- Publishing & printing
- Article
Interactive print breaks through the noise.
Making the buying experience more engaging. Print is a gateway. A highly relevant and effective way to reach people, sell them and steer them online to sell more. Print is inherently secure, with no clicks to take potential buyers to unknown or unintended places. When print is embedded with technology it puts brands in an even more engaging and interactive sweet spot, bridging the physical and the digital.1
RIT research shows 90% of Millennials (Gen Y -born 1981-1996) prefer hard copies of critical documents, and 78% prefer actual books over digital ones.2 It’s a huge opportunity to capitalize on in two ways. First, interactive print engages human memory sensors, like touch. Second, it offers all the benefits of e-commerce. Just as the print piece provokes the urge to touch, the interactive element transports shoppers to reconnect with the brand’s online world. The result is a shopping experience that’s more memorable and emotional.
COVID empowered the adoption of QR codes
One surprising side effect of COVID is that it killed “techlash” – the backlash to marketing technologies viewed as compromising consumer privacy.3 In the process, this bolstered marketers to apply marketing techniques (MarTech), as it accelerated consumer consent to allow data collection.4 Surveys in 2019 and 20214 showed a marked uptick in this acceptance as a pathway to improve the shopping experience. As a direct result, marketers are applying such techniques as Quick Response (QR) codes on packaging and labels to create more personalized branding.
Using QR codes to promote detailed products and/or company information also allows companies to upsell and cross-sell current and new customers. What’s more, in 2020, the North America Print Label market was valued at $7.59 billion. It’s expected to reach $9.44 billion by 2026, with a forecasted compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 4% from 2021-2026.5 That’s billions of interactive print selling possibilities.
Repetition of interactive touches is key
It can take up to 10 interactions for brand recall to set in. These interaction or “touches” come in a variety of forms, from digital marketing, social media and advertising to websites and print.6 Each touch is another building block in the process and another opportunity to create awareness, trust and strengthen product loyalty. When you combine the tactile with the digital, these interactive touches are even more impactful.
Brands that offer Augmented Reality (AR) experiences are 41% more likely to be considered. In fact, they can expect a 94% increase in conversion rates, according to a Snap & Deloitte Digital AR Consumer global report.7 Now consider: 100 million consumers shop with AR in-store and online, and 94% agree they’ll use AR the same or more next year. Interactive print will play a critical role in turning these “touches” into conversions.
Interactive print incites brand recall, offers new techniques to 'click' online, engages human memory sensors that energize the total buying experience and emotionally engages in ways no digital device can.
Let their hands do the talking
Nothing builds a better brand experience than print. Direct mail, postcards and labels are examples of how print literally puts brands in a buyer’s hands. And when people physically hold that brand message, they understand, they believe and they buy. Adding actionable elements like AR and QR codes only enhances this business-building interaction.
Print is an accessible welcome mat to video, websites, e-coupons and other sell-copy through smart devices. It’s the best of the physical and the virtual. Its visual power stands out even as folks are inundated with billions of online messages. But print is also actively growing its digital prowess. One example is a “living label” in which an app scans it, and brings the label to life using AR.8
Interactive print does more than break through the digital clutter. It incites brand recall, offers new techniques to “click” online, engages human memory sensors that energize the total buying experience and emotionally engages in ways no digital device can. Paper is the original interactive communication medium. And it keeps embracing innovative methods to connect, not just with buyers, but with other media as well.
1, 6, 7, 8 “Engagement Sells: Sit in the Sweet Spot of Interactive Print”, August 30, 2021
2, 3 AMA Survey “Did Covid Kill the Techlash”, 2021
4 American Marketing Association. Base= 506 consumers surveyed August 2021
5 ResearchandMarkets.com 2021