A Personal Story

Can we get personal? How about custom-printed invitations … monogrammed napkins … a scanned photo baby announcement … an engraved silver frame? Offering unique products and personalization services has long been an integral part of the gift and stationery business, allowing smaller retailers to distinguish themselves from department stores and larger competitors. After all, it takes time and knowledge to sit down and work with a customer, and those abilities are among the specialty retailer's greatest strengths.

Thanks to advances in computer technology over the last few years, the ability to offer personalization services quickly and efficiently has come a long way. And customers are demanding more of it. As stationery retailer Dave Schroeder of Parchment, in Orlando, Florida, notes, "These days, the world seems to be faster-paced and more last-minute. Customers come into the store needing wedding invitations when the wedding's just a month out — or party invitations when the party's in a week."

With a modest initial investment in equipment and time, what once required outside specialists can now be done quickly and affordably on-site. For retailers interested in adding personalization services, there are a number of options to consider.

The largest and most active sectors of the personalization business are invitations and stationery. In the past, wedding and special occasion planners sent custom-printed invitations, chosen from a retailer's album, and outsourced from a stationery supplier. While that's still the norm for formal occasions and high volume jobs, the advent of microcomputer technology has added a new dimension, enabling specialty retailers to execute smaller jobs in-house at an affordable price.

One of the first vendors to offer affordable, on-site printing designed specifically for retail use is Woburn, Massachusetts-based InScribe, which was founded in 1985. InScribe's computerized calligraphy system (introduced at the National Stationery Show in 1986) sparked the imagination of the stationery industry, giving rise to a new stationery category, the imprintable, as well a whole new range of uses, from menu cards to wedding programs to "Save the Date" notices. Nearly 20 years later, hundreds of the company's original lettering beds are still in use. "We write our own software and specialize in making sure that things last," says Joseph Sieber of Inscribe.

As personal computers have become commonplace, imprintable systems have evolved to user-friendly, Windows-based programs with libraries of artwork, designs, and type fonts capable of creating everything from holiday cards with scanned photos to candy wrappers and labels for favors, CDs, and tins. And with built-in art libraries that allow users to print both image/design and text onto blank stock, there's never a risk of running out of stock on a design.

Built-in tutorials on the software make employee training simple, and a variety of other functions help make record-keeping easier. As Josh Eisen of software provider Mountain Cow, Providence, Rhode Island, notes, "Because our program developed out of our home-use software, it's easy to use. In response to customer requests, we've incorporated additional features such as address books, job history records, and employee time-tracking capabilities."

The type and cost of the system you choose depends on what features you need, as well as the level of service you wish to provide. Most software programs allow retailers to start modestly and grow their system as their business grows. But expect a good software package to start at about $600; added bells and whistles can boost the price hundreds more.

Angie Becerra of imprintables pioneer Colors by Design, Van Nuys, California, advises retailers to consider flexibility and creative power. "A retailer needs to be able to respond to a customer's needs immediately; it's that creative flexibility that allows you to truly personalize, and create custom card designs for every consumer."

Adding personalization services to your business is not just a matter of buying the equipment and promoting it. Make sure that you have the time and the personnel to work with your customers and execute the jobs that you sell in a timely manner. It's also important to keep in mind that personalized stationery is an addition to, not a replacement of your album offerings or your stock of imprintable papers. Still, by offering such services, you'll make a great investment in the future of your business that can reap the rewards of profit and loyal customers.