What do you feel were the main trends and key industry developments in 2022?
There are always going to be more challenges, and this is nothing new. But in balance, challenges lead to opportunity. Rising costs for paper and energy have been out of the print industry's direct control, but this has created opportunity for businesses to ride the digital transformation wave with new connected services using data to drive hyper personalised multi-channel campaigns, e-commerce to connect to broader markets, and automated workflows to drive efficiencies and improve services to customers. Sustainability quite rightly featured very high in tenders and requests for print work and whilst businesses are still on a journey, they need to remain positive to ensure their credentials stand up to scrutiny, particularly from the greenwash of digital only channels.

How have the numerous economic, political, and supply chain challenges that have dominated 2022 affected you and your customers, and how have you had to react?
We’ve worked very closely with our customers and supply chain partners to manage the controllable and set correct and honest expectations for those elements outside of our control.

How have your relationships with customers and their expectations from you as a supplier changed in the past 12 months?
They’ve bought us closer I would say. We operate in true partnership, in turn both reliant on each other for success. As we moved through 2022, our CareAR platform – an augmented reality service – has been integrated into our customer service model to support live visuals and provide guidance for remote support which has improved, and reduced the time needed for resolutions.

What do you expect to be the main trends, key industry developments, and biggest opportunities for printers in 2023?
In print manufacturing we expect to see the further use of automated and integrated workflows driven by AI, as costs inevitably rise and we lean towards the use of technology to balance this, and better drive and support businesses.

Companies will embrace broader service offerings that compliment the core print production. We also expect the customer experience to be at the forefront of the printing industry’s strategies, with firms asking customers what their challenges are, where and why they have them, and what else they do that you could offer – perhaps through digital publishing or scanning and archiving services, expanding the conversation through the inbound and outbound processes, which are all areas where Xerox can help. A great example of this is the work that Go Inspire, a Xerox company, do to go beyond print, supporting their clients with data and marketing performance. When print and digital combine, it can be so powerful – they are truly better together.

ESG and sustainability is also a big play for printers as more and more clients set high expectations of their suppliers to have clear programs and measurements in place to manage their carbon emissions and their social impact in the communities in which they operate.

How can suppliers better help printers navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in 2023?
To take some of the heavy lifting in market engagement and education, our Genesis Initiative provides a toolkit of learning in business, sales, design and production. It’s not just about supplying technology but connecting with wider business outside, as well as in, the print industry. Our strategy at Xerox is to offer a platform that can be adapted to changing markets and opportunities without having to reinvest in a replacement device – examples include Colour Accelerator for the Xerox Baltoro. This can be fitted post-sale to broaden the range of substrates and increase colour vibrancy, in turn widening the range of work that can be taken on to maximise customer applications and boost revenue opportunities.  

How can suppliers do more to promote the effectiveness of print to the broader business community?
By shouting out loud, to the agencies and brands, about print in 2023 and beyond – in turn remaining relevant, engaging, integrated, connected, sustainable and results oriented.

Note: This prediction is taken from a special Briefing article in the new issue of Printweek featuring insights from industry suppliers, hence it does not follow the same question template as the other predictions.