The Transfer Print Column
2019 predictions for garment decorators
This year there is a great energy in the heat printing industry. As we’ve seen in 2018, more and more people are finding heat printing as a top method for growing their garment printing business. What have you got to look forward to in 2019? Renowned heat printing industry educator and educational speaker Josh Ellsworth shares his thoughts on 2019 themes and predictions for garment decorators.
I
just love the idea of a fresh start! A new year is a great time to think deeply and plan your next step. For me, that means looking back at what we accomplished or didnʼt accomplish in the prior year and better understanding ʻwhyʼ.
It also means, reading… lots of reading, to ensure any new plans or in this case, predictions have some context to the world we exist in.
I love to analyse, predict and plan how to be relevant in the future based on data. Through my research, Iʼd like to present 10 predictions that may challenge you in your business. They have certainly challenged us in striving to help you become more successful.
1) The big squeeze
The following excerpt is from the Wearables Magazine State of the Industry Report: “The economy is growing and optimism in business is riding high. Except, it seems, in the decorated – apparel industry. Thatʼs the major insight from this yearʼs State of the Industry report. Itʼs not a story of stagnation, but decorators are certainly reporting a tale of dampening enthusiasm. On average, they are less optimistic about the industry than theyʼve been in previous years. The majority of decorators believe their sales numbers will stay level this year rather than grow, and about a third of the professionals we surveyed are consumed with the need to broaden their customer base. Why the tempered expectations? Decorators cite the ever-growing roster of choices that consumers have: online competitors, home hobbyists and suppliers who do their own decoration.”
The space between big internet/supplier brand and home hobbyist is feeling the big squeeze. This trend has been in place for at least the last five years and is now registering big time on the radar of mid- sized garment decorators. The prediction is that this squeeze will continue, and mid- market decorators will need to decide who they want to be? Getting bigger or getting smaller should be a question you are pondering. How will your business plans change with the competitive landscape?
2) The minimum viable customer phenomena
A few weeks back I read a book written by Seth Godin called, ʻThis Is Marketingʼ. In one part of the book it challenged the reader to think about the minimum viable customer.
| 42 | February 2019 Josh Ellsworth
Heat press growth in the United States
A lot of product developers like to use the phrase minimum viable product as a way to prevent a project from going on in perpetuity with diminishing returns. The phrase minimum viable customer is similar. It challenges us to create something for a small audience rather than allowing it to become irrelevant or complex for an audience of too many. When I think about the concept and align it to some other data points it makes a lot of sense. Consider this – 22% of companies in the Wearables State of the Industry survey cited price pressure as one of their top challenges. If you created something tailored so specifically to your audience would price become such a big factor? Itʼs tough to out price and out optimise Amazon or even a company down the street without the same overhead, so why not try to create value in other ways?
The top growing advertising mediums are Facebook and Google. Both of these thrive off of hyper targeted ads to a small audience based on who they are, where they are and what they like. Successful businesses spin up a multitude of offers that can each be deployed to a targeted group. In a recent issue of Team Insight Magazine, client specific or team specific webstores were cited as an emerging trend that delivered growth to dealers that was above the average mark. In a store like this, everything is relevant to the fan of that team or the employee of that business. No wonder sales are coming in.
Consider your position in the transfer printing market in 2019
The end result – succeeding in the world of apparel is no longer possible by saying ʻwe do T shirtsʼ. Who do you specialise in T shirts for? How do you create them better than what a generalist or a hobbyist could? Of course, the decoration and
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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