WEBVTT 00:00:02.329 --> 00:00:05.129 Welcome to the promo playbook, the podcast where 00:00:05.129 --> 00:00:07.650 suppliers come to win in the promotional products 00:00:07.650 --> 00:00:10.830 industry. We're your hosts, Lisa Faustic and 00:00:10.830 --> 00:00:13.910 Adrienne Barker, bringing you insider insights, 00:00:14.509 --> 00:00:17.170 expert strategies, and no fluff advice to help 00:00:17.170 --> 00:00:20.449 suppliers navigate the promo channel like pros. 00:00:21.269 --> 00:00:24.170 From marketing to distributors to mastering software 00:00:24.170 --> 00:00:27.370 onboarding, we cover it all. Whether you're new 00:00:27.370 --> 00:00:30.149 to the industry or ready to scale up, this is 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:33.299 your playbook for success. Let's get started. 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:37.539 Hey, everybody. Welcome to this episode of the 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:40.579 promo playbook podcast. Today, we're going to 00:00:40.579 --> 00:00:43.640 dive into the relevant topic of on -demand printing 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:47.140 in an MOQ of one. I'm joined by my hosts, Adrian 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:50.920 Barker and Kim Ballerine, and two industry experts 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:53.820 who I'm excited to introduce, Alyssa Turner of 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:57.539 Splash Brand and Jacob Adner of Digital On Demand. 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:02.079 kick it off by asking Jacob to introduce himself 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:04.560 and tell us his background and how he ended up 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:08.099 in the on -demand space. Over to you Jacob. Thanks 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:11.939 Lisa. Good morning everybody. So my journey in 00:01:11.939 --> 00:01:14.939 print started about eight years ago. I've been 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:18.060 in a family full of printing for about three 00:01:18.060 --> 00:01:20.400 generations now and I never thought I'd stumble 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.420 my way in but here we are and I couldn't be more 00:01:23.420 --> 00:01:28.040 happy to be in it. My career started in more 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:32.939 or less on the machine side. So my job at industry 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:37.439 manufacturer Incups was to help companies evaluate 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:40.659 machinery in their journey in print. So it could 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:43.640 be on all types of promotional products, whether 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:47.620 it be stress balls, ornaments, key chains, candles, 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:50.659 drinkware, you name it. My job was to do the 00:01:50.659 --> 00:01:55.459 throughput analysis, adhesion analysis, and machine 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:58.019 demonstrations for companies evaluating pretty 00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:00.560 big capital expenditures. And so after a few 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:04.379 years of doing that, everyone's favorite period 00:02:04.379 --> 00:02:06.939 of time, COVID came around and threw everybody 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:10.860 for a loop and the promotional product space 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:15.340 dipped. And at that point in time, my company 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:17.900 at the time had to pivot strategies and decide 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:21.419 which markets they wanted to focus on. And given 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:23.759 that my role at the time was focused on demonstrations, 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.060 And there was less interest in machinery at the 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:29.400 time from the promo space given that it was on 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:33.360 hold my job was to then one day a week investigate 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:37.039 other markets that were extremely hot and given 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:40.979 that everyone was home and Chopping online with 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:43.800 disposable income e -commerce was extremely hot 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.979 So at the time my job shifted from four days 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:49.599 a week or from five days a week to four days 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:53.020 a week Doing demonstrations and sampling to one 00:02:53.020 --> 00:02:55.840 day a week investigating the market and trying 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.919 to sell machinery to e -commerce companies. After 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:02.919 a number of conversations with big players throughout 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.219 the space, it became apparent that none of them 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:08.580 actually printed, but they wanted somebody to 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:11.139 do printing on the goods that I was trying to 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:13.680 convince them to do. Bottles, glasses, candles, 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:17.039 ornaments, keychains, you name it. Stuff they 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:20.520 didn't have or stuff they may had or have tried 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.400 in the past but didn't have in full color or 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:25.740 in the types of decoration methods that we could 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:30.319 offer. And I knew how to do that. So the pitch 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.900 internally was to set up a business to do print 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:35.840 -on -demand fulfillment for these e -commerce 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:38.599 companies to show them the benefit of being able 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:41.960 to add these categories to their current assortments. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:45.639 So that's how digital on -demand was born. We 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:48.639 spun out of that previous manufacturer, InkCups. 00:03:48.909 --> 00:03:52.069 five years ago and have since grown throughout 00:03:52.069 --> 00:03:55.009 the e -commerce world and only about a year and 00:03:55.009 --> 00:03:57.189 a half ago spun our heads around back to promo 00:03:57.189 --> 00:04:00.770 because we recognized that our application was 00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:03.330 more than abundantly available in the promo space 00:04:03.330 --> 00:04:07.009 and we had a solution that many of the companies 00:04:07.009 --> 00:04:09.729 in the promo space have an appetite for and they 00:04:09.729 --> 00:04:13.090 don't know how to do. Awesome intro, Jacob. Thank 00:04:13.090 --> 00:04:15.610 you so much. I love that background and the way 00:04:15.610 --> 00:04:17.990 that you came into the industry and what you 00:04:17.990 --> 00:04:20.680 saw. you know, what you saw as an opportunity. 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:23.720 I love that. So Alyssa, I'd love to hear your 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:26.160 story. Alyssa Turner from Splash Brands, tell 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:29.180 us your story. Hey, everyone. Well, thanks so 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:32.500 much for having me on today. So I started in 00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:37.560 the promo industry in about 16 years ago, and 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:40.639 I was selling online company store programs back 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.839 then. I was having to talk everybody into putting 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.439 their credit card online, assuring them that 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:47.740 it was safe because that was a big scare back 00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:52.480 then. And our stores, they were mostly on demand 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:55.350 even at that time. But there were some things 00:04:55.350 --> 00:04:57.610 we couldn't do because the technology wasn't 00:04:57.610 --> 00:04:59.970 available with the equipment. And so we were 00:04:59.970 --> 00:05:02.069 having to keep inventory, which everybody hated. 00:05:02.110 --> 00:05:05.009 And it caused a lot of issues. You know, you're 00:05:05.009 --> 00:05:08.250 always stuck with the smalls or the larges, the 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:11.370 size that doesn't work for your staff. Or you 00:05:11.370 --> 00:05:14.269 had to put 150 mugs in stock and you only use 00:05:14.269 --> 00:05:17.610 25. And what do you do with the rest? And so 00:05:17.610 --> 00:05:21.110 over time, we started working towards doing everything 00:05:21.110 --> 00:05:24.750 on demand. And the owner of that company that 00:05:24.750 --> 00:05:28.370 I worked for, he sold it in 2015. I hung around 00:05:28.370 --> 00:05:30.970 for a few years and then went to go work for 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:33.810 a competitor. And I had quite a few customers 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:37.490 that wanted a true on -demand solution for apparel, 00:05:37.870 --> 00:05:40.230 for promo, and for print. They didn't want to 00:05:40.230 --> 00:05:42.490 keep any inventory, they didn't want any order 00:05:42.490 --> 00:05:45.740 minimums, and they needed it to ship quick. And 00:05:45.740 --> 00:05:48.899 so I looked around and there was really nobody 00:05:48.899 --> 00:05:53.540 in the market, this is around 2019, 2000, that 00:05:53.540 --> 00:05:56.620 was doing a true on -demand solution for companies 00:05:56.620 --> 00:05:58.980 where they could have their own store and get 00:05:58.980 --> 00:06:01.980 whatever they wanted at any time with no order 00:06:01.980 --> 00:06:05.819 minimums. And so I called the old owner of the 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:09.660 company I worked for and I said, hey, what do 00:06:09.660 --> 00:06:13.019 you think about doing a new store platform this 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:16.009 way? and carving out our own little niche in 00:06:16.009 --> 00:06:19.689 the market that no one is really tackling in 00:06:19.689 --> 00:06:23.470 doing apparel, promo, and print on demand. And 00:06:23.470 --> 00:06:29.050 he said, yeah. He said, I'm super bored. So we 00:06:29.050 --> 00:06:33.709 started working on a platform that is today Splash 00:06:33.709 --> 00:06:38.910 Brands in 2000. And we thought, oh, we know everything 00:06:38.910 --> 00:06:44.509 about stores from doing this years ago. And we 00:06:44.509 --> 00:06:46.449 gave ourselves a year to build it out, but it 00:06:46.449 --> 00:06:49.870 ended up taking two and a half years to really 00:06:49.870 --> 00:06:52.529 get it fully on demand. And we built out our 00:06:52.529 --> 00:06:54.769 software platform and our production facility. 00:06:55.230 --> 00:06:59.990 And so today, my company Splash Brands, we are 00:06:59.990 --> 00:07:03.449 a fully on -demand online store solution. So 00:07:03.449 --> 00:07:05.810 companies come to us so that they can provide 00:07:05.810 --> 00:07:08.949 their own branded apparel, promo, and print to 00:07:08.949 --> 00:07:12.569 their employees or any end users in their audience. 00:07:13.469 --> 00:07:17.810 Okay, great. Thank you for that intro. A couple 00:07:17.810 --> 00:07:20.529 quick questions for you guys. Where are you both 00:07:20.529 --> 00:07:23.910 located? Alyssa, where's your facility? We are 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:27.050 in Dallas, Texas. Okay, and Jacob, where are 00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:30.230 you? We have two facilities. We're in Boston, 00:07:30.230 --> 00:07:32.410 Massachusetts, just north in Danvers, and we're 00:07:32.410 --> 00:07:36.170 also in Venlo, Netherlands to cover Europe. Great, 00:07:36.290 --> 00:07:38.829 great. Thank you for sharing that. One of the 00:07:38.829 --> 00:07:40.829 comments you mentioned, Alyssa, I think it's 00:07:40.829 --> 00:07:43.250 important for our audience, is the evolution 00:07:43.250 --> 00:07:47.670 of taking e -commerce payments online. Adrian 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:50.170 and I were both on the distributor side back 00:07:50.170 --> 00:07:54.329 then. We lived the life that you actually described 00:07:54.329 --> 00:07:57.970 where both of us worked at companies that were. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.660 disruptors in the company store space. I've sold 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:04.240 the first company store for marketing incentives 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:07.480 to Boston Wailer. Adrian's company, you want 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.379 to share a little bit, Adrian, about how your 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:13.879 company got into the company store world? I'll 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:16.980 just share how Pops Herb Barker was, I remember 00:08:16.980 --> 00:08:20.019 when he came home from a very large tire company 00:08:20.019 --> 00:08:24.720 and like can drew a three, like three part flyer. 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:27.500 and said, we're going to stock this merchandise, 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:30.399 and people will call us, and each of the departments 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:32.899 will place orders with us, and this will help 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:35.679 us to get our name out there with this very large 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.299 tire company. And then we will do custom products 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:41.879 for them, but we'll offer this what we'll call 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:46.500 a store program. Yeah, so great. So evolution 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:50.659 of this. concept and way to go to market in the 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:53.360 industry of company stores, which back then were 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:58.019 loss leaders, really. They had lengthy closing 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:02.940 sale cycles, legalese contracts that could just 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:05.659 be overwhelming and take months to get signed, 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:08.899 inventory that would languish in warehouses, 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:13.639 all the things that make traditional company 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.980 stores risky. And what I love seeing evolving 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:21.159 is the dissipation of that risk in the change 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:24.799 in going to market and the way the user experience 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.379 has evolved, vis -a -vis paying with credit cards 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:32.120 and, hey, maybe even crypto someday, right? So 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:35.720 lots of evolution. Thank you for your intros. 00:09:36.860 --> 00:09:39.379 I think what I'd like to ask you both is sort 00:09:39.379 --> 00:09:43.399 of an elevator pitch on what your company does 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:46.379 and what sets your company apart. So, Alyssa, 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:50.279 how do you pitch your company to folks? Yeah, 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:54.519 so, you know, we are a true niche. We're a true 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:58.200 niche company in the sense that we do one thing 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:00.899 really, really well, and that's provide online 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:04.840 company store programs with no order minimums, 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:08.899 quick shipping, no inventory. everything is made 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:12.840 on demand. So all of our orders run through our 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:15.440 online company store programs. And all of our 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.919 company store programs, for the most part, come 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:21.580 from distributor relationships. So we are just 00:10:21.580 --> 00:10:25.019 one extra tool in their arsenal of tools that 00:10:25.019 --> 00:10:27.600 they're offering their clients. I'm doing all 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.480 the little 1Z, 2Z orders through the store. It's 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:32.240 all automated. It runs through our production 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.539 facility. It all goes from one location in one 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.350 box. And then the distributors are taking taking 00:10:37.350 --> 00:10:40.529 care of the other 85 % of the client's needs 00:10:40.529 --> 00:10:42.730 of those really big orders, the event orders, 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:46.250 the creative orders, the overseas orders. They're 00:10:46.250 --> 00:10:49.370 handling all that part. Okay. And how many products 00:10:49.370 --> 00:10:51.950 in your portfolio? How many products in your 00:10:51.950 --> 00:10:56.429 mix? We have about 2 ,500 products today. Okay. 00:10:56.629 --> 00:10:59.830 And you decorate them all in -house in your facility 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:03.389 or do you have any strategic partnerships? Everything 00:11:03.389 --> 00:11:07.169 comes in -house in our facility. Okay. have a 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:11.830 lot of really recognizable clients. You would 00:11:11.830 --> 00:11:14.450 know their name, and if it's a red company, if 00:11:14.450 --> 00:11:16.149 that red's a little off, you're gonna know it, 00:11:16.169 --> 00:11:19.049 because you would recognize it. And so we don't 00:11:19.049 --> 00:11:23.549 trust anybody else. The way we set up all of 00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:25.690 our software in the background with the files, 00:11:26.309 --> 00:11:29.509 they're set up one time correctly, and then they're 00:11:29.509 --> 00:11:31.309 pushed right into the equipment where they're 00:11:31.309 --> 00:11:34.289 produced. We take out the human element between 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:37.090 the order. and the file that goes into the machine. 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:40.889 And so we ensure consistency. And so that's why 00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:44.610 it has to be run by us. So print, promo, and 00:11:44.610 --> 00:11:47.669 apparel is all here in the building. Print, promo, 00:11:47.870 --> 00:11:50.610 and apparel. OK, thank you for that insight, 00:11:50.870 --> 00:11:53.769 Jacob. How about your company? How do you function 00:11:53.769 --> 00:11:57.169 and how do you go to market? Yeah, so thanks. 00:11:57.370 --> 00:12:00.110 And it's helpful to learn about Splash brands 00:12:00.110 --> 00:12:01.830 as well. It's a different side of the space. 00:12:01.850 --> 00:12:08.080 So we function as a full stop hard goods on demand 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.700 decoration company. And we'll plug into the backend 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:13.059 of a number of different platforms and similar 00:12:13.059 --> 00:12:16.120 to the way Alyssa described, we handle all of 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:19.240 the file management. So anything from the time 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.379 the order is placed to the artwork's approved 00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:27.039 to product, there's no manipulation. We do special 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:30.879 color profiling for brands that need specific 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:34.750 reds. and have particular color profiles. We 00:12:34.750 --> 00:12:37.330 handle that on our back end. And we're really 00:12:37.330 --> 00:12:40.090 a software company at our core. So everything 00:12:40.090 --> 00:12:43.210 that we do is driven via API. We have a homegrown 00:12:43.210 --> 00:12:46.129 WMS, order management system, inventory management 00:12:46.129 --> 00:12:50.009 system, to handle both our SKUs and consignment 00:12:50.009 --> 00:12:53.730 SKUs for different brands. So we'll handle volume, 00:12:54.269 --> 00:12:58.690 ranging in the numbers of SKUs. So our internal 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:02.190 catalog is not as extensive as Alicia's, it's 00:13:02.190 --> 00:13:05.490 probably somewhere in the 200 piece range, but 00:13:05.490 --> 00:13:07.669 we handle when it comes to colors and brands 00:13:07.669 --> 00:13:11.629 and skews, it blows well beyond that. So very 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:15.389 familiar with that part of the process and we're 00:13:15.389 --> 00:13:18.950 able to dynamically decorate in full color on 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:21.190 all different types of substrates. So whether 00:13:21.190 --> 00:13:24.570 it's glass, powder coat, you name it. Yeah, good 00:13:24.570 --> 00:13:26.730 stuff, good stuff. So what I think I'm hearing 00:13:26.730 --> 00:13:30.080 from both of you is, Automation and technology 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:35.299 is key. And Alyssa, you built your own platform. 00:13:35.539 --> 00:13:39.279 Jacob did the same. Of course, there's lots of 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:41.600 service providers in the industry that flirt 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:47.139 with this, do this. How do you guys fit in with 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:50.080 promo standards, for example? Alyssa, do you 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:52.379 interface with promo standards? Is that part 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:57.070 of your conversation? we currently do not interface 00:13:57.070 --> 00:14:00.909 with promo standards. The stores are hosted and 00:14:00.909 --> 00:14:04.149 set up by us and then we have the direct contact 00:14:04.149 --> 00:14:06.389 with our suppliers and then we're making them 00:14:06.389 --> 00:14:09.389 in -house. Okay, so you don't need promo standards, 00:14:09.610 --> 00:14:13.070 it sounds like. Jacob, what about you guys? How 00:14:13.070 --> 00:14:15.929 do you position yourselves with the promo standards 00:14:15.929 --> 00:14:19.070 conversation? Well, it's an interesting one because 00:14:19.070 --> 00:14:23.240 promo standard isn't exactly... The more conversations 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:26.259 we've gotten into, there are nuances to the way 00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:29.820 that the data is set up. Our system is based 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:32.059 on a homegrown API, but we're able to, we've 00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:34.720 in -house development and we can accommodate 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:39.639 varying forms of EDI setup. So it really is dependent 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:41.740 on how the customer wants to transmit information. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:45.620 We're pretty malleable in that sense. But for 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:48.690 promo standards, yeah, we have had to. make our 00:14:48.690 --> 00:14:51.830 system compatible with the way that certain companies 00:14:51.830 --> 00:14:54.850 operate. Okay, great. Thank you both for that 00:14:54.850 --> 00:14:59.269 insight. I think I'd like to continue that vein 00:14:59.269 --> 00:15:04.289 of distributor adoption. So Alyssa, you've been 00:15:04.289 --> 00:15:07.629 marketing to distributors for, it sounds like 00:15:07.629 --> 00:15:11.309 five or six years now, maybe longer. What are 00:15:11.309 --> 00:15:14.950 some of the challenges you have faced with distributor 00:15:14.950 --> 00:15:22.450 adoption? Oh, good question. You know, I have 00:15:22.450 --> 00:15:25.649 grown over the last few years with our distributor 00:15:25.649 --> 00:15:29.750 relationships. What I found is you have to have 00:15:29.750 --> 00:15:34.450 the right partner. It's not a business where 00:15:34.450 --> 00:15:38.590 somebody could just kick this over to us and, 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:43.440 you know, just kind of here and there. You know 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:45.299 we take care of everything when it comes to the 00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:47.759 store side but they're really driving the client 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:52.320 relationship and so knowing that we're. partners 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:55.480 together. We both have contact with clients, 00:15:55.580 --> 00:15:57.899 which can sometimes be a challenge and it doesn't 00:15:57.899 --> 00:16:00.720 work for all distributors. Okay, that's interesting. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:05.559 Yes. I only do store orders and they do everything 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:09.500 else. But stores can be very complicated. And 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:11.720 so it's difficult if you have a middle layer. 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:14.019 So you always want to have that direct contact 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:18.500 with everybody involved. And so you have to have 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:21.120 the right partners to do that. So over time, 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:24.720 we found the perfect group that that works really 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:30.639 well for. OK, so maybe if I could sort of paraphrase 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:33.240 that, you look for a certain type of distributor 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:37.539 that can see the value in the model that you 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:41.220 provide, be able to deal with two different contracts, 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:44.500 and go to market with their end user client in 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:51.419 that way. Do you see technology as a bottleneck? 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.120 As you're pitching to distributors like when 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.700 you when you're at PPA I what's the objection 00:16:56.700 --> 00:17:00.919 that comes up? You know, there aren't a lot of 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.559 it objections to be honest. Oh, that's good news 00:17:04.780 --> 00:17:07.519 Everyone is sort of looking right now for this 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.859 piece to plug in to their programs. They all 00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:13.480 need a solution to do their onesie twosies. You 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:16.460 know, most distributors are repulsed by the idea 00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:20.039 of doing one t -shirt or one keychain, one plastic 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:25.500 pin. And so we're always just that extra solution 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:27.400 for them to be able to serve their customer. 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:31.190 The thing about stores too is they make them 00:17:31.190 --> 00:17:35.289 very sticky with their clients. Once they're 00:17:35.289 --> 00:17:38.329 in the door set up and we integrate into their 00:17:38.329 --> 00:17:41.410 punch out, if they've got Coupa, Ariba, SAP, 00:17:42.009 --> 00:17:44.250 we set up all the invoicing where we're pushing 00:17:44.250 --> 00:17:47.589 over all their GL numbers. So typically accounting 00:17:47.589 --> 00:17:50.190 loves us, which it's hard sometimes to win that 00:17:50.190 --> 00:17:53.759 group over. And then we tend to serve a lot of 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:56.779 departments in all of these companies. So HR 00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:58.859 might be ordering business cards through the 00:17:58.859 --> 00:18:01.839 store, marketing's doing new hire kits, or HR 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:05.000 is through the store. So we've got all these 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.700 little groups. I've got a financial customer. 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:10.460 They have all their ERPs inside the store. They 00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:12.460 don't order a million things. Some only order 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:15.710 a few items a year. But they're all branded perfectly. 00:18:15.950 --> 00:18:17.950 It's all pre -approved by the marketing team. 00:18:18.029 --> 00:18:19.829 It's there when they want to use it. They can 00:18:19.829 --> 00:18:22.150 get just one. If somebody needs a polo for an 00:18:22.150 --> 00:18:23.910 event, it's right there. They can place their 00:18:23.910 --> 00:18:27.869 order. It's going to ship in three days. So it's 00:18:27.869 --> 00:18:32.650 really a convenient relationship. And we sort 00:18:32.650 --> 00:18:35.450 of rely that little missing puzzle piece that 00:18:35.450 --> 00:18:39.339 helps them. serve the client in all their different 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:41.859 needs and keep that client because it's so hard 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:43.779 for them to get out of the store at that point 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:46.819 and get on with another Partner, you know, we 00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:50.819 kind of make yeah good stuff So Jacob, I know 00:18:50.819 --> 00:18:54.200 you're fairly new in in the distributor space 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:59.579 per se But you've been to a couple shows so far 00:18:59.579 --> 00:19:02.440 Jordan it's been your distributor response to 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:05.180 your services. I think you know, it's extremely 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:07.900 positive. I think the the number one question 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:11.640 is how. And I think, you know, obviously with, 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:13.920 you know, the solution that Alyssa's company 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:15.880 provides, it's nice because it's full stack, 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:18.960 which makes sense. But what gets complicated 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:22.400 is a number of distributors use multiple different 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:25.640 store solutions, right? And so it's like, it 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:28.680 gets semi varied in how people transmit data 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:32.119 on the back end. So what we've done recognizing 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:35.819 that is we've just started plugging in To as 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:38.059 many different back ends as we possibly can so 00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:40.480 whether it's You know, there's a there's a bunch 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.019 of different store solutions out there. There's 00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:44.960 also a bunch of different supplier organizations 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:48.220 out there so We figure the broader we go the 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:50.579 better because that won't inhibit our ability 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:53.059 to service a distributor if they for example 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:55.559 want to use a Shopify store splash brand store 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:58.940 or otherwise and that gives us the Opportunity 00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:02.299 to have our products fulfilled in a number of 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:06.380 different fashions Yeah, beyond that it's it's 00:20:06.380 --> 00:20:09.019 a matter of understanding their technical literacy, 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.599 too So how how easy is it going to be for them 00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:15.759 to go in place in order? so we were doing everything 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:19.980 we can from email conversion to API order to 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:23.980 Try to eliminate as much of the friction as possible 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:27.440 Entering the space it seems coming from the e 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:30.259 -commerce world to the promo world It's not that 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:32.440 there aren't orders. It's that there are more 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:36.890 touches It's about how do you figure out and 00:20:36.890 --> 00:20:38.829 eliminate as many of those touches as you possibly 00:20:38.829 --> 00:20:41.269 can to streamline the ordering process and get 00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:44.789 the products to the customer. Great insights, 00:20:44.950 --> 00:20:47.690 both of you. I think what I want to add the layer 00:20:47.690 --> 00:20:51.789 of that, what I see out in the marketplace is 00:20:51.789 --> 00:20:56.089 distributors learning to give up control. the 00:20:56.089 --> 00:21:00.069 sales process. And I find that that is an objection 00:21:00.069 --> 00:21:02.410 I hear a lot. They just can't get their heads 00:21:02.410 --> 00:21:05.509 around. Well, I don't have to do anything. What 00:21:05.509 --> 00:21:08.470 do you mean? I can't, you know, I've been raised 00:21:08.470 --> 00:21:13.230 to be a consultative seller. How do I switch 00:21:13.230 --> 00:21:17.289 my mindset from that to putting my trust into 00:21:17.289 --> 00:21:21.009 an e -commerce solution? And now this is, you 00:21:21.009 --> 00:21:24.509 know, probably for the older part of the distributor 00:21:24.509 --> 00:21:28.089 population, maybe that challenge isn't so present 00:21:28.089 --> 00:21:32.589 for the, you know, under 30s. So I love hearing 00:21:32.589 --> 00:21:37.190 about how we can take that fear away from the 00:21:37.190 --> 00:21:40.529 distributor and help them understand that the 00:21:40.529 --> 00:21:43.690 way they do business is changing and that they 00:21:43.690 --> 00:21:47.769 don't have to live that same distributor life 00:21:47.769 --> 00:21:51.220 they did maybe even five years ago. That was 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:53.640 really one of the purposes of our podcast today 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:57.559 was to help remove the fear or the reluctance 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:01.680 of adopting a different way of creating and selling 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:05.839 and delivering company stores. So great insight 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:08.180 from both of you. I'm going to switch a little 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:12.119 bit to profitability because this is another 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:16.319 topic that we hear a lot about in our consulting 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:19.789 practice. How do I make money on this? If it's 00:22:19.789 --> 00:22:23.349 one piece and somebody is printing it in their 00:22:23.349 --> 00:22:25.369 factory, they got to ship it in there, they got 00:22:25.369 --> 00:22:29.069 to print it, there still has to be some labor 00:22:29.069 --> 00:22:33.009 involved in unpacking, repacking. So let's talk 00:22:33.009 --> 00:22:35.269 a little bit about profitability. And I think 00:22:35.269 --> 00:22:37.269 I'm going to start with you, Jacob, this time. 00:22:37.789 --> 00:22:43.450 How do you see an MOQ of one on demand product 00:22:43.450 --> 00:22:47.319 price point wise stacking up against you know, 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:51.220 a traditional bulk ordered promotional product. 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:53.920 I mean, you have more control, right? So if you 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:55.660 have more control and you're getting it to the 00:22:55.660 --> 00:22:59.619 end consumer on a quicker timeline, then it really 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:02.220 comes down to it. It is a semi more premium product, 00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:04.779 right? But given it's all about the decoration 00:23:04.779 --> 00:23:08.819 technique, your speed to order quality. I think 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:11.299 it justifies a higher price point at a certain 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:13.859 point in time for the quality of service. It 00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:16.039 also gets to be a little bit more simplified 00:23:16.039 --> 00:23:19.420 because there is no setup fee, there is no processing 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:23.180 fee, there is no pack -in, pack -out fee necessarily. 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:26.140 Those things are incorporated into the full stack 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:29.220 print -on -demand process because if you think 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:32.000 about it, we're not just doing one pint glass, 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:34.390 we're doing thousands of pine glasses that just 00:23:34.390 --> 00:23:37.170 happen to be going all over the place. We were 00:23:37.170 --> 00:23:42.150 able to smooth out the bottom line by doing higher 00:23:42.150 --> 00:23:45.210 volume. It's just giving the customer more control. 00:23:45.509 --> 00:23:49.109 So it ends up giving the end customer a better 00:23:49.109 --> 00:23:51.829 experience and streamlining the backline process 00:23:51.829 --> 00:23:55.130 because if it's all technically driven, there's 00:23:55.130 --> 00:23:58.309 no extra touches. Okay, thank you for sharing 00:23:58.309 --> 00:24:00.539 that. Alyssa, what do you think? Yeah, to add 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:06.039 on to that, for us, the automation with the technology 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:08.940 to be able to gang all of our orders together, 00:24:09.059 --> 00:24:12.599 that's what's been so key to keeping the price 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:15.619 low and getting it out the door quickly. So what 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:19.059 happens in the background is maybe this morning 00:24:19.059 --> 00:24:22.299 three separate employees placed an order and 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:25.039 it was a different size, color, style for an 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:27.079 apparel item, but they all had the same embroidered 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:30.430 logo. So automatically, the software does the 00:24:30.430 --> 00:24:33.369 heavy lift of going, oh, this is all the same 00:24:33.369 --> 00:24:37.470 logo. So it tells our pickers to come in and 00:24:37.470 --> 00:24:39.670 select those three items together, take it over 00:24:39.670 --> 00:24:41.309 to the hooping station where it's going to be 00:24:41.309 --> 00:24:43.589 set up for embroidery, and then it will be all 00:24:43.589 --> 00:24:45.690 put on the machine at once. So even though it 00:24:45.690 --> 00:24:48.269 was three separate orders, we're running them 00:24:48.269 --> 00:24:50.589 all at once and getting them out the door. And 00:24:50.589 --> 00:24:53.250 that's really our philosophy behind everything 00:24:53.250 --> 00:24:55.329 is how do we make it productive and efficient? 00:24:55.529 --> 00:24:57.809 Our whole lives are spent making everything more 00:24:57.809 --> 00:25:03.210 efficient. Benefits to the distributor are no 00:25:03.210 --> 00:25:09.549 inventory, streamlined order processing, dependability. 00:25:09.910 --> 00:25:13.430 They can trust you guys to deliver that you will 00:25:13.430 --> 00:25:15.990 do what you say you're going to do. Let's talk 00:25:15.990 --> 00:25:19.710 about production time. How is the production 00:25:19.710 --> 00:25:24.180 time? Does it differ from a traditional promotional 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:28.539 product order with a traditional supplier? Talk 00:25:28.539 --> 00:25:30.900 about that a little bit, Jacob. Yeah, I mean, 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:33.700 we're under SLA with our customers for one to 00:25:33.700 --> 00:25:36.500 three business day turnaround. So part of the 00:25:36.500 --> 00:25:39.819 process to piggyback of what Alyssa said, the 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:42.460 technology is key. You have to be able to handle 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:45.140 files. You have to be able to match color properly. 00:25:45.529 --> 00:25:49.609 you cannot be spending extra time or labor or 00:25:49.609 --> 00:25:52.390 intensity on ensuring that that is right every 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:55.789 time. That's all part of your process. And so 00:25:55.789 --> 00:25:58.309 the more setup you do at the front end, it'll 00:25:58.309 --> 00:26:00.210 streamline the back end. And so when it comes 00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:03.410 to production timing, again, eliminating the 00:26:03.410 --> 00:26:06.730 number of factors involved in the actual picking 00:26:06.730 --> 00:26:09.069 and printing and packing and shipping of the 00:26:09.069 --> 00:26:11.829 product, as much as that is handled on the back 00:26:11.829 --> 00:26:15.640 end. Again, reiterate the accounting side of 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:17.779 it as well. How do you make sure it's invoiced 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:20.140 properly? We've streamlined as well with integrating 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.460 with different systems and making sure it's as 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:24.799 clean as possible for people to handle one piece. 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:27.880 Beyond that, just to jump back a little bit, 00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:30.920 it's all about localized distribution. So for 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:34.680 us, we deal with companies that are global. So 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:37.000 the reasoning for our European operation is to 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:40.109 be able to distribute to customers in the UK, 00:26:40.509 --> 00:26:42.670 throughout Europe and beyond, beyond the fact 00:26:42.670 --> 00:26:45.549 that we can cross -country ship throughout the 00:26:45.549 --> 00:26:47.670 United States from our location here and then 00:26:47.670 --> 00:26:50.970 future West Coast locations. Okay, great. How 00:26:50.970 --> 00:26:53.730 about you, Alyssa? How's your production timing 00:26:53.730 --> 00:26:57.119 work? Yeah, so everything ships out in an average 00:26:57.119 --> 00:27:00.480 of three business days, but for us it's all based 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:04.599 on the location of the blank Okay, where is that 00:27:04.599 --> 00:27:07.740 undecorated product? Is it in my production facility 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:10.579 or is it at our suppliers production facility? 00:27:10.900 --> 00:27:13.940 We have an API and inside of our stores that 00:27:13.940 --> 00:27:17.460 connects with key suppliers and it'll tell us 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:20.460 As soon as someone puts in a quantity how many 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:23.880 days away it is from us. So if it's In in texas 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:26.299 where I am it's going to be at my doorstep most 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:28.660 likely the next morning by 8 30 a .m It's if 00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:30.940 it's out of state It could take as long as five 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:33.619 business days because we need a little extra 00:27:33.619 --> 00:27:35.980 transit time for them to get that order out the 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:39.339 door Shipped to us received in everything that 00:27:39.339 --> 00:27:42.119 hits our doorstep is typically flipped decorated 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:45.880 within 24 hours But it's the for us. It's about 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:50.400 the blank Okay, and so you know i'll just Go 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:53.700 back to the expense of shipping everything in. 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:57.980 So that's rolled into the cost of the item. So 00:27:57.980 --> 00:28:00.019 distributors listening, when you look at a print 00:28:00.019 --> 00:28:03.519 on demand MOQ of one product and the pricing 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:07.480 is higher than what you used to, wrap your heads 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:10.259 around everything that goes into getting that 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:14.680 MOQ of one piece into a facility decorated and 00:28:14.680 --> 00:28:18.299 then. Dropship to now drop shipping has also 00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:21.539 transformed the industry. Thank you COVID, you 00:28:21.539 --> 00:28:26.680 know so That has really driven I think a lot 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:29.440 of the adoption of print -on -demand and moq 00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:33.640 of one and the retail space people like zazzle 00:28:33.640 --> 00:28:37.859 and folks like that where People can go online 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:42.240 and order one special item ordered with a unique 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:45.519 imprint And we want to have another podcast on 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:49.160 that whole idea of the creator economy. And you 00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:51.960 know, what does the retail space look like? But 00:28:51.960 --> 00:28:54.420 for today, we're going to focus on promo. So 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:57.599 tell me, Alyssa, in your model, how did distributors 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:02.059 get paid? So in our model, it's a straight commission. 00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:06.509 So it's based off the sale of every order. So 00:29:06.509 --> 00:29:08.910 that's a percentage back to the distributors 00:29:08.910 --> 00:29:12.289 at monthly, weekly, how does that work? It goes 00:29:12.289 --> 00:29:17.369 out once a month based on sales. And as far as 00:29:17.369 --> 00:29:19.630 like store management on the distributor side, 00:29:19.970 --> 00:29:21.730 a distributor could have a hundred stores with 00:29:21.730 --> 00:29:25.069 us and they won't have to hire an admin. It won't 00:29:25.069 --> 00:29:28.009 take up a bunch of time. We manage all that part 00:29:28.009 --> 00:29:30.849 for them. So some of them call it mailbox money. 00:29:31.600 --> 00:29:34.240 Yeah, I mean the family would love it. I think 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:38.000 what I'm getting at is distributors getting their 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:40.680 heads around that the profit margin is different 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:42.579 and they're going to get paid in a different 00:29:42.579 --> 00:29:45.720 way than what they're used to. And that was one 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:48.740 of the purposes of the podcast today is to help 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:52.500 distributors start to change their mindset about 00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:56.140 how they generate revenue. So Jacob, how about 00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:59.289 in your world? I know you're a different set 00:29:59.289 --> 00:30:02.329 up than Alyssa and you don't really pay distributors 00:30:02.329 --> 00:30:05.109 right now. So I don't know if that's a fair question 00:30:05.109 --> 00:30:07.609 to you. I'll just ask you for your response. 00:30:07.869 --> 00:30:11.109 Yeah, I think it's not exactly how we're set 00:30:11.109 --> 00:30:17.950 up right now. We're more in the direct to. Yeah, 00:30:17.950 --> 00:30:19.930 I mean, if we're going to work with. So, you 00:30:19.930 --> 00:30:21.769 know, say it put us in the supplier category 00:30:21.769 --> 00:30:24.390 for a moment, right? So for a supplier and we're 00:30:24.390 --> 00:30:26.589 working directly with the distributors, then 00:30:26.589 --> 00:30:28.250 yeah, it would be a similar type of commission 00:30:28.250 --> 00:30:31.569 based structure. But we could get clever with 00:30:31.569 --> 00:30:35.009 ways, you know, volume discounting and overall 00:30:35.009 --> 00:30:37.529 bulking for different types of products that 00:30:37.529 --> 00:30:40.960 can be faster moving. What's interesting in a 00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:42.519 little bit different in how we handle everything. 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:45.059 We have all of our product in -house, so we're 00:30:45.059 --> 00:30:47.460 not waiting for product to come in before we 00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:49.799 decorate it. Again, we're not carrying 2 ,500 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:52.420 SKUs. If we order, we would have to bring them 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:55.140 in on different types of products, but we're 00:30:55.140 --> 00:30:57.220 carrying everything in -house. So the product 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:59.759 cost for transit is rolled into the base cost. 00:31:00.170 --> 00:31:02.329 just to walk it all the way back, but that would 00:31:02.329 --> 00:31:04.970 impact overall commission structure. Now, if 00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:08.329 you think about the way that we operate as a 00:31:08.329 --> 00:31:10.930 back end for a lot of the econ platforms, the 00:31:10.930 --> 00:31:13.190 commission structure would be just the same that 00:31:13.190 --> 00:31:15.250 it would work with any of the platforms that 00:31:15.250 --> 00:31:18.450 take off the top of what we sell them the product 00:31:18.450 --> 00:31:23.250 to, right? So say we sell a candle for 20 bucks 00:31:23.250 --> 00:31:25.710 and retails for 40 bucks. Well, we sold it to 00:31:25.710 --> 00:31:29.819 the distributor for 20 bucks. 20 bucks, you know, 00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:33.200 it goes the same way. Okay. Okay. So different 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:36.500 ways of going to market with profitability. So 00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:39.160 that's great for distributor listeners. There's 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:42.660 lots of models out there. Do your homework. Do 00:31:42.660 --> 00:31:46.299 your own research. Start with these two and then 00:31:46.299 --> 00:31:51.000 expand your research from there. I do want to, 00:31:51.140 --> 00:31:54.119 we are getting to the end of our time, but I 00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:58.920 have two more things to highlight. One is international 00:31:58.920 --> 00:32:01.680 shipping. Alyssa, I don't know if your company 00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:04.720 does international shipping or shipping to Canada. 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:07.980 Tell us about that on your side. Yeah, we do 00:32:07.980 --> 00:32:10.400 ship all over the world, but it does come from 00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:14.039 the facility in Dallas, Texas. So for our international 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:17.819 companies, we're a good solution if occasionally 00:32:17.819 --> 00:32:20.519 they need to place an order and ship it overseas. 00:32:20.859 --> 00:32:24.599 But the transit time and the cost is a deterrent 00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:28.539 from doing it on a regular basis. Okay, thank 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:31.059 you. How about you, Jacob? What's your international 00:32:31.059 --> 00:32:35.920 footprint? Given our demand over the years for 00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:38.880 distribution globally and the trans time that 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:42.359 we were seeing in shipping one pint glass to 00:32:42.359 --> 00:32:45.359 France from Boston, though it's sure a lovely 00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:47.119 plane ride. It's not the most cost effective. 00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:50.579 So we went and set up an operation in Venlo, 00:32:50.720 --> 00:32:53.500 which is logistically and strategically a great 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:56.339 place for distribution again for throughout Europe 00:32:56.339 --> 00:32:59.759 as well as into the UK. I think right now for 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:03.299 us to ship a pint glass from. our facility in 00:33:03.299 --> 00:33:06.480 Venland of the UK is about 550 euros. So it's 00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:10.480 very cost -effective. Transit time is clean and 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:12.059 quick and a lot faster than it would be from 00:33:12.059 --> 00:33:15.259 Boston. So that's how we handle it for companies 00:33:15.259 --> 00:33:16.880 that want to handle and work with us globally. 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:21.299 Excellent. So great selling points both of you 00:33:21.299 --> 00:33:24.299 have to the distributor and supplier community. 00:33:26.669 --> 00:33:30.450 My last focus is on hyper personalization and 00:33:30.450 --> 00:33:33.950 gifting because I think this is really a driver 00:33:33.950 --> 00:33:37.049 and a selling point for distributors to be able 00:33:37.049 --> 00:33:41.269 to convert clients into these types of stores 00:33:41.269 --> 00:33:44.849 is the ability to put somebody's name, a date, 00:33:45.950 --> 00:33:48.349 anything really specific, even a photograph. 00:33:49.029 --> 00:33:51.920 So Alyssa, what are your thoughts on that? Oh 00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:55.599 yeah, personalization is huge, as well as being 00:33:55.599 --> 00:33:59.240 able to kit things together. So we offer both 00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:01.720 inside of our stores. We have a lot of business 00:34:01.720 --> 00:34:04.900 rules built around controlling any personalization 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:07.420 that's put on a product, whether it's print promo 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:10.480 or apparel, where it can go to an approver before 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:12.639 it's processed. Or if you're making a business 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:16.059 card and you want dots instead of dashes, it'll 00:34:16.059 --> 00:34:19.510 force those dots. Um, so that's been key for 00:34:19.510 --> 00:34:23.050 us is giving people the freedom to go out and 00:34:23.050 --> 00:34:25.829 get what they need, but tightening control over 00:34:25.829 --> 00:34:27.869 who can get out the door with those personalized 00:34:27.869 --> 00:34:31.210 items. And then on the kidding side. Yeah. Oh 00:34:31.210 --> 00:34:33.869 no, go ahead. Kidding side. Um, you know, that 00:34:33.869 --> 00:34:37.690 was a surprise for us. Uh, everyone, not everyone, 00:34:37.849 --> 00:34:42.489 but pretty often I was getting asked for our 00:34:42.489 --> 00:34:45.809 catalog of items to be put into a box or a backpack. 00:34:46.789 --> 00:34:50.190 And so I was keeping kits on the shelf, like 00:34:50.190 --> 00:34:53.829 new hire kits. But then it started to become 00:34:53.829 --> 00:34:56.630 really common and I was keeping all this inventory. 00:34:56.750 --> 00:34:59.150 I'm like, this literally goes against our entire 00:34:59.150 --> 00:35:03.269 principle of the company, no inventory. And so 00:35:03.269 --> 00:35:06.869 we built in some software now where we put a 00:35:06.869 --> 00:35:09.469 box on there that has the items in it inside 00:35:09.469 --> 00:35:12.489 the store. It's one line item. They place the 00:35:12.489 --> 00:35:14.650 order, it distributes out to all the departments 00:35:14.650 --> 00:35:17.989 who make each part of the gifts inside of the 00:35:17.989 --> 00:35:20.289 box. We print the box back in front with whatever 00:35:20.289 --> 00:35:23.230 they want, and then it goes out the door presentation 00:35:23.230 --> 00:35:27.750 ready, all on demand, one off. Very cool, very 00:35:27.750 --> 00:35:30.630 cool. So do you have a sense of what percentage 00:35:30.630 --> 00:35:34.309 of your business includes personalization like 00:35:34.309 --> 00:35:39.150 that? It's pretty low. It's under 10%. Under 00:35:39.150 --> 00:35:42.250 10%. Do you see that growing in the future? I 00:35:42.250 --> 00:35:47.090 do. I see everyone that comes to us asking us 00:35:47.090 --> 00:35:50.429 to personalize a product. gives us a challenge. 00:35:51.730 --> 00:35:55.329 So you can now upload pictures on business cards 00:35:55.329 --> 00:35:58.610 or QR codes have been really hot. So now we can 00:35:58.610 --> 00:36:03.289 put QR codes with custom URLs or the little linking 00:36:03.289 --> 00:36:05.829 software that'll push the contact directly into 00:36:05.829 --> 00:36:08.250 your phone if you've got a business card. And 00:36:08.250 --> 00:36:11.969 so I do think we'll have a lot of adoption over 00:36:11.969 --> 00:36:15.280 time with features like that. Really fun. Okay. 00:36:15.400 --> 00:36:17.539 How about you, Jacob? What do you see for hyper 00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:20.159 personalization in your world? I mean, we see 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:22.900 it on everything, you know, we're more on the, 00:36:22.900 --> 00:36:25.260 you know, commercial side where people are looking 00:36:25.260 --> 00:36:27.539 for their family photo on something and want 00:36:27.539 --> 00:36:32.239 to have their name. So we see a lot of, it's 00:36:32.239 --> 00:36:34.420 Valentine's Day is always fun because people 00:36:34.420 --> 00:36:37.139 have, you know, names and Christmas gets very 00:36:37.139 --> 00:36:41.340 funny and Halloween of course so it's what we 00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:43.260 do see in the corporate side too I mean people 00:36:43.260 --> 00:36:46.059 do really appreciate getting their company brand 00:36:46.059 --> 00:36:48.519 with a with a name on it you know we've seen 00:36:48.519 --> 00:36:51.119 that grow over the years and you know we'll handle 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:54.079 dynamic orders for big companies for a few hundred 00:36:54.079 --> 00:36:56.920 pieces and it's just different names and logos 00:36:56.920 --> 00:37:01.420 cleverly placed so I see that as a growing part 00:37:01.420 --> 00:37:03.159 of the industry and I think it's certainly a 00:37:03.159 --> 00:37:05.539 great opportunity for distributors looking to 00:37:05.929 --> 00:37:08.809 sell that concept to companies who want to be 00:37:08.809 --> 00:37:11.110 able to capitalize on an occasion or an event, 00:37:11.510 --> 00:37:14.269 because it does give that extra touch and feeling 00:37:14.269 --> 00:37:17.610 of home. Great. Do you have any sense of what 00:37:17.610 --> 00:37:21.530 percentage in your company is more? Personalization? 00:37:23.349 --> 00:37:25.869 I mean, I'm looking at a cup that says Stacey 00:37:25.869 --> 00:37:29.130 on my desk. I don't even know a Stacey. It's 00:37:29.130 --> 00:37:34.139 probably, yeah. Well, it could well could have 00:37:34.139 --> 00:37:36.440 been in that for next time because throw it out. 00:37:36.519 --> 00:37:40.079 There's a an easy sixty percent easily sixty. 00:37:40.500 --> 00:37:44.159 Yeah, so very different companies right now you 00:37:44.159 --> 00:37:46.880 two very different ways you're going to market 00:37:46.880 --> 00:37:50.719 but providing a very valuable service in white 00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:54.019 space that exists in the industry today. So congratulations 00:37:54.019 --> 00:37:56.780 to both of you. So impressed with what you've 00:37:56.780 --> 00:38:00.030 accomplished. I'm going to do wrap -up comments 00:38:00.030 --> 00:38:02.230 with my co -hosts that didn't get to talk today. 00:38:02.230 --> 00:38:06.170 I'm so sorry you guys got dived in, but Adrian, 00:38:06.389 --> 00:38:10.010 what do you think? This is great. Thank you, 00:38:10.030 --> 00:38:12.409 Alyssa. Thank you, Jacob. A couple of things. 00:38:12.449 --> 00:38:17.429 One is for the distributors. Understand when 00:38:17.429 --> 00:38:21.050 you say, we have a company store as a distributor, 00:38:21.210 --> 00:38:23.809 what that really means. I think many distributors 00:38:23.809 --> 00:38:26.190 don't understand it. They think, we have the 00:38:26.190 --> 00:38:28.900 software, But they don't understand that to work 00:38:28.900 --> 00:38:30.739 with a company that has everything housed in 00:38:30.739 --> 00:38:34.340 one place, what that looks like. And or I like 00:38:34.340 --> 00:38:36.460 this could be said a lot. We don't do company 00:38:36.460 --> 00:38:38.800 stores. Well, yes, you're not doing company stores 00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:41.099 because you're not understanding a company store 00:38:41.099 --> 00:38:43.639 and how it opens the door. So, I mean, there's 00:38:43.639 --> 00:38:45.380 two kinds of distributors. There's the ones that 00:38:45.380 --> 00:38:47.539 are profitable, that they're out there selling, 00:38:47.739 --> 00:38:50.820 they're learning, they're educating. They they 00:38:50.820 --> 00:38:53.250 know that they want to be on the. forefront of 00:38:53.250 --> 00:38:55.289 anything that is really unique and they want 00:38:55.289 --> 00:38:57.889 to provide their clients with something that's 00:38:57.889 --> 00:39:00.909 also, you know, revolutionary and could really 00:39:00.909 --> 00:39:03.730 grow their custom business. And then there's 00:39:03.730 --> 00:39:06.429 those that really just plow through the day and 00:39:06.429 --> 00:39:09.489 that's it. So for you that are learners and want 00:39:09.489 --> 00:39:11.929 to know, you really should look at the option 00:39:11.929 --> 00:39:15.269 of and how and why a company store. And one thing 00:39:15.269 --> 00:39:17.409 that wasn't mentioned is the cost of actually 00:39:17.409 --> 00:39:20.469 an order in the industry. So if you look at it 00:39:20.469 --> 00:39:22.449 and let's just say there's an average price of 00:39:22.449 --> 00:39:26.010 a hundred dollars Okay to do one order That's 00:39:26.010 --> 00:39:27.750 how often the order is going to be touched from 00:39:27.750 --> 00:39:29.929 the time that the person is Typing the order 00:39:29.929 --> 00:39:32.250 into the system to the time that it has to be 00:39:32.250 --> 00:39:35.550 invoice Alyssa brought up a something with three 00:39:35.550 --> 00:39:38.050 different items if you have to play three different 00:39:38.050 --> 00:39:41.130 orders in essence You're costing your company 00:39:41.130 --> 00:39:43.769 three hundred dollars and the last thing I want 00:39:43.769 --> 00:39:46.400 to say to distributors is Don't think I'm gonna 00:39:46.400 --> 00:39:48.639 bring all this merchandise in I've got a warehouse 00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:51.000 that I could be a smaller company store I'll 00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:53.579 have like 25 items because you are gonna end 00:39:53.579 --> 00:39:55.840 up with the issue of not being able to sell it 00:39:55.840 --> 00:39:58.739 all make sure you poly bag anything that is light 00:39:58.739 --> 00:40:00.760 color because it's gonna get dirty and dusty 00:40:00.760 --> 00:40:03.460 and make sure you have someone that right that 00:40:03.460 --> 00:40:05.380 makes you have someone there that's gonna double 00:40:05.380 --> 00:40:07.179 check and look at everything because you're gonna 00:40:07.179 --> 00:40:09.659 be using different suppliers it's gonna be a 00:40:09.659 --> 00:40:12.820 mess and So that those are the points. I really 00:40:12.820 --> 00:40:16.389 want to say was important to me. So thank you, 00:40:16.389 --> 00:40:18.510 Lisa. You're doing a great job. Amazing. We love 00:40:18.510 --> 00:40:21.090 you as a host and Alyssa, Jacob, really fantastic 00:40:21.090 --> 00:40:24.130 information. Thank you. Thank you guys. Thanks 00:40:24.130 --> 00:40:27.690 Adrian for highlighting those issues with company 00:40:27.690 --> 00:40:30.849 stores and processing of orders, the cost associated 00:40:30.849 --> 00:40:34.090 with it. Kim, did you have any thoughts or final 00:40:34.090 --> 00:40:36.670 comments? I know it's a lot to take in. Yeah, 00:40:36.750 --> 00:40:39.429 no, I love this topic. And one of the things 00:40:39.429 --> 00:40:42.699 I think is important too is I think solutions 00:40:42.699 --> 00:40:46.760 like this offer give all different suppliers 00:40:46.760 --> 00:40:49.739 and distributors, but even the vertical markets 00:40:49.739 --> 00:40:53.059 within promo, an opportunity to expand their 00:40:53.059 --> 00:40:56.400 revenue streams without having to do that deep 00:40:56.400 --> 00:40:59.380 dive in that technology. I'm like, wow, these 00:40:59.380 --> 00:41:01.599 companies store a streamline. How many incentive 00:41:01.599 --> 00:41:05.039 companies are out there feeding the market and 00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:07.480 partnering with the big guys? They're feeding 00:41:07.480 --> 00:41:11.539 products to OC tanners, merits, work human. Well, 00:41:11.840 --> 00:41:14.559 there are thousands of companies, probably tens 00:41:14.559 --> 00:41:16.719 of thousands, maybe millions of companies that 00:41:16.719 --> 00:41:19.380 can never afford a big employee engagement program 00:41:19.380 --> 00:41:21.780 like that, right? And they're not having their 00:41:21.780 --> 00:41:26.099 companies. These are really sizable, bite -sized 00:41:26.099 --> 00:41:30.400 technology that can be woven into your offerings. 00:41:31.639 --> 00:41:34.280 And once it's set up, it's sort of a set it and 00:41:34.280 --> 00:41:37.960 forget it type atmosphere, right? I love, Alyssa, 00:41:37.980 --> 00:41:41.460 where you said it's the mailbox check. Right. 00:41:41.679 --> 00:41:45.260 So, you know, I think there are different segments 00:41:45.260 --> 00:41:47.880 of the market that don't even necessarily focus. 00:41:47.920 --> 00:41:51.000 They sort of put company store in another bucket. 00:41:51.420 --> 00:41:55.139 But with the technology, whether you have your 00:41:55.139 --> 00:41:58.659 own website and Shopify store that you can, you 00:41:58.659 --> 00:42:02.219 know, plug in, you know, Jacob's solution, or 00:42:02.219 --> 00:42:05.380 you really just want to hand it all off completely 00:42:05.380 --> 00:42:10.309 to splash brands. opportunities there and I think 00:42:10.309 --> 00:42:13.269 sometimes you know distributors and suppliers 00:42:13.269 --> 00:42:17.329 like it's a siloed into their specific. Market 00:42:17.329 --> 00:42:20.550 and only the things they feel they can deliver 00:42:20.550 --> 00:42:23.469 without really understanding the technology that's 00:42:23.469 --> 00:42:26.760 out there that's just. can really broaden anybody's 00:42:26.760 --> 00:42:29.800 offerings. So I love this. Thank you guys so 00:42:29.800 --> 00:42:33.119 much for joining. I think there is a lot of confusion 00:42:33.119 --> 00:42:35.139 out there and I love being able to demystify 00:42:35.139 --> 00:42:37.739 things like this. Yeah. Yeah. So thank you for 00:42:37.739 --> 00:42:40.440 those wrap up comments, Kim. I think what I'd 00:42:40.440 --> 00:42:42.880 like to say is instead of thinking of this as 00:42:42.880 --> 00:42:46.260 an erosion of your sales, think of it as a way 00:42:46.260 --> 00:42:49.739 to increase your sales without the heavy lift 00:42:49.739 --> 00:42:53.639 of having to touch every single order. And remember 00:42:53.639 --> 00:42:56.800 that these orders will still pull in bulk orders 00:42:56.800 --> 00:42:59.420 for your business. So you're not cannibalizing 00:42:59.420 --> 00:43:02.739 your business, you're enhancing it. And change 00:43:02.739 --> 00:43:05.920 your old habits, change the way you think of 00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:09.500 our traditional promo industry and embrace these 00:43:09.500 --> 00:43:12.840 changes. They're coming, they're happening. Five 00:43:12.840 --> 00:43:14.900 years from now, this is the way we're going to 00:43:14.900 --> 00:43:18.039 function. So we're so glad to have you both on 00:43:18.039 --> 00:43:21.079 the show to help demystify. Great work, Kim. 00:43:21.300 --> 00:43:24.559 And I hope we have you both back soon. Thank 00:43:24.559 --> 00:43:27.820 you so much. Thanks, team. Really appreciate 00:43:27.820 --> 00:43:30.300 the time. What a pleasure. Yeah, great to talk 00:43:30.300 --> 00:43:33.920 to you all. Splash friends and digital on demand. 00:43:35.239 --> 00:43:40.300 Talk soon. Thanks for tuning into the promo playbook. 00:43:40.719 --> 00:43:43.699 If you found value in today's episode, be sure 00:43:43.699 --> 00:43:47.039 to subscribe and leave us a review. Got a topic 00:43:47.039 --> 00:43:49.619 you'd love us to cover? Connect with us on LinkedIn. 00:43:49.820 --> 00:43:53.559 We want to hear from you. Until next time, stay 00:43:53.559 --> 00:43:56.579 smart, stay strategic, and keep growing your 00:43:56.579 --> 00:43:57.579 supplier's success.