22
| P2P Magazine | Winter 2015
01732 759725
OPINION
Customers are realising that it is a wise
economy to pay for premium products
like Guildhall that have an archival
quality that is long lasting and stands
up against regular use.
“We expect to see more of the
same with Guildhall next year. One
factor fuelling this growth is the rising
housing market, which is generating
more orders from solicitors - a key
client sector for this range, along
with other legal offices, government
departments and accountants.
“Another popular product line has
been the Exactive range of mobile
office, filing and presentation products.
Products range from business card
holders and luggage to lightweight,
practical and highly durable
presentation folders, display cases and
filing products.
“Exactive is aimed at executives on
the move, and we have found that with
the improving economy these types of
business people – account managers
and sales managers specifically – have
more money to spend on creating a co-
ordinated and professional look.
“The range offers a number of
combined products that enable users
to carry their note pads, business
cards and project documents in the
same carrier, and appeals to those
happy to spend a little more to have
convenience, functionality, aesthetics
and durability combined.
“Europa has been another success
story of the improving economy. Its
bright colours and distinctive, high-
quality, mottled pressboard covers
appeal to the design-conscious
stationery buyer looking to coordinate
their office with attractive and
appealing products.
“The increasing focus on premium
quality will also benefit boutique
stationery products, for instance the
Rhodia range of business books and
notepads. As well as the signature,
orange and black design, which
continues to offer super-premium
paper with an ultra smooth satin finish
and PEFC certification as standard, the
same quality is also available in the
elegant and sophisticatedWhite Rhodia
range and the leatherette-bound,
colourful and trendy Rhodiarama range.
“The Rhodia name has a long, well-
established heritage and we believe
the variations in the range introduced
to meet the preferences of boutique
stationery buyers will make it more
successful still in 2015.”
Sean Starkey
Managing Director,
Durable UK
“There is no doubt that digitisation
and technological advances have led
to a reduced demand for core office
products. But this change brings
new opportunities, whether that’s in
personal productivity products or ones
that ‘chase’ new technology lines, such
as cleaning kits for smartphones, for
example.
“The millennium babies are about to
enter the workplace and already shape
the stationery needs of educational
users. Think tablets, not pens! The
mobile office – working in cars, home
offices, serviced offices etc. – also
continues to gather pace.
“We must recognise the ever
increasing importance of the web and
the transactional players that exist
there – Amazon, Ebay or whoever
– as they earn a disproportionately
greater share of this space compared
to traditional channels that have only
recently entered this space and are still
learning about the benefits of Big Data.
“The New Year will provide further
challenges, but ones which we can all
successfully embrace, as long as we
adapt our business and its resources
and point them in the right direction.”
Phil Hutchison
Operational Marketing Director,
Neopost UK
“Thirty years ago, business
communications was relatively
straightforward: letters, bills,
statements, invoices, offers, contracts
and other business documents were
invariably sent and received through
the post. This began to change in
the ‘80s with fax technology and
accelerated rapidly in the ‘90s with the
adoption of email and more recently,
smartphones and social media.
“Today, businesses communicate
with customers, suppliers, associates
and colleagues via a multitude of
methods including the post, fax, email,
SMS, social media and web portals.
We see an increasing need in 2015 for
companies to adopt this multi-channel
approach to communications to meet
customer preferences and deliver the
right message at the right time and
through the right channel.”
...continued
