifically speaking, we’ve seen businesses utilizing postcards in their shipments to customers with some of the following variants: a personalized thank you note, a product information card, or a promo offer. When customers receive their order and find packaging inserts as visible as a postcard, they’re more likely to reorder from your store in the near future, especially if there’s an exclusive promo code on the packaging insert.
Business Cards
Business cards are the smallest and arguably the most effective printed marketing tool out there to this day. Including a business card in the packages you send out to your customers will give a more personal touch to the transaction. As an e-commerce shop owner, it’s a simple way of saying, “I stand by my products and appreciate your business, please keep in touch.” Additionally, we’ve seen this tool used in much less conventional and more creative ways. For example, we’ve seen business cards used for items like jewelry, to hold earrings in place. If you’re limited with packaging space, you can even use a business card as a packaging insert that includes a short thank you message and promo code. The possibilities are endless.
Stickers (Special Shapes)
If you’ve ever placed an online order from brands that have a heavily marketable presence, brands such as Glossier, Vans, or Supreme, then you’ve probably received a promotional sticker or two in your packages. Even if you don’t have any long term goals of becoming the next big brand, it’s a good idea to use some of the tactics that these companies use to market their identities. An easy step towards making any brand memorable is by creating stickers that make your brand… stick. Good one, right? Stickers are a friendly promotional tool — with the right kind of design or message that ties well with your brand, an attractive sticker will likely be pasted on visible exteriors such as a laptop cover or a hydro flask. Your brand can attract a wide variety of eyes purely based on aesthetics. Of course, it’s up to you to continue that initial attraction through the tone and structure of your website.
Hang Tags / Folded Hang Tags
Hang tags are a given necessity if your store is centered around clothing. They can be used on just about any apparel item. While shopping at stores in-person, it’s common to find multiple hang tags on one piece of clothing. What goes on your hang tags is completely up to you. Our recommendation would be to include your branding, such as the logo, color scheme, and slogan if you have one, as well as additional information you’d like to share about the product in question. Folded hang tags are another option if you have more information to share. Keep in mind that hang tags are not just for clothing! They can be used for a variety of products such as candles, shampoos, beverages, body lotion, various beauty products, and much more.
Booklets/Catalogs
Booklets can be used for a multitude of different projects. Whether the intention is informational or editorial, whatever you choose to print is intended to reflect the essence of your brand. For example, say you have a jewelry store and you’d like to showcase your pieces – you can do so in an informational way by giving a bit of a backstory behind each piece in your collection, or you can display your gallery from the latest editorial campaign photoshoot. Either way, the intention is to interest the customer in something that they might not have noticed as they were browsing and shopping on your website. This piece of printed material has the potential to allow customers to revisit the interest of purchasing other products because they have seen it through a different lens, rather than just on the shopping feed of your store.
(Bonus!) Mini Menus
Mini Menus may seem out of the norm, but they aren’t just used as a condensed catalog of food items. As a cost-effective alternative to booklets or catalogs, you can print the same type of content you would on a booklet on a mini menu.
We’re always interested to see how our customers use our products to market their own. If you have your own online store, we’d love to see how you make use of the prints above! Share your images on Instagram and Facebook and tag @GotPrint #GotPrint.