Printed corona safety products: Almost every print company offers this, but few make a profit from this. Tom van Liempd of Xieoe is the exception. The corona orders, now mainly through the webshop, come in many at the time. Perhaps more than usual. “That is probably because we responded to the situation early on and because we can produce everything ourselves, through our affiliation with the TVE Group.” Tom explains how his graphic company is doing during the first Corona lockdown in 2020.
Client
Xieoe
Since
2018
Software
WhiteLabelShop
From print manager to total supplier
Tom started his graphic career in 2002. In 2007 he started working independently as a printing intermediary. “That means as much as buying and selling printed matter. You are the link between the customer and the printing company. That happens a lot now, but at the time it was still difficult to work like as a intermediary.” This led to the decision to produce the orders themselves. “Xieoe is now a total supplier with sign and printed matter. We make small and urgent orders ourselves and we purchase the large offset batches.”
See you, Xieoe!
Tom got the idea for the name Xieoe when he was driving on the highway and saw a similar cry on a billboard. “Xieoe is” I see you “in Brabant (A Dutch province where the expression is used). This is in line with the character of us as a communication partner. Our customers must be well seen! We visualize their communication.”
Collectively with communication specialists
Xieoe has been part of the TVE Group since 2015. The TVE Group consists of a collective of nine affiliated companies that work closely together and use each other’s expertise in indoor and outdoor visual communication. “Such as interior decoration, stand construction, in-store advertising or large format. We took care of the printing for this group for some time before we joined. Joining forces means that we work far beyond our regional borders. TVE works nationally and European and for major brands. It has the additional advantage that the group’s account managers are now actively selling our printed matter.”
Corona printing well found online
In the current corona crisis, this spread of activities means that Tom still has plenty to do. “We mainly work for SMEs. With Xieoe we have a regular clientele in the catering, events and artist world. That is of course currently on hold. Instead, we got a lot of other work because of the corona safety materials we were able to sell early on. We invent and produce everything within the TVE Group.” The function of the Xieoe webshop has changed with this corona printing.
“I mainly used the webshop as a catalog to look at for customers. It allowed them to view our assortment online. We use it ourselves mainly to process orders in the backend management system. I am very happy with the far-reaching development of this backend by software developer Prindustry. Thus, until recently we used it less as a webshop and more as an order processing system with a front end.” Yet that webshop in particular is now being put to good use. “Whether customers viewed the products online or not; the order normally came in mainly via e-mail. That works well for us because then we can call them and have a personal contact moment. However, the current corona products are well found online and ordered through the webshop.”
Long-term brainstorming
Tom also mainly promotes corona printing online. “This works best with social media and mailings during this period. We have now started again with an action around printed mouth masks and that also works very well. In our case it concerns fabric mouth masks that are washable and of course printable. The first orders came in quickly. This is how we invent new products every time. Also for the longer term. Because many corona products are temporary. We have been very busy with cough screens, floor stickers and partition screens for hairdressing salons, but at some point everyone is provided. We are part of an innovation team at TVE so that we can brainstorm together about the next steps.” One small step is already known: placing a counter in your own office. Laughing, Tom concludes: “We haven’t got around to this yet. Customers can pick up their printed matter safely, but we also hope to receive more and more customers at the office with this counter.”
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