Print
Solutions May 2005
Cover Story
E-Commerce
Excitement
Smart
e-commerce solutions thrill end
users, continued.
Company:
Proforma Spectrum Print Graphics
Location:
Tigard, Ore. (The company is an
affiliate of Cleveland-based Proforma,
a franchise network of more than
600 independent distributorships.)
Founded:
2002
Principals:
Conrad Marquard, co-owner; Bob
Workman, co-owner; Doug Hobbs;
co-owner
Employees:
5
Business
in Brief: The company offers print
and promotional products, commercial
printing, forms, packaging, office
supplies, catalogs and more.
A
division of a multimillion-dollar
manufacturing company on the West
Coast wanted to increase its brand
recognition among its more than
700 North American resellers.
The division tried several approaches,
including co-op advertising, signage,
point-of-purchase displays and
direct marketing. Conrad Marquard
and Bob Workman, co-owners of
Tigard, Ore.-based Proforma Spectrum
Print Graphics, an affiliate of
Cleveland-based distributor franchise
network Proforma, provided a value-added
solution that would benefit the
division and its resellers.
The
distributorship offered co-branded
promotional products through a
web-based company store. "The
co-branding would provide a real
value to the resellers and would
differentiate us from our competition,"
Marquard says. "The challenge
was to find the right technology
to handle this project."
Co-Owner Doug Hobbs assessed available
e-commerce systems and chose Minneapolis-based
supplier Four51 Inc. for its "versatility,
particularly on the print side,
and its ability to interface directly
with our plants," he says.
The
manufacturing company's
division chose Proforma Spectrum
Print Graphics and Four51, then
established a project plan that
resulted in a custom online store
launched in January 2005. The
division's resellers log
into Four51's site via a
link on their intranet homepage
to purchase apparel, mugs, gloves,
caps, knives and pens. Each reseller
visits a customized web site,
inputs its username and password,
and clicks on "Logon."
A screen with thumbnail images
of promotional products appears.
The reseller clicks on either
the image or name of the promotional
product (for example, "Drinkware"),
and a screen displays various
styles such as 16-oz. classic,
20-oz. wide body, 52-oz. mug and
a stainless steel travel mug.
To order the 16-oz classic cup,
the dealer clicks on its image
or name, and a screen displays
two styles: a division-branded
cup and a customizable one, along
with their descriptions and prices.
To order a customizable cup, the
reseller clicks on "Home,"
then on "Upload Dealer Logo/Imprint."
The reseller inputs its logo,
enters the product ID and quantity,
and clicks on "Add To Order."
A screen lists order details,
and the reseller continues shopping
or clicks on "Check Out."
Resellers
can order 20 promotional items.
The distributorship is adding
30 items per quarter, aiming to
offer up to 100 products. Eighty
dealerships use the system, but
all 700-plus are enabled. Marquard,
whose goal is to have at least
300 dealers using the system consistently,
is promoting the technology at
a conference to be held by the
division this month to create
awareness and increase the number
of users.
The
technology has been a winner for
the manufacturer, the reseller
and the distributorship. "Before
using the system, the manufacturer
didn't have a lot of brand
exposure at the resellers'
level," Marquard says. "Not
only do they get exposure, it's
almost become a profit center
for them." Resellers benefit
because they easily can advertise
and promote themselves. "If
you provide functional items with
high perceived value, you'll
get advertising exposure that
has staying power," he says.
"That's putting your
marketing dollars to work for
you."
Marquard
says for his company, "The
technology gets us tied in with
hundreds of users. We can reach
out to hundreds of users, which
we weren't able to do before."
The system also offers a high
level of personalization for both
print and promotional products,
a feature not found in many e-commerce
solutions, he says. "You
can add logos, images to print
and promotional products, and
that makes it so dynamic,"
he says. "We also found
it reasonable from a cost standpoint.
It's manageable and you
can customize the look and feel
of the web site, and it's
user-friendly."
Offering
e-commerce ensures customer loyalty,
Marquard says. "When customers
use e-commerce, they also invest
in the technology, and generally
stay with you," he says.
"I feel that if we don't
look for a better solution, our
competitors will. There's
huge value for distributors in
a system like Four51 because it
can be enhanced to offer a variety
of products and services, including
one-to-one marketing, and print
and promotional products."
Marquard,
Workman and Hobbs started Proforma
Spectrum Print Graphics in August
2002 because it matched well with
their professional experiences.
All three came from major forms
manufacturers—Moore Business
Forms, UARCO and Reynolds and
Reynolds. "Working for the
majors gave us a good base for
going after large opportunities,
and being a Proforma franchise
allows us the flexibility to address
our clients' varied needs,"
Workman says.
Investing
in E-Commerce? 3 Tips
1. Target large
companies.
Look for
companies ready to invest in technology,
says Conrad Marquard, co-owner
of Proforma Spectrum Print Graphics,
an affiliate of Cleveland-based
Proforma, a franchise network
of more than 600 independent distributorships.
Large companies are more open
to adopting e-commerce because
of their needs and finances.
2. Seek marketing
departments.
Learn
the needs of a company's
marketing department, then figure
how your e-commerce solution can
help, Marquard says.
3. Look for companies with large
distributor networks.
They often
need unique fulfillment services
that can be met with e-commerce
solutions, Marquard says.
"We
can reach out to hundreds of users,
which we weren't able to
do before."
Conrad
Marquard (center), Co-Owner
Proforma
Spectrum Print Graphics, Tigard,
Ore.
Preeti
Vasishtha is assistant editor
at Print Solutions;
Darin Painter is
managing editor. Email your comments to bholt@printsolutionsmag.com.
