Shadi Bakhour, B2B Business Unit Director, Canon Middle East
In recent years, the interior décor print industry has witnessed a boom, and there are no indications of this momentum waning. On the contrary, the market continues to thrive. This trend presents an array of growth prospects for print service providers (PSPs) across various niches of interior décor.
Whether it’s wallcoverings or exquisite fine art prints, both in residential and commercial settings, PSPs are tapping into a wealth of opportunities. In validation of this trend, the 2022 ‘Application and Utilization Survey’ by Big Picture Magazine and Keypoint Intelligence revealed that interior décor and wall coverings stand prominently among the five most profitable applications for PSPs.
Elevating the customer experience
As consumer habits continue to evolve and the surge in e-commerce’s popularity reshapes the retail landscape, a critical need arises for global retailers to craft seamless online and in-store shopping experiences. Simultaneously, enhancing the visual allure of retail spaces and fostering immersive encounters for customers has become paramount. This encompasses areas such as wayfinding, point of sale (POS) displays, floor designs, and display graphics.
Retail decor itself is undergoing a transformation, with brands seeking innovative means to draw customers back into physical stores. Vibrant signage and banners designed to support seasonal celebrations and events have emerged as effective tools in this space. Likewise, the prominence of pop-up shops and markets in recent years has opened new avenues for PSPs. They play a pivotal role in supporting these ventures by offering turnkey print-based solutions, empowering small businesses to cultivate the perfect ambiance and engage in guerrilla marketing to elevate their brand presence.
The influence of printed decor extends well beyond retail, permeating into the realms of hospitality and the workplace. Within the hospitality sector, printed decor is a vital tool for branding, creating distinct atmospheres, and optimizing the guest experience. In workplace settings, digitally printed decor elements are being increasingly leveraged to construct more inviting environments for employees, forming part of a multifaceted strategy aimed at enticing staff back into the office.
Personalising spaces for hybrid living
Recent data has also shown an increase in people becoming more ‘home conscious’ and seeking out individualised and customised décor to help them update and revamp the spaces in which they live. This trend has been driven by factors such as increased flexible working, and the rising cost of out of home entertainment – all of which have encouraged people to spend more time at home.
Print also plays an important role in helping people refresh their living spaces – enabling on-demand bespoke applications such as personalised art prints, wallpapers and canvases with unique colours and designs. It can even help homes to become more multifunctional with printed décor solutions which help to separate living and working spaces at a relatively low cost.
One important socio-economic factor driving this trend, is the escalating cost of natural materials, which is causing traditional renovation projects such as home extensions or commercial refits, to become costly and time consuming. With this in mind, the cost effectiveness of printed décor makes it an attractive solution for revitalising interior spaces.
Consult and inspire
Digital print on demand is the ideal response to these evolving needs as it provides the means to produce short runs, customise products and reproduce a rich colour gamut. The ability to print on a wide range of materials delivers the practical performance qualities and durability required for use in various settings.
Décor offers a great opportunity and commercial scope for PSPs in both consumer and business-to-business markets, but there are a few factors to bear in mind. Firstly, it’s a fast-moving market. Constantly changing design and fashion trends, mean that décor service providers must be agile, responsive and adaptable to stay competitive.
Secondly, a consultative mindset is critical. PSPs need to be ready to proactively approach prospective customers with creative solutions, showing them the multitude of options available. It’s a question of inspiring them with achievable ideas as to how they can refresh their spaces – and explaining the practical and cost advantages of print-on-demand compared with traditional decorating and renovation methods.
One way PSPs can inspire clients is by evolving the typical PSP client relationship by not just printing customer designs, but also providing them with creative interior décor content ideas. This presents an opportunity for designs to become more accessible, and an opportunity for partner artists, photographers and designers, who are then able to showcase their work in an expanded network of online marketplaces.
For more technically able PSPs, the recent advent of generative AI presents yet another opportunity to create and inspire by bringing new visual concepts to life – from scratch or by updating previous images and concepts – with relative ease.
With such a plethora of vibrant printed décor applications available and the market projecting continued growth, it’s a great time for print businesses to dive into this expanding market and show customers just how effective print can be.
