Marketing

Carry the Brand Further: Packaging and Product Presentation Ideas

Posted on October 12, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

Help customers strengthen the experience around the product – from the label and bag to the insert and shipment.

A product may be the reason someone buys, but it’s not the only thing they experience. Before they use it, they notice how it’s labeled, bagged, tagged, delivered, and what comes along with it. Each of those details is another chance to make the brand feel more consistent, useful, and intentional.

For print resellers and distributors, that means more places to bring ideas, solve needs, and uncover opportunities inside accounts you already serve. Many opportunities live on, around, inside, and traveling with the product – Labels, Hang Tags, Favor Bags, branded tape, shipping envelopes, printed inserts, and more.

Consumers notice these details, too. According to Ryder’s 2025 E-Commerce Consumer Study, 52% of respondents said a premium unboxing experience makes a brand seem more upscale, while 46% said it makes them more excited to open the package.

For you, that creates a useful question to take into existing accounts: What else could we brand around the product?

THE OPPORTUNITY: Think beyond the individual product. How is it labeled, presented, packaged, shipped and received? Each answer can reveal another way to help.

Start where the brand meets the product: Custom Labels

For many customers, the most direct packaging opportunity is also one of the most versatile: the label.

Labels can identify a product, carry required or useful information, reinforce visual identity, seal tissue or packaging, or add a finishing detail to bottles, jars, boxes, bags, and other surfaces.

When the customer wants something more distinctive, Navitor’s Ryder’s 2025 E-Commerce Consumer Study offer a competitive advantage worth bringing into the conversation. Customers can create labels in nearly any shape without the cost of custom dies or tooling, with quantities starting at 100. That makes them a practical option for short-run product packaging, new launches, seasonal varieties, specialty products, and smaller brands that want more flexibility.

You don’t need to wait for a customer to ask for a custom-shaped label. A better question might be: Does the label need to follow the shape of the logo, product, or package?

WHEN THE LABEL JOB GETS SPECIFIC: Custom shape? Short run? Specialty packaging application? Those details can lead to a solution the customer may not know is available – and give you another reason to be the resource they call first.

Add the finishing details customers can see and use

Custom Hang Tags can add pricing, product details, care instructions, features, a story, or a short message without crowding the primary label or product. They work especially well for apparel, gifts, retail merchandise, handmade goods, and other items where the tag becomes part of the presentation.

Favor Bags offer another simple way to carry branding into the handoff. Printed in full color and available in quantities as low as 50, they can package party favors, event giveaways, small retail purchases, product samples, gifts, or treats. For a launch, event, boutique, or hospitality program, the bag itself becomes part of what the customer receives.

Neither product has to be elaborate to make the experience feel considered. Sometimes the value is simply making sure the brand doesn’t disappear at the point of purchase or handoff.

Give the package a life beyond the delivery

Some packaging earns extra value when the customer keeps using it. Epoly® PolyWeave® Zip Bags bring durability to the conversation with strong PolyWeave® material and zipper closures. Options include a medium/document-size zip bag and a TSA quart-size zip bag.

That opens up applications beyond a one-time package: document kits, onboarding materials, travel accessories, event kits, samples, product sets, instruction materials, and other items that benefit from organization and protection.

For you, the selling idea is simple: if the customer is already putting several items together, could the container itself become part of the branded solution?

Carry the brand through the trip to the customer

For ecommerce sellers and businesses that ship directly to customers, the delivery package creates another set of touchpoints.

Custom Shipping Envelopes combine protection with visible branding. Full-color or spot-color printing can keep a logo, design, or message present from the moment the shipment arrives.

Water-Activated Packaging Tape turns another purely functional item into branded real estate. The reinforced tape creates a strong, tamper-evident seal while carrying a logo or message across the shipping carton.

The shipping container itself may be standard. The experience doesn’t have to be.

Don’t waste the space inside: Printed package inserts

One of the easiest packaging opportunities may not look like packaging at all. Standard printed pieces can do double duty as package inserts, giving customers another way to communicate after the sale.

Depending on the message and available space, consider:

Business Cards for a compact thank-you card, referral prompt, support contact, or QR code.
Postcards for a thank-you message, reorder reminder, related-product offer, loyalty message, or next-purchase incentive.
Flyers when customers need more room for instructions, product care, setup information, a how-to, a product story, or complementary recommendations.

An insert can answer a question, make the product easier to use, encourage a second purchase, or simply say thank you. It can also connect the physical delivery to digital content through a QR code leading to instructions, registration, support, social content, or another next step.

THINK INSIDE THE PACKAGE: The best insert doesn’t add clutter. It gives the recipient a useful reason to keep reading – information, appreciation, an offer, a next step, or help getting more value from the purchase

Listen for the opportunity hiding in the conversation

Customers may never say, “I need more branded product touchpoints.” They’re more likely to say:

“We’re launching a new product.”
“We just started selling online.”
“We’re rebranding.”
“We need packaging for samples or giveaways.”
“We’re putting together kits.”
“We want the packaging to feel more unique, but we don’t need huge quantities.”
“Customers keep asking the same question after they receive the product.”
“We want to encourage reorders or referrals.”
“We’re shipping directly to customers now.”

Those comments are signals. Follow them with questions: How is the product labeled? What goes with it? How is it handed out or shipped? Is anything included inside? What does the recipient see first? What do they need to know next?

That’s how a packaging conversation becomes a broader customer-experience conversation – and how you can uncover needs the customer may not have thought to bring to them.

Why these touchpoints deserve a place in your sales conversations

For distributors, the opportunity isn’t simply adding more products to an order. It’s seeing more of the customer’s business.

Many of these products also lend themselves to repeat business. Labels get used. Tape leaves with shipments. Inserts go into every order. Bags and tags move with products and events. As customers grow, launch new items, or change campaigns, those needs change with them.

And one need can reveal the next. A customer asking for a product label may need a custom shape. A boutique ordering Hang Tags may need Favor Bags. An ecommerce seller may need Packaging Tape, Die Cut Handle Plastic Bags, or Shipping Envelopes. A team assembling kits may benefit from a branded PolyWeave® Zip Bag plus printed instructions inside.

That’s the larger opportunity: becoming the resource who thinks about the full experience around the product, not just the individual piece the customer happened to request.

TRUSTED RESOURCE TIP: Don’t wait for customers to know which print product they need. Ask what they are selling, shipping, gifting, handing out, or putting inside the package. The opportunity often starts there.

Look beyond the package itself

A branded customer experience doesn’t depend on one big packaging component. Often, it’s the combination of smaller details that makes everything feel connected.

A label on the product. A tag with useful information. A bag for the handoff. A durable zip case that keeps serving a purpose. A shipping envelope or a box with branded tape on the way to the customer. A thoughtful insert waiting inside.

Every one of those touchpoints is a reason to ask another question, uncover another need, and bring another useful idea to the account.

So the next time a customer talks about a product, launch, shipment, event, or kit, look beyond what holds it.

Ask what travels with it.

Ready to find more branded touchpoints inside your customer accounts?

Explore Navitor Products

Filed Under: Marketing, News, Packaging, Print Products

Business Holiday Cards: A Sales Guide for Print Resellers

Posted on September 28, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

Who to Target, When to Sell, and How to Win the Order

Printed holiday cards are easy to underestimate.

They arrive during a season dominated by promotional emails, social posts, and digital offers. Yet that contrast is precisely what gives a physical card its value. It requires a little more intention – and recipients notice.

For print resellers and distributors, holiday cards offer more than a short-lived seasonal sale. They can open conversations about customer appreciation, retention, segmentation, and year-round relationship programs.

The key is knowing where to look.

Holiday cards are still part of the business landscape

A national study published by the Greeting Card Association found that approximately one-third of U.S. small businesses sent greeting cards during the winter holiday season. Of the cards they sent, 87.6% were physical rather than electronic. The study estimated that small businesses collectively mailed nearly 150 million winter holiday cards. (source: omsgca.wpenginepowered.com)

The research was conducted in 2022, so its market estimate shouldn’t be treated as an exact 2026 count. More recent findings, however, reinforce the continued appeal of printed cards.

In a 2026 survey of Americans who recalled receiving business holiday cards, 85% said they enjoyed receiving them. Physical cards were preferred by 53% of respondents, compared with only 9% who preferred digital cards. Half said holiday cards reinforced a positive impression of the sender, and 49% said receiving one made them more likely to continue using that business.

These findings reflect self-reported attitudes, not a guaranteed return on every mailing. But they do challenge the assumption that customers view printed holiday cards as outdated or unwelcome.

A printed card isn’t trying to beat email on speed. Its advantage is intention.

Think retention before promotion

Most business holiday cards aren’t sent to strangers.

The Greeting Card Association study found that 91.4% of card-sending small businesses mailed them to current customers. Another 65% included former customers, while 39% sent cards to prospective customers. The most common reasons businesses gave for sending them centered on relationships and gratitude. (source: omsgca.wpenginepowered.com)

That makes holiday cards a natural fit for customer retention, reactivation, and referral strategies.

They give businesses a timely reason to:

Thank customers for their continued support
Recognize long-standing relationships
Reconnect with past customers
Acknowledge referral partners
Strengthen relationships with vendors and community partners
Remain visible as customers enter a new planning year

Unlike a promotional postcard, a holiday card can create goodwill without immediately asking for another purchase. The branding is present, but appreciation leads the message.

That distinction matters. If the card feels like a disguised advertisement, much of its relational value can disappear.

The best prospects have “clients with files”

Which businesses should you approach?

Industry is helpful, but business model is an even better indicator.

The national study found that businesses with “clients with files” – such as insurance agencies with individual customer policies – sent holiday cards at significantly higher rates than businesses serving primarily anonymous or walk-in customers.

In other words, the best prospects tend to know exactly who their customers are.

Their revenue may depend on renewals, referrals, repeat appointments, recurring purchases, memberships, donations, or long-term accounts. These organizations already possess the most important ingredient for a holiday-card program: a meaningful recipient list.

Prospect categories include:

Insurance agencies
Financial advisors, banks, and credit unions
Medical, dental, veterinary, and senior-care organizations
Law, accounting, and consulting firms
Real estate, mortgage, title, and property-management companies
Manufacturers, distributors, and logistics providers
Contractors and home-service businesses
Salons, spas, gyms, and membership-based businesses
Nonprofits and associations
Franchise and multi-location organizations
Retailers and restaurants with customer loyalty programs

Recent recipient research follows a similar pattern. Consumers most frequently recalled receiving holiday cards from insurance, healthcare, personal-service, financial, retail, restaurant, professional-service, nonprofit, real-estate, and home-service organizations.

Before deciding whether an account is a good prospect, ask:

Does the company maintain a customer, patient, member, donor, or partner list?
Are those relationships expected to continue?
Do retention and referrals matter?
Would a message of appreciation feel natural coming from the organization?
Does it have at least 50 people worth recognizing?

The opportunity may already be sitting inside your account list.

Don’t overlook modest quantities

Holiday-card opportunities are not limited to national corporations mailing tens of thousands of pieces.

Among small businesses that sent winter holiday cards, the median mailing quantity was 50–99 cards. Approximately 37% sent 50–199, while another 20.6% sent 200–999. A smaller segment mailed quantities ranging from 1,000 to nearly 25,000.

That creates room for several types of orders:

Shorter, segmented orders for professional firms
Mid-sized programs for established local businesses
Larger orders for associations, franchises, institutions, and multi-location organizations
Premium cards for smaller lists of high-value clients
Multiple versions for different customer or employee groups

A 75-card order may not look like a major opportunity in isolation. But if it includes customization, envelopes, labels, and an annual reorder, its value changes. It may also introduce broader needs for thank-you cards, welcome cards, anniversary communications, and other relationship-focused print.

Start the conversation before the customer feels the deadline

Businesses generally want holiday cards to arrive in late November or early December, but the work begins much earlier.

An analysis of six years of B2B holiday-card orders found that demand started in September, increased through October, peaked around mid-to-late November, and tapered through December. Finance orders peaked in late October, while real estate, healthcare, and industrial/manufacturing orders peaked around mid-November. Legal firms tended to order later, peaking in early December.

Waiting until customers begin actively searching in November leaves less time for thoughtful personalization, list preparation, and internal approvals.

A more effective sales calendar looks like this:

Late Summer/Early Fall: Identify prospects, review previous orders, introduce ideas, and check out designs online.

September: Discuss audience, quantity, budget, design direction, messaging, and mailing requirements.

October: Finalize quantities, collect logos and signatures, approve artwork, and place orders.

November: Follow up with late buyers and focus on options that fit the remaining production window.

December: Redirect customers with tight timelines toward New Year cards, which can arrive after the most crowded portion of the holiday season.

Early conversations do more than protect production time. They give customers space to make the card more meaningful.

Sell the program – not only the card

One of the biggest barriers to sending holiday cards is not a lack of interest. It’s the perceived amount of work.

Businesses may need to choose a design, find a logo, write a message, gather signatures, clean a mailing list, address envelopes, apply postage, and get everything into the mail during an already busy quarter.

The Greeting Card Association study found that the most common reasons businesses didn’t send cards were time, cost, uncertainty about their value, and concerns about whether cards fit their customers.

You can reduce those barriers by offering a more complete program:

Design and message guidance
Company logo and brand-color customization
Printed employee or leadership signatures
Multiple versions for different audiences
Return address labels
Coordinating envelopes
Saved artwork and specifications for easier annual reordering

The conversation changes when a customer hears, “We can help you manage more elements,” instead of, “Would you like to order some cards?”

Personal touches create the value

A bulk order doesn’t have to feel mass-produced.

In the 2026 recipient survey, the most memorable attributes of business holiday cards were effort and care, messages of gratitude, and thoughtful or creative design. 63% of respondents considered handwritten messages or signatures very or extremely important. 57% placed the same level of importance on including the recipient’s name.

You can help customers make a more meaningful impression by recommending:

A sincere thank-you rather than a sales-heavy message
A design that reflects the organization’s brand and audience
Designing an entirely custom card, unique to their organization
Printed signatures from the people customers know
A team photo or brief year-end update
Premium paper or a specialty finish for high-value lists
Inclusive language when recipients have varied backgrounds
Separate messages for customers, employees, partners, or donors

“Happy Holidays,” “Season’s Greetings,” and neutral winter imagery offer broad appeal. Christmas-specific, faith-based, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and New Year options may be appropriate for more clearly defined audiences.

The goal is not to choose one greeting that works for every business. It’s to help each customer choose the right message for its relationships.

One holiday order can lead to a year-round program

The most valuable conversation may begin with holiday cards but continue well beyond December.

Businesses that depend on relationships have other reasons to connect throughout the year:

Customer birthdays
Account anniversaries
New-customer welcomes
Referral thank-yous
Employee recognition
Membership renewals
Donor appreciation
Milestones and congratulations
Reconnection with inactive customers

For customers who want their holiday message to last beyond the season, Calendar Cards offer another option. They combine a thoughtful greeting with a practical calendar that can remain on the recipient’s desk throughout the year – keeping the sender’s name, logo, and contact information visible long after traditional holiday cards are put away.

A holiday order can help a reseller learn who the customer wants to recognize, which messages fit its brand, and what level of support it needs. Those insights can lead to a more consistent customer-appreciation program – and more dependable print demand.

Find the relationships worth recognizing

Printed holiday cards are not right for every organization. They’re especially valuable for businesses that can name the customers, patients, members, donors, employees, or partners they want to keep connected.

That’s the real prospecting opportunity.

Look across your accounts for organizations with an established customer base and relationships measured in years rather than transactions. Start the conversation before those lists become a December deadline. Then help the customer create something that feels less like a seasonal obligation and more like what it should be: a genuine expression of appreciation.

Explore Holiday Cards

Filed Under: Holiday Cards, Marketing, Print Products

Before, During, After: Finding the Print Around Every Event

Posted on September 21, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

An event may last a few hours. The print opportunity usually starts much earlier – and can continue well after everyone goes home.

That’s worth remembering when a customer calls looking for a banner, some postcards, name badges, or another event-related piece. The requested item may be exactly what they need. But it may also be only one part of a much larger picture.

A better question is: What needs to happen before the event, while people are there, and after it’s over?

That simple framework can help you uncover a more complete set of customer needs without turning the conversation into an unnecessary upsell. Think of it as an Event Opportunity Map:

Before: Attract and inform
During: Welcome, direct, and engage
After: Follow up and extend the connection

Use that lens on fall and holiday events – or just about any event throughout the year – and one requested product can quickly reveal a more comprehensive print plan.

BEFORE: Help People Know, Care, and Show Up

Long before anyone walks through the door, customers need to create awareness and give people a reason to attend.

That can involve invitations, announcements, promotions, reminders, and event details spread across several touchpoints.

Potential print applications include:

The right mix depends on the event and the audience.

A retailer holding a holiday open house may need postcards to invite customers, posters to promote the date in advance, and flyers that employees can hand out in the weeks leading up to it.

A nonprofit planning a fall fundraiser may need event tickets, flyers, posters, and banners.

A company holding a customer appreciation event may need announcements or postcards along with printed materials that explain what attendees can expect.

You don’t need to guess. Ask:

Who needs to know about the event?
How are they hearing about it?
Where will the event be promoted?
Is registration or admission required?
Is there a special offer or incentive tied to attendance?
What action should someone take after seeing the printed piece?

That last question is especially useful.

Print can also point people toward digital content. A QR code on a postcard, poster, flyer, label, or ticket might lead to registration, directions, a schedule, an online offer, an event page, or additional information.

The goal isn’t to add technology simply because you can.

Give every printed piece a job.

Start With the Occasion

Need ideas for the kinds of events your customers may be planning?

The Print Behind the Event Plan highlights seasonal events, meetings, celebrations, promotions, fundraisers, and other occasions that can create print opportunities throughout the year.

Explore the Event Guide

DURING: Help the Experience Work

Once attendees arrive, print takes on a different role.

Now it can help people know where to go, what to notice, who they are talking to, and what to do next.

That creates opportunities across several print categories:

Instead of thinking only about how the event should look, think about how it needs to function.

The best event print isn’t just decoration. It gives people cues about where to go, what to notice, and what to do next.

Ask customers:

How will attendees know where to enter?
Do guests need directional signage?
What information should be visible throughout the event?
Do employees, volunteers, or attendees need identification?
What will people pick up or take with them?
Will products, gifts, samples, or giveaways be involved?
Are sponsors or partners being recognized?
Is there a message that needs to carry through several areas of the event?

Those questions can expose needs that never surfaced in the initial request.

Think Beyond the Banner

Imagine a retailer calls asking for a banner for a holiday open house.

That may be the entire job.

But a few questions might reveal the event also needs:

Before:
Postcards announcing the date
Posters promoting it in the store

During:
An A-frame sign outside
Table tents highlighting specials
Labels for packaged giveaways

After:
A thank-you postcard with a follow-up offer

Nothing about that conversation requires pushing products the customer doesn’t need.

You simply considered the full customer journey.

That same thinking works across many fall and holiday events.

Fall Fundraiser

Before: Flyers, posters, event tickets
During: Banners, directional signs, name badges
After: Donor thank-you materials, donation envelopes

Employee Holiday Celebration

Before: Announcements or invitations
During: Custom napkins, event programs, signage, branded promo items
After: Employee appreciation gifts

Holiday Market or Pop-Up

Before: Flyers, posters, postcards
During: A-frame signs, banners, labels, hang tags, packaging
After: A postcard or rack card promoting online shopping or a future offer

Customer Appreciation Event

Before: Invitations or postcards
During: Signage, table materials, branded packaging or giveaways
After: Thank-you cards and follow-up offers

One event. Several moments. Several different jobs for print.

Planning for Holiday Events?

Fall often moves quickly into year-end promotions, customer celebrations, employee events, seasonal retail activity, and holiday gatherings.

Once you identify the event opportunity, Navitor’s Holiday Idea Book can help spark ideas for product applications that fit the occasion – from promotional print and signage to labels, packaging, branded materials, and customer communications.

Explore the Holiday Idea Book

The two resources work especially well together:

The Event Guide helps you spot the opportunity.
The Holiday Idea Book helps you picture what can support it.

Your job is to connect the dots.

AFTER: Keep the Connection Going

This is one of the easiest stages to overlook.

The event ends. That doesn’t always mean the communication should.

Customers may want to thank attendees, follow up with prospects, extend an offer, provide additional information, or begin promoting the next event.

Potential print applications include:

Thank-you cards
Postcards
Brochures
Follow-up offers
Product information
Branded stationery
Labels or stickers for follow-up packages
Materials promoting the next event

Ask:

What should happen after someone attends?
Does the customer want to thank them?
Are leads being followed up with?
Is there an offer that can extend beyond the event itself?
Will attendees receive additional materials?
Is another event already on the calendar?

That final question is especially important.

The “after” stage of one event can become the “before” stage of the next.

A holiday open house may lead to a January promotion. A fundraiser may become an annual event. A conference may create follow-up meetings. A customer appreciation event may generate new sales conversations.

This is where event-related print can move from an isolated order to a recurring opportunity.

Five Questions That Can Reveal the Whole Event

The next time a customer mentions an event, try moving beyond:

“What do you need printed?”

Ask:

How are people hearing about the event?
What needs to happen when they arrive?
What will they interact with while they are there?
What will they take with them?
How will you follow up afterward?

Those five questions can provide a much clearer picture of what the event actually requires.

And they position you differently.

You’re not simply quoting a banner, ticket, postcard, or sign.

You’re helping the customer think through the event.

One Event Can Open More Than One Door

Events create concentrated moments when businesses need to attract attention, communicate information, reinforce their brand, guide people through an experience, and keep the connection going afterward.

Print can support every stage.

For you, the opportunity isn’t to squeeze more products into every event order. It’s to recognize when the customer has described only one part of the need.

So the next time someone calls asking for a single event piece, consider one more question:

“What else is happening around the event?”

Then think:

Before. During. After.

You may find that the print opportunity is much bigger than the event itself.

Filed Under: Business Cards, Folders, Labels, Marketing, Packaging, Print Products, Promotional Products, Stationery

One School. Many Buyers. Year-Round Print Opportunity.

Posted on August 31, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

Back-to-school may receive top billing, but it represents only one part of the education print calendar. For distributors interested in selling print to schools, that makes education a year-round market – not a one-season opportunity.

Throughout the year, schools communicate with prospective students, current students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and community members. They recruit, welcome, inform, direct, promote, fundraise, recognize, and celebrate – and nearly every one of those activities creates a need for print.

For you, the opportunity is significant. The United States has approximately 99,300 public schools and 29,700 private schools, along with thousands of colleges, universities, technical schools, and other postsecondary institutions.

Yet the number of institutions tells only part of the story. The greater opportunity is found inside them.

How to Find More Print Business Inside Every Education Account

It’s easy to think of a school, district, college, or university as a single account. In practice, each may contain numerous departments, organizations, and decision-makers with their own audiences, objectives, budgets, and deadlines.

Within a K–12 account, potential buyers may include:

District administration and communications
Individual school offices
Athletics and extracurricular programs
Parent organizations and school foundations
Performing arts departments
Food service and transportation
Fundraising committees
Summer and community education programs

A college or university can open even more doors:

Admissions and enrollment
Orientation and student services
Academic departments
Athletics and student organizations
Campus events and conferences
Housing and dining
Alumni relations
Advancement and development
Continuing education
Facilities and campus operations

An existing relationship with one contact can become an introduction to several others. The reseller who supplies folders for admissions, for example, may also be able to help orientation prepare welcome materials, athletics promote upcoming events, and advancement coordinate a donor mailing.

The key is to stop asking, “What can I sell this school?” and start asking, “Who does this institution need to reach next – and what are they trying to accomplish?”

Connect Print to the Institution’s Objective

Education buyers are rarely looking for print simply for the sake of print. They’re trying to recruit students, communicate information, increase attendance, guide visitors, raise funds, or strengthen a connection with their community.

Leading with that objective makes the sales conversation more relevant – and often reveals a larger, coordinated opportunity.

Recruit and enroll

Admissions and enrollment teams may need brochures, postcards, flyers, presentation folders, envelopes, and event signage to reach prospective students and guide them through the decision process.

Instead of quoting one brochure, ask how the school communicates before and after a campus visit. A recruitment campaign might include an introductory postcard, program brochure, information folder, promotional products, and signage for an admissions event.

Welcome and inform

Student services, orientation teams, school offices, and academic departments continually share instructions, schedules, policies, and resources.

Folders can organize orientation materials. Forms and envelopes support administrative communication. Labels help identify materials and manage supplies. Post-it® Notes offer a useful branded item for students, teachers, faculty, and staff.

Direct and organize

Schools and campuses are busy physical environments. Students, families, visitors, and employees need to know where to go and what to do when they arrive.

Floor decals, banners, posters, and directional signs can support registration, campus tours, conferences, athletic events, performances, graduations, and everyday navigation.

Encourage participation

Athletics, student organizations, performing arts programs, clubs, and parent groups depend on participation from students, families, and the surrounding community.

Postcards, flyers, posters, banners, decals, bumper stickers, yard signs, calendar cards, and event tickets can help promote activities, manage attendance, recognize sponsors, and encourage school pride.

Fundraise and reconnect

K–12 foundations, parent groups, advancement teams, and alumni departments rely on communication to maintain relationships and generate support.

Donation and remittance envelopes, custom letterhead, postcards, event invitations, and supporting campaign materials can work together to make an appeal more visible, personal, and easy to respond to.

A product request may be the starting point, but the institution’s objective reveals the full campaign.

Beyond Back-to-School: Education Print Sales Follow a Year-Round Calendar

Distributors who contact education customers only before the first day of school miss much of the market.

Schools have recurring communication needs across every season:

Summer: Registration, orientation, enrollment communication, classroom preparation, campus updates, back-to-school events, and new signage
Fall: Athletics, homecoming, parent events, student activities, performances, fundraisers, and annual giving
Winter: Admissions recruitment, course registration, conferences, recognition programs, indoor events, and spring planning
Spring: Graduation, alumni events, donor outreach, summer-program promotion, year-end fundraising, and enrollment for the coming year

The most effective outreach starts well before the event. Review school and campus calendars, identify what’s approaching, and work backward from the date the materials will be needed.

A spring graduation project may require a conversation during winter. Fall recruitment materials may be planned during summer. Annual campaigns often return at roughly the same time each year.

Once a recurring need is identified, record the likely reorder date and follow up before planning begins again.

Learn How the Institution Buys

The opportunity may be broad, but education purchasing can be structured. Before recommending products, learn how decisions are made.

Ask:

Is purchasing centralized through a district or institutional office?
Can individual schools or departments manage their own budgets?
Do we need to complete a vendor-registration process?
Who requests the materials?
Who approves the artwork and expense?
Who ultimately places the order?
Are there brand standards that every department must follow?
When does the budget year begin or end?
Which projects repeat each semester or school year?

One especially useful question is: “Who else is involved in approving, ordering, or using these materials?” The answer may uncover an additional decision-maker, a different department, or an opportunity to coordinate several related pieces.

Understanding the process also helps you provide greater value. Education customers often appreciate help maintaining consistency, selecting practical specifications, meeting firm event dates, and preparing repeat orders without starting over each time.

Try the 10-3-90 Education Plan

The education market can feel enormous. A simple prospecting framework makes it manageable.

Choose 10 institutions

Identify 10 schools, districts, colleges, universities, prep schools, charter schools, technical schools, or community education organizations in your market.

These could include current customers as well as prospects. An existing customer may provide the fastest opportunity because you already have a relationship and order history.

Find three potential buying groups in each

Research the institution’s website, staff directory, event calendar, news, and social channels. Select at least three departments or organizations that regularly communicate with students, families, alumni, donors, or the public.

For example:

Admissions
Athletics
Student services
Advancement
Performing arts
Parent organizations
Continuing education

Ten institutions multiplied by three buying groups creates 30 focused opportunities – without requiring a massive prospecting list.

Look ahead 90 days

Review what each institution has scheduled during the next three months. Look for enrollment events, performances, fundraisers, athletics, orientation, conferences, parent programs, alumni gatherings, or graduation activities.

Then choose one timely objective and suggest a coordinated group of products that can support it.

For each opportunity:

Identify the audience and desired response.
Recommend two or three complementary print products.
Contact the appropriate department before its planning deadline.
Ask about related events or communication needs.
Record the likely reorder date.

The goal isn’t to pitch every available product at once. It’s to begin one relevant conversation, complete the project successfully, and use what you learn to find the next opportunity.

Start Mapping Your Education Accounts

More departments = more needs = more opportunity for you. Navitor’s Education Products page brings together print ideas for both K–12 and higher education. You can also download separate K–12 and Higher Education flyers to guide prospecting conversations and introduce customers to additional possibilities.

Choose one nearby education account. Identify three departments. Look at what’s coming up on the calendar. Then start with the department that has the clearest need and the nearest deadline.

Education never stops communicating. Neither does its need for print. The next education order may already be on the calendar. You simply need to find the person planning it.

Explore Top-Selling Products for Education

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, News, Print Products

How to Turn a Customized Digital Catalog into a Year-Round Sales Tool

Posted on August 17, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

A customer may know you for Business Cards but not realize you can also help with Labels, Packaging, Folders, Signs, Event Tickets, or holiday print. That gap represents an opportunity – and a customized digital catalog can help you close it.

Personalized digital catalogs give customers an easy way to explore more of what you offer while keeping your company name, logo, and contact information connected to the experience. But creating the catalog is only the beginning. Its value grows each time you use it to support prospecting, follow-up, account reviews, seasonal outreach, and cross-selling.

Let’s walk through how to turn a customized Navitor catalog into a sales resource you can use throughout the year.

Your customers may know only part of what you sell

Most customers develop a narrow picture of their vendors based on what they’ve already purchased. A customer who orders Business Cards may think of you primarily as a stationery resource. One who buys Labels may not realize you can also help with Packaging Tape, Hang Tags, or other packaging products.

Sending a customer an entire catalog without context may not change that perception.

Instead, connect what the customer already buys to a logical next category.

For example:

Business Cards can lead to Stationery, Folders, and Name Badges.
Labels can lead to Packaging Tape, Hang Tags, and packaging products.
Event Tickets can lead to Banners, Signs, Badges, and Flyers.
Holiday Cards can lead to Envelopes, Labels, Packaging, and Promo Products.

Each relevant category you introduce creates another opportunity to expand the account, increase order frequency, and keep more of the customer’s print business connected to you.

A digital catalog gives you a convenient way to show those connections. Rather than simply saying, “We offer more,” you can direct the customer to specific pages that relate to an upcoming project, business need, or conversation.

Personalization keeps the opportunity connected to you

A supplier catalog may contain useful product information, but your customer should also know whom to contact when an idea catches their attention.

ZOOMcatalog allows you to personalize Navitor catalogs with your company information, including your logo and contact details. The result is a customer-facing resource that keeps your business visible as customers browse products and consider possibilities.

That personalization serves several practical purposes:

It gives customers a clear path back to you.
It reinforces your role as their print resource.
It helps the catalog feel relevant to your business relationship.
It allows you to share professionally presented product content without creating a catalog from scratch.

If you haven’t customized a catalog before – or could use a quick refresher – watch this short catalog-customization tutorial.

The live link gives customers the latest catalog version

Navitor’s 2026 Digital Catalog receives quarterly updates on ZOOM. When you share your customized ZOOMcatalog link, those updates flow into the online version your customers see.

A downloaded PDF works differently. It is a static copy saved at the time of download, just like any other file stored on a computer. Changes made later can’t be added to a PDF that has already been downloaded.

That makes the live link the best choice for most ongoing sharing:

Customers see the latest available catalog version.
You don’t have to redistribute a new file after each quarterly update.
The same link can continue working in emails, proposals, social posts, and website resources.
Customers can browse online without managing a large attachment.

A PDF can still be helpful when someone needs an offline or printed copy. For everyday digital sharing, however, use your live ZOOMcatalog link whenever possible.

Customize a Navitor Catalog on ZOOM

Digital catalogs are easier to keep in circulation

Printed catalogs have an important place in sales conversations, especially when customers prefer a physical resource. Digital catalogs add another advantage: they can travel almost anywhere your customer communications go.

A single catalog link can support:

Prospecting emails
Post-meeting follow-up
Proposals and quotes
Account-review conversations
Newsletters
Social media
Email signatures
Resource sections on your website
Seasonal campaigns

Because the catalog is available through a link, you can share it repeatedly without attaching a large file. You can point customers to the categories or page numbers most relevant to them rather than expecting them to search through the entire catalog.

The goal is not merely to make the catalog available. The goal is to give it a specific role in your sales activity.

Suggested pricing provides a starting point

Navitor digital catalogs include suggested retail pricing to give customers a useful reference as they explore products and consider their needs. These prices are suggestions only; you remain in control of the final prices you quote to your customers.

Actual pricing may vary based on quantity, product specifications, customization, production requirements, shipping, service needs, local market conditions, and other factors. This flexibility allows each distributor to price appropriately for their business, market, and the value they provide.

When sharing a catalog, you can set expectations with a simple message such as: “The catalog includes suggested retail pricing for general planning purposes. Contact us for recommendations and a personalized quote based on your specific project.”

Seven practical ways to share your customized catalog

Once your catalog is personalized, put it into circulation with these seven approaches.

1. Add it to account follow-up emails

After a meeting or sales call, send the catalog with a brief note directing the customer to products related to your conversation. Try: “Based on what we discussed, pages XX–XX may give you a few additional ideas. If something catches your attention, I can help you explore the options.”

2. Share it before planning meetings

Send the catalog before an annual, quarterly, or seasonal planning conversation. Giving customers time to browse may lead them to identify needs that would not have surfaced during the meeting alone.

3. Include it with proposals

A proposal may focus on one immediate project, but the catalog can introduce additional ways you can help. Position it as an ideas resource rather than an unrelated attachment.

4. Feature one product category at a time

Don’t feel obligated to promote the entire catalog in every message. Highlight a different category in monthly emails, newsletters, or social posts, then link customers to the relevant section.

A focused introduction is often more useful than a general invitation to browse hundreds of products.

5. Add it to your website

Include your customized catalog in a resources, products, or capabilities section. This gives current customers and prospects a convenient way to explore your print selection while keeping your contact information within reach.

6. Reconnect with inactive customers

A personalized catalog gives you a practical reason to reach out beyond the usual “checking in” message.

Try: “I wanted to share our current digital print catalog. It includes a wide range of ideas we can help you explore, and I thought it might be useful as you plan upcoming projects.”

7. Use focused editions when timing matters

A comprehensive catalog supports year-round discovery. A seasonal idea book gives you a more timely reason to initiate a conversation.

Use both roles strategically: the main catalog can remain in regular circulation, while focused editions can support specific campaigns, industries, or selling seasons.

Use the Holiday Idea Book to start timely conversations

The new Holiday Idea Book is also now available on ZOOM. It brings together print ideas for celebrations, appreciation, events, gifting, packaging, promotions, and year-end communications.

Customize it with your company information and use it to begin conversations before seasonal plans and deadlines are firmly set.

You might introduce it with a message like this:

Holiday planning is starting, so I wanted to share a collection of print ideas for upcoming events, gifting, packaging, promotions, and year-end communications. If something catches your attention, I can help you explore the options.

The Holiday Idea Book can support several types of outreach:

Email it to customers who ordered holiday print last year.
Share it before seasonal planning meetings.
Highlight one product spread at a time on social media.
Add it to quotes and follow-up emails.
Send it to organizations planning employee, donor, or customer appreciation programs.
Use it to introduce holiday categories to customers who currently purchase only year-round essentials.

Seasonal relevance provides a natural reason to reach out now without relying on artificial urgency.

Customize once. Keep finding reasons to share

A personalized digital catalog shouldn’t just sit quietly on a website waiting to be discovered. Treat it as an active part of your sales process.

Use it to answer “What else do you offer?” Direct customers to categories related to what they already buy. Add it to follow-up messages and proposals. Share focused editions when the timing supports a new conversation.

Most importantly, share the live ZOOMcatalog link whenever possible so customers can access the latest available version, including Navitor’s quarterly updates.

Extend Your Outreach Beyond the Catalog

Your customized catalog can serve as the centerpiece of a larger marketing effort. Navitor’s searchable image library gives you access to product imagery you can use in your own emails, website content, and social media posts. Choose images that support the products or markets you want to promote, then link your content back to your customized catalog so customers can continue exploring.

Explore the Image Library

Customize the 2026 Navitor Digital Catalog and Holiday Idea Book on ZOOM, add your company information, and give customers more print ideas to explore – with your company information connected to every idea.

Filed Under: Marketing, Print Products, Resources

5 Print Staples Retailers and Small Businesses Keep Coming Back For

Posted on August 3, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

Retailers and small businesses don’t usually wake up thinking, “We should order more print today.”

They realize they have a new employee who needs business cards. A seasonal promotion that needs to be announced. A product that needs a label. An event that needs signage. Or a stack of envelopes that’s getting dangerously low.

The print order follows the change.

For you, that’s an important distinction. The best opportunity may not begin with a customer asking for a specific printed product. It may begin with a new hire, an updated offer, a product launch, a busy season, or a change in how the business serves its customers.

Pay attention to what’s changing, and you will often find the next print need.

Consider it your Reorder Radar: a way to recognize the business moments that lead retailers and small businesses back to practical, frequently used print products.

Here are five categories that deserve a regular place in those conversations.

1. Business Cards: When the Team or Contact Information Changes

Business cards remain one of the most familiar printed pieces, but the opportunity extends well beyond placing a name and phone number on cardstock.

They support networking, appointments, sales calls, vendor meetings, events, referrals, and everyday introductions. They also give you an easy reason to check whether other branded materials need attention.

Common business card order triggers include:

A new employee joins the team.
An existing employee receives a new title.
The company changes its address, phone number, or website.
A new location opens.
The business refreshes its branding.
A conference, trade show, or networking event is approaching.

Rather than moving directly to quantity and stock, ask:

“Is this update for one person, or are there other team members and materials that need the same changes?”

A new business card order may uncover outdated name badges, letterhead, envelopes, presentation folders, or notepads. If the logo, address, or contact information has changed in one place, it may need to change in several others.

Business cards are often the first request. A coordinated brand update may be the bigger opportunity.

2. Flyers, Brochures, and Postcards: When the Offer Changes

Retailers and small businesses are constantly giving customers reasons to pay attention.

They introduce services, run promotions, prepare for community events, update menus, announce openings, explain products, and remind customers what makes the business useful.

Flyers, brochures, and postcards can support all those needs.

These pieces may be handed out, displayed at the counter, inserted into bags or shipments, included in presentation folders, distributed at events, or used by sales representatives as leave-behinds.

Listen for order triggers such as:

“We’re launching a new service.”
“We have a summer promotion coming up.”
“We’re participating in a local event.”
“Our pricing or product selection has changed.”
“We need something customers can take with them.”
“We need to explain this more clearly.”

A helpful follow-up question is:

“Where will customers encounter this message, and what do you want them to do next?”

The answer can help determine whether the customer needs a flyer, brochure, postcard, rack card, door hanger, table tent, poster, or combination of pieces.

It may also create an opportunity to connect print with digital content. A QR code on a brochure, flyer, table tent, label, or postcard can send customers to an appointment page, menu, online store, product demonstration, special offer, event registration form, or review site.

The printed piece gets attention. The digital destination provides the next step.

More Ways to Support Small Business Customers

From everyday brand materials to promotional pieces and customer communications, Navitor’s Small Business Industry Flyer can help you start broader conversations and identify more ways to support local businesses.

Explore Small Business Ideas

3. Labels and Hang Tags: When the Product Changes

For retailers and product-based businesses, the product itself creates a steady stream of print needs.

New varieties need labels. Seasonal merchandise needs hang tags. Updated packaging needs revised information. Special editions, product launches, and expanded inventory may require entirely new versions.

Custom labels and hang tags can help businesses communicate:

Product names and varieties
Pricing
Ingredients or instructions
Sizes and specifications
Promotional messages
Brand information
Seasonal or limited-edition details

Because products and inventory change, these pieces often create solid reorder potential.

When a customer requests labels or hang tags, ask:

“Where does the product go after this piece is applied?”

Does it sit on a shelf? Hang on a display? Go into a shipping envelope? Get packed into a folded carton? Travel directly to the customer? Appear at a market, event, or retail counter?

That one question can broaden the packaging conversation.

A label request may lead to hang tags, decals, branded packaging tape, shipping envelopes, or folded cartons. The right combination depends on what the product needs to communicate, how it is sold, and how it reaches the buyer.

Your role is not to add packaging elements simply to increase the order. It is to help the customer identify which pieces make the product easier to recognize, understand, handle, display, or ship.

4. Posters, Banners, and A-Frames: When the Space Changes

Retailers and local businesses need to communicate with customers before they enter, as they move through the space, and when they reach the point of purchase.

That makes signs and displays a recurring need rather than a one-time purchase.

Posters, banners, and A-frame or sandwich-board signs can help announce:

Sales and limited-time offers
Grand openings
Seasonal promotions
New products or services
Events
Business hours
Pickup instructions
Wayfinding information
Temporary operational changes

The right sign depends on where the message needs to work.

Ask:

“Where does someone need to see this – from the street, at the entrance, inside the location, or near the point of purchase?”

A message aimed at passing traffic may call for an A-frame sign or a banner. A customer already inside the business may be better reached with a poster, pedestal sign, table tent, counter sign, or decal.

The need may also extend beyond the sign itself.

A sidewalk sign announcing a promotion could be supported by matching posters inside, flyers customers can take home, counter materials that explain the offer, and labels that carry the promotion through to the product.

Think about the full path:

What gets someone to stop? What helps them understand the message? What gives them a next step?

That’s where one signage request can become a more coordinated promotion.

Take the Retail Conversation Beyond One Product

Navitor’s Retail Industry Flyer brings together print ideas for storefront visibility, in-store promotions, product presentation, packaging, and everyday customer communication.

Explore Retail Ideas

5. Letterhead, Envelopes, and Notepads: When the Business Changes

Promotional print may receive more attention, but the materials businesses use every day can create some of the most dependable reorder opportunities.

Letterhead, envelopes, and notepads support customer correspondence, proposals, estimates, appointments, internal communication, sales meetings, and routine business operations.

They’re practical, visible, and frequently replenished.

Order triggers may include:

A change in branding
New contact information
A new office or location
Updated customer packets
Growth in staff or sales activity
Changes to business processes
Inventory running low
A new need for branded correspondence

A useful question is:

“Which materials does the business use repeatedly, and which ones still show outdated branding or information?”

A letterhead update may reveal that envelopes, folders, forms, business cards, notepads, or stamps also need attention.

This is especially helpful for customers who update items one at a time. A quick review can help them avoid using an old address on one piece, a former logo on another, and current branding everywhere else.

The opportunity is not about making everything match for appearance alone. It is about helping the business communicate accurately and consistently wherever customers encounter it.

Listen for the Change Behind the Request

The five categories above are useful because they connect to events that happen repeatedly in retail and small business.

When a customer says:

“We hired someone new.”
“We are running a promotion.”
“We added a product.”
“We have an event coming up.”
“We changed our logo.”
“We are opening another location.”

A print conversation is probably close behind.

The product they request may be only the first item they have considered.

What They Asked For – and What May Come Next

Imagine a local boutique contacts you for labels for a seasonal product line.

The immediate need is clear. But a few questions may reveal that the collection will also have hang tags, an in-store launch, and online orders.

Now the conversation may include:

Product labels
Hang tags
An A-frame sign announcing the launch
Posters inside the store
Promotional postcards placed in customer bags
Branded packaging tape for online shipments

Or consider a service-based small business ordering business cards for a new employee.

A conversation about how the employee will work with customers may uncover a need for:

Presentation folders for estimates
Branded notepads for appointments
Door hangers for neighborhood outreach
Flyers explaining key services
Updated name badges or stationery

Neither conversation requires an aggressive sales pitch. It requires curiosity.

You ask: “What changed, where the printed piece will be used, and what else supports the same goal?”

Build Repeat Business by Making the Next Need Easier to See

Retailers and small businesses keep returning to these print staples because their businesses keep moving.

Employees join. Offers change. Products launch. Promotions rotate. Information gets updated. Supplies run out.

Resellers who understand those patterns can become more useful long before the customer searches for a specific product.

On your next customer call, try asking:

“What is changing in the business right now?”

The answer may point directly to the product they requested. It may also reveal a need they have not considered yet.

That’s where repeat business often begins – not with a product pitch, but with a better question.

Discover all that Navitor has to offer today. You’ll be glad you did.

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, Print Products

The Idea Book That Helps Customers See the Whole Season

Posted on July 21, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

The holiday season has a way of arriving early.

Retail displays appear before the weather changes. Restaurants start planning seasonal menus while customers are still enjoying summer. Nonprofits begin mapping out year-end giving campaigns months before donations peak. Companies schedule appreciation events, customer gifts, employee celebrations, and holiday mailings long before the first invitation goes out.

That early planning window matters.

For many businesses, holiday print isn’t just about one greeting card, one sale sign, or one shipping label. It’s about creating a complete seasonal experience that helps them attract customers, promote offers, organize events, thank important people, package products, and stay visible during one of the busiest times of the year.

That’s where the Holiday Idea Book can help.

This white-labeled digital asset gives you an easy, visual way to start customer conversations before timelines get tight. It’s filled with seasonal print ideas, vivid product imagery, and customer-friendly product descriptions that help buyers picture what they may need for holiday sales, fall events, appreciation gifts, seasonal packaging, shipping, winter travel promotions, and more.

Use it as more than a product showcase. Use it as a planning tool.

Start the Conversation Before Customers Feel Rushed

Many customers wait until they have an immediate need.

They ask for a banner because the sale starts next week.
They need labels because products are already being packed.
They remember announcements after the mailing list is due.
They realize they need event signage once the event is almost here.

Last-minute needs will always happen, but holiday print works better when it’s planned with the whole season in mind. Earlier conversations give customers more room to think through quantities, designs, approvals, timing, and add-on pieces that support the same goal.

A simple message can open the door:

“I know many businesses are already planning for the holiday season. I thought this idea book might help you think through signage, packaging, cards, gifts, events, and customer touchpoints before things get busy.”

That note is helpful, timely, and easy to act on. It also positions you as a resource before your customer is in urgent mode.

Help Customers See the Bigger Need

Customers don’t always ask for print in product language. They usually start with a business goal.

They want more people in the store.
They want an event to feel organized.
They want a gift to feel more thoughtful.
They want packaging to look more seasonal.
They want customers to remember an offer.
They want employees, donors, or partners to feel appreciated.

The Holiday Idea Book helps translate those goals into practical print ideas.

Instead of asking, “Do you need holiday cards this year?” you can ask:

“What are you doing this season to thank customers, employees, donors, or partners?”

Instead of asking, “Do you need any signs?” try:

“Are you planning any seasonal sales, special hours, pickup options, or events that customers will need to know about?”

Those questions lead to better conversations because they focus on what the customer is trying to accomplish, not just what they ordered last year.

Use the Idea Book by Customer Type

Because the idea book is visual and white-labeled, it’s easy to share with different types of customers as your own seasonal planning resource. To make it more effective, point customers toward the ideas that match their business.

For retail customers, highlight holiday signage, window decals, counter signs, hang tags, labels, custom bags, gift packaging, postcards, and loyalty punch cards. These products help shoppers find offers, understand product details, notice gift options, and enjoy a more complete shopping experience.

For restaurants, venues, and hospitality businesses, focus on table tents, napkins, coasters, rack cards, drinkware, event signage, posters, menus, and holiday cards. These pieces help support seasonal dining, private events, customer appreciation, and branded guest experiences.

For nonprofits, churches, and community organizations, point to banners, yard signs, remittance envelopes, donation materials, thank-you cards, event tickets, table tents, and sponsor signage. These items help promote causes, organize volunteers, support fundraising, and make giving easier.

For corporate customers, share ideas for appreciation gifts, announcements, greeting cards, memo pads, drinkware, napkins, paperboard coasters, event programs, and holiday party materials. These products help businesses recognize the people who supported their year.

For travel, resort, and hospitality clients, use the winter getaway ideas to start conversations about folders, postcards, notepads, pens, apparel, TSA bags, badges, and welcome kits. These pieces help prepare travelers, improve customer experiences, and create branded takeaways.

The more specific your outreach feels, the more useful the idea book becomes.

Turn One Request into a More Complete Plan

One of the biggest opportunities in holiday print is helping customers see what naturally belongs together.

A customer who asks for a holiday card may also need mailing labels, envelopes, gift tags, stickers, or appreciation gifts.
A customer who asks for a banner may also need window decals, counter signs, postcards, table tents, or directional signage.
A customer who asks for labels may also need hang tags, bags, packaging tape, mailing labels, or gift packaging.
A customer planning an event may need announcements, rack card programs, napkins, paperboard coasters, table tents, signs, tickets, and thank-you cards.
A customer preparing seasonal shipments may need packaging tape, mailing labels, greeting cards, door hangers, or inserts.

This approach isn’t about adding products just to add products. It’s about helping customers create a more complete experience around the thing they are already trying to do.

A Simple Step-by-Step Plan

Here’s a practical way to use the Holiday Idea Book throughout the season.

Step 1: Choose your first group of customers.
Start with customers who are most likely to have seasonal needs: retailers, restaurants, nonprofits, schools, hospitality businesses, churches, corporate accounts, salons, boutiques, real estate offices, travel agencies, and anyone who hosts events, sends mailings, sells gifts, or ships products.

Step 2: Send the idea book with a short note.
Don’t just attach a link to the lookbook and hope they browse it. Give them a reason to open it. Mention that it includes ideas for holiday sales, seasonal events, customer appreciation, gifting, packaging, shipping, and year-end communication.

Step 3: Ask one good planning question.
Keep it simple. Try: “Are you planning any holiday promotions, customer gifts, events, or special packaging this year?” One focused question is easier to answer than a long list of possibilities.

Step 4: Point to one or two relevant sections.
Make the asset easier to use. For a retailer, call out the retail holiday sales and seasonal sales sections. For a nonprofit, suggest the volunteer events and shipping sections. For a corporate customer, point to client and employee appreciation or holiday events.

Step 5: Recommend a connected set of pieces.
Once you know the goal, suggest the print that supports it. For example, a holiday open house could include invitations, window decals, counter signs, table tents, napkins, paperboard coasters, custom labels, and thank-you cards.

Step 6: Talk timing early.
Help customers work backward from their event date, sale launch, mailing deadline, or shipping window. Early planning helps reduce rushed decisions and gives them more time for approvals, revisions, and reorders.

Step 7: Follow up with a specific idea.
Avoid the generic “just checking in.” A stronger follow-up sounds like: “I noticed a few ideas in the idea book that could work well for your customer appreciation gifts this year. Would it help if I pulled together a few options?”

Best Practices for Better Holiday Conversations

The idea book works best when it’s used with intention.

Share it early, before customers are under pressure.
Personalize your message by customer type.
Focus on the goal behind the print piece.
Use the visuals to help customers imagine the finished experience.
Ask about events, gifting, packaging, signage, shipping, and promotions.
Recommend pieces that support the same need.
Bring up timelines before the season gets crowded.
Follow up with one useful idea, not a broad product list.

Holiday print touches almost every part of the season: sales, events, gifting, packaging, customer appreciation, employee recognition, fundraising, and year-end communication. The more customers can see those connections, the easier it is for them to plan with confidence.

Make the Season Easier to Plan

The Holiday Idea Book gives you a ready-to-share resource that helps customers think earlier and more completely about the season ahead. It gives them ideas they can see, products they can understand, and a better way to connect print with the moments that matter most to their business.

Start with one customer. One seasonal event. One promotion. One appreciation gift. One packaging need.

Then use the idea book to help them see what else could make the season smoother, more memorable, and more successful.

View the Holiday Idea Book

Filed Under: Marketing, News, Print Products

How to Identify Your Target Market in 6 Easy Steps

Posted on June 8, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

Most resellers can sell print to almost any business.

That’s both the opportunity and the trap.

When your product mix includes business cards, envelopes, labels, folders, forms, signs, banners, badges, stamps, decals, marketing materials, packaging products, and more, it can feel like every company is a potential customer. And technically, many of them are.

But “everyone” is not a very helpful target market.

When you try to market to everyone at once, your message gets softer. Your outreach gets broader. Your time gets spread thinner. And your best-fit customers – the ones with real need, repeat potential, and room to grow – may get scooped up by a competitor who knew exactly what to look for.

The good news? You don’t need a complicated customer targeting strategy to find stronger print sales opportunities. You just need a practical way to narrow your focus, spot better-fit accounts and market with more intention.

Here are six steps to help you identify your target market, find better customers, and focus your sales energy where it has a better chance to pay off.

1. Start with what your best customers already have in common

Before you chase new prospects, look at the customers already buying from you.

Your current customer list is one of the best places to find clues about your next opportunity. Which customers order consistently? Which ones buy more than one product category? Which ones ask for ideas instead of only asking for the lowest price? Which ones are easier to serve, more open to recommendations, and more likely to come back?

Those details matter.

A customer who orders once a year may be useful. A customer who orders forms, envelopes, labels, signs, and seasonal marketing materials throughout the year is something different. That is a relationship with room to grow.

Start by reviewing your customer base and asking:

Which customers reorder most often?
Which customers buy across multiple categories?
Which customers have recurring business needs?
Which customers are growing, expanding, or changing?
Which customers trust your recommendations?
Which customers are profitable, not just busy?

This step helps you identify patterns. Maybe your strongest accounts are schools. Maybe healthcare offices keep coming back. Maybe local service businesses have a steady need for appointment cards, forms, yard signs, decals, and branded envelopes. Maybe manufacturers are buying labels, tags, forms, and safety signage more often than you realized.

The goal is not to create a perfect spreadsheet for your pipeline. The goal is to notice what your best customers have in common so you can find more customers like them.

2. Look for industries with repeat print needs

Some industries naturally create stronger print opportunities because they rely on print to operate, communicate, promote, organize, and serve customers.

That doesn’t mean every account in those industries will be a perfect fit. It does mean they are worth a closer look.

Think about industries with frequent customer interaction, recurring paperwork, seasonal activity, compliance needs, local visibility needs, or ongoing communication. These are often solid places to look for print need ideas because print isn’t a one-time novelty for them. It’s part of how they run.

Examples include:

Healthcare offices that need appointment cards, forms, labels, envelopes, signage, folders, and patient communication materials.
Schools and education organizations that need event tickets, event signs, folders, fundraising materials, postcards, labels, and branded stationery.
Real estate teams that need business cards, folders, signs, postcards, door hangers, and local marketing materials.
Manufacturers that need labels, tags, forms, safety signage, decals, and shipping materials.
Retail businesses that need product labels, window clings, sale signage, packaging materials, ID badges, loyalty cards, and seasonal marketing pieces.
Nonprofits that need appeal letters, event materials, banners, remittance envelopes, thank-you cards, and donor communication pieces.
Professional services firms that need stationery, folders, envelopes, forms, presentation materials, and client communication tools.

This is where vertical market sales strategy becomes especially useful. Instead of thinking only by product, you start thinking by industry need. That makes your outreach more relevant and your recommendations more useful.

For example, “Do you need labels?” is fine.

But “Are you preparing for seasonal promotions, product packaging updates, or in-store sale signage?” gives you a more potent opening. It connects print to real business situations.

3. Match customer needs to product categories

Customers don’t typically think in print categories.

They think in problems, deadlines, and business needs.

They think:

We need to look ready for the open house.
We need to get these products labeled.
We need to help customers find the right entrance.
We need to send invoices.
We need to promote the fundraiser.
We need to organize new client paperwork.
We need to ship orders without looking like we packed them in a broom closet during a power outage.

That’s why one of the best ways to identify high-potential customers is to connect real-world customer needs to the products that support them.

Here are a few examples:

“I need to get noticed locally” could point to banners, yard signs, postcards, decals, door hangers, magnets, or A-frame signs.

“I need to organize customer information” could point to folders, forms, labels, envelopes, checks, and stationery.

“I need to prepare for an event” could point to badges, signs, banners, invitations, table tents, folders, brochures, and handouts.

“I need to package or ship products” could point to labels, stickers, tags, packaging tape, decals, and flyers.

“I need to communicate with customers” could point to postcards, envelopes, letterhead, appointment cards, brochures, and business cards.

“I need my team to look consistent” could point to badges, name tags, branded forms, signage, apparel, and customer-facing materials.

This approach helps you move from order-taking to opportunity-spotting.

A customer who asks for one product may have a larger need hiding behind the request. A school asking for event banners may also need directional signs, event tickets, folders, and fundraising materials. A clinic ordering appointment cards may also need labels, envelopes, forms, and patient handouts. A manufacturer ordering barcode labels may also need safety signage, shipping labels, tags, and operational forms.

That’s where sales growth often lives – not in pushing more products, but in recognizing what else naturally fits.

4. Score accounts by potential, not just size

It’s easy to assume the biggest customer is the best customer.

Sometimes that is true. Sometimes the biggest customer is also the biggest consumer of your time, patience, and emergency coffee.

A better approach is to score accounts by potential, not size alone.

A smaller business with frequent print needs, healthy growth, and openness to recommendations may be more valuable than a larger account that only buys once a year and price-shops every quote. This doesn’t mean you ignore large accounts. It means you look at the full opportunity.

Try scoring your customers or prospects using these factors:

Frequency: Do they reorder regularly?
Fit: Do your print categories match their needs?
Growth: Are they opening locations, hiring, expanding services, or launching new offers?
Complexity: Do they need multiple types of print throughout the year?
Relationship: Are they open to ideas and recommendations?
Margin potential: Are they buying value-driven products, or only the cheapest basics?
Timing: Do they have seasonal, annual, or event-based buying cycles?

This kind of simple scoring system can help you prioritize follow-up. It can also help you decide where to spend time with samples, sales materials, targeted emails, or one-to-one outreach.

For example, a small dental office might not look like a huge opportunity at first glance. But if it needs appointment cards, patient forms, recall postcards, labels, envelopes, indoor signs, and seasonal promotional products, it may be a steady account with repeat potential.

That’s the kind of account worth noticing before someone else does.

5. Watch for buying signals

Customers often show signs of need before they ask for a quote.

The reseller who notices those signals first has an advantage.

A buying signal is any clue that a business may need print soon. Some are obvious. Others are hiding in plain sight.

Look for signs like:

A new business opening
A new location
A rebrand or logo refresh
A hiring push
A new product launch
A seasonal sale or promotion
An upcoming fundraiser
A community event
A trade show or conference
A new service offering
A website update
More social media activity
A local sponsorship
A move, expansion or remodel

Each of these moments can create practical print needs.

A restaurant opening a second location may need menus, window graphics, labels, hiring materials, postcards, and signs.

A nonprofit planning a fundraiser may need announcements, remittance envelopes, banners, programs, directional signage, and thank-you cards.

A real estate office adding agents may need business cards, folders, signs, postcards, and custom marketing materials.

A retailer launching a new product line may need product labels, shelf signage, packaging stickers, ID badges, window clings, and promotional postcards.

This is one of the simplest ways to increase print sales without waiting for customers to come to you. Pay attention to what is happening in your customers’ world, then reach out with a specific idea tied to that moment.

The message doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

Try something like:

“I saw you have a fundraiser coming up and thought of a few print pieces that could help with promotion, wayfinding, and donor follow-up.”

Or:

“Congratulations on the new location. If you are updating signage, labels, marketing or customer materials, I can help you pull together a few practical options.”

Specific beats generic almost every time.

6. Build a focused outreach plan

Once you know which customers and industries have stronger potential, turn that insight into action.

This is where many resellers get stuck. They identify promising accounts, then go back to sending the same general message to everyone.

Don’t let the plan die in the land of “interesting information.” That place is crowded and full of abandoned PDFs.

Instead, build a simple outreach plan.

Pick one or two industries to focus on each month. Create a short list of likely product needs for each industry. Send a practical email with timely ideas. Share a relevant flyer, sample, or sales tool. Follow up with a specific suggestion. Track which customers click, reply, request quotes, or place orders.

For example, if you focus on schools in late spring or summer, your outreach could mention fall registration, orientation, events, fundraising, and campus communication. Product ideas might include folders, signs, labels, event tickets, postcards, banners, and stationery.

If you focus on retailers before the holiday season, your outreach could mention product labels, sale signage, window clings, packaging stickers, ID badges, gift card holders, postcards, and loyalty materials.

If you focus on healthcare offices, your outreach could mention appointment cards, envelopes, forms, labels, badges, folders, rack cards, and patient communication pieces.

The point is to make your message feel relevant to the customer’s actual work.

Instead of saying, “Let us know if you need print,” you can say, “With fall events coming up, you may need banners, directional signs, folders, labels, and ID badges. Here are a few easy places to start.”

That’s a more solid message because it gives the customer something useful to react to.

A super smart way to focus your sales effort

Learning how to identify your target market isn’t about shrinking your opportunity. It’s about using your time more intentionally.

You can still serve a wide range of customers. But when it comes to proactive marketing and sales outreach, focus matters. The more clearly you understand who is most likely to buy, reorder, and value your guidance, the easier it becomes to create messages that connect.

Start with your best current customers. Look for industries with repeat needs. Match products to real business situations. Score accounts by potential. Watch for buying signals. Then build focused outreach around the markets most likely to respond.

That’s how you stop chasing everyone and start finding better-fit customers before your competitors do.

Ready to focus your sales efforts where they can do more good? Use Navitor’s Industries, Margin Potential, and Reorder Behavior in Print report to help identify promising verticals, spot reorder opportunities, and build more intentional outreach.

View the Industries, Margin Potential, and Reorder Behavior in Print report

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, Print Products, Resources

Loyalty Programs + Print: The Retention Strategy No One Can Ignore

Posted on January 1, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

The shift from digital-only engagement to tactile, personalized moments that actually move the needle cannot be ignored. Discover which print pieces drive the strongest loyalty lift, how brands are using mailers, tier kits, and micro-run promo items to boost retention.

Digital loyalty programs aren’t going away – but their limitations are becoming impossible to overlook. Inboxes are crowded. Push notifications are ignored. App usage is inconsistent at best. And customers who once felt excited about accumulating points are now wondering what value they’re really getting.

Which is why 2026 is becoming the year loyalty programs go tactile again.

Brands across industries are rediscovering something resellers have known for decades: print creates the emotional pull that loyalty programs need to succeed. And when print enters the loyalty mix, retention strengthens, engagement rises, and customers feel genuinely seen.

For you, this shift presents one of the most reliable, high-margin opportunities of the coming year.

Why Loyalty is Surging (Again)

The realities behind the trend are clear:

Retention now outranks acquisition.
With rising advertising costs and shifting consumer behavior, brands can’t afford to lose the customers they already have. The pressure to increase Lifetime Value (LTV) is real – and print supports that mission beautifully.

Consumers crave personalization.
Digital channels often feel generic, even when they claim to be personalized. Print, on the other hand, feels intentional. When a member receives a mailer with their name, tier, or milestone, it signals recognition in a way no algorithmic email can.

Digital-only programs are underperforming.
Open rates and app engagement continue to decline. Physical pieces disrupt that downward trend by creating a moment customers can’t scroll past.

Tactile moments deepen emotional connection.
A loyalty card, a welcome kit, or a surprise-and-delight mailer isn’t fleeting. It gets held, shared, displayed, and remembered.

And the data backs it up:

Loyalty members drive 12–18% more revenue than non-members. (source: Queue-it)
About 65% of revenue comes from existing customers. (source: SellersCommerce)
Personalized direct mail drives 135% higher response rates than non-personalized pieces. (source: Postalytics)
Tiered loyalty programs show up to 30% higher lifetime value when print is incorporated. (source: CleverTap)
72% of consumers want brands to surprise them through the mail. (source: Path to Purchase Institute)

These aren’t small lifts – they’re program-changing.

The Print Advantage in Loyalty Programs

Digital channels can automate. Print can resonate.

Print is emotional.
A welcome kit. A milestone certificate. A handwritten-style thank-you. These moments linger.

Print is personal.
Names, tiers, curated offers – all tangible and visible.

Print is high performing.
Mail gets opened. Kits get photographed. Cards get tucked into wallets. Unlike digital messages, printed pieces stick around. You gotta admit it, hitting unsubscribe in an email is easy to do.

Print scales beautifully.
Navitor makes low-minimum runs – even quantities as low as one – easy to produce. That means you can help your clients deliver VIP treatment without massive inventory or waste.

What Today’s Loyalty Teams Are Looking For

Across industries, loyalty managers are asking for solutions that check these boxes:

Flexibility
The ability to update messaging quickly, test batches, and customize for different member tiers.

Quality
Premium finishes signal that a member relationship matters. Soft-touch cards, raised print, foil accents – all accessible through Navitor.

Responsiveness
Fast turns and U.S.A.-made production shorten timelines and support special campaign moments.

Sustainability
More programs want eco-friendlier stocks, smaller print batches, and smart, waste-reducing fulfillment.

These align perfectly with what you can offer today.

How You Can Win More Loyalty Business in 2026

Here are the most valuable print components to introduce:

Loyalty Bundles
Membership cards, certificates, welcome envelopes, and brochures packaged together. These simplify buying decisions and increase average order value.

Tier Kits
Curated sets for silver, gold, platinum – or internal recognition tiers. Premium finishes shine here.

Milestone + Renewal Mailers
Anniversaries, birthdays, expansions, “you’re almost there” nudges – all more impactful in print.

Exclusive Small-Batch Items
Stickers, decals, mini prints, limited-run trading cards. Low minimums make exclusivity easy.
Retention Messaging Through Print
Show clients how tactile touchpoints lift engagement and re-engagement, especially for lapsed members.

The key is framing print as the engine of loyalty, not an accessory to it.

The Takeaway: Loyalty Needs Print, and Print Needs You

As loyalty programs evolve, the most successful ones blend digital convenience with physical connection. That’s where you come in.

Your ability to recommend the right printed pieces – in the right moments – positions you as a strategic partner, not just a supplier. And behind every order, Navitor is ready with:

Low minimums across cards, labels, envelopes, packaging, and promo
U.S.A.-made options for speed and trust
Recycled and eco-friendlier material selections
Premium finishes and personalization options
A wide network of print experts ready to execute

In 2026, loyalty isn’t about points. It’s about belonging. And belonging is built through moments customers can feel – not just click.

Filed Under: Marketing, News, Print Products

The Print Products Leading the Way in 2026 – and How You Can Sell Them

Posted on January 1, 2026 Written by Julie Carlson-Kulla

We break down the year’s newly in-demand items, why they’re trending, and how to turn each one into profitable conversations with your clients.

Print demand is shifting fast – not away from print, but toward products that help brands stay nimble, relevant, and sustainably minded. In a year where budgets are tight and expectations are high, your customers aren’t looking for “more print.” They’re looking for print that works harder.

Here’s a deeper look at the product trends shaping 2026 and how you can use them to open doors, expand orders, and strengthen your position as a strategic partner.

Instant-Swap Graphic Systems: The New Standard for Smart Signage

Businesses want signage that keeps up with them. Promotions change. Regulations shift. Inventory moves. Reprinting entire signs is wasteful and expensive – which is why reusable frames and quick-swap inserts are taking off.

Why it matters to your customers:

Lower long-term costs
Faster updates
Less waste (a sustainability win)
Cleaner brand consistency

How you can sell it:
Start with a simple question: “How often do your signs need to change?”

Most businesses quickly recognize the benefit of a reusable system when the math is laid out for them. Navitor’s inserts, panels, and overlays – often available in low minimums – make repeat business effortless.

Hyper-Local Micro Signage: Small Format, Big Lift

Shelf labels. Mini clings. Counter signs. Floor decals. Micro signage is booming because it meets buyers exactly where decisions happen.

Why it’s trending:

Perfect for retailers, restaurants, healthcare, events
Easy to version for neighborhoods, regions, or store-specific needs
Low-cost + high impact
Ideal for fast tests and seasonal shifts

Your opportunity:
Micro signage is ordered often. And because Navitor prints many of these items in quantities as low as one, you can sell hyper-local updates without minimum-order objections.

Utility Over Novelty: Promo With Purpose

Giveaway fatigue is real. Customers want promotional products people will actually use – not toss.

The shift:

Everyday utility beats one-off novelty
Sustainable materials matter
Transparency around sourcing is increasingly important

What to recommend:
Think desk organizers, functional accessories, branding tools, and reusable items. These products not only stay in circulation longer but also reflect better on your customer’s brand. Tie the recommendation to longevity: “Let’s get you a promo piece that earns impressions for months, not minutes.”

Packaging for Micro Segments: Small Batches, Big Results

From seasonal drops to market-specific variants, brands now think in “micro moments.” They don’t want massive print runs – they want fast, flexible packaging that matches their pace.

Why this trend keeps growing:

Digital print unlocks low-minimums
Fast turns support rapid product cycles
Customization boosts perceived value
S.A.-made short runs cut shipping time and emissions

Where Navitor fits:
Short-run packaging – from labels to wraps to box components – positions you to support big brands testing ideas and small brands scaling up.

Tactile Maximalism: Texture Wins the Shelf War

In a world full of digital noise, touch is a differentiator. That’s why textured labels and printed pieces are gaining traction across industries – especially food and beverage, beauty, wellness, and boutique retail.

What customers love:

Soft-touch stocks
Fabric-like textures
Raised elements
Micro-embossing
Specialty finishes that signal quality instantly

Your angle:
Show samples. Texture sells itself. Many of Navitor’s label and print products can incorporate these enhancements – often in low quantities – making premium feel accessible.

The Selling Mindset for 2026: Print as a Flexible System, Not a Fixed Asset

Today’s buyers want print that adapts with them. Whether that’s reusable signage, micro packaging, or small-batch local messaging, the story is the same:

Adaptability = value.

When you shift conversations away from one-off orders and toward flexible, sustainable, low-minimum solutions, customers start to see print as a system – something they can evolve, refine, and reorder consistently.

And that’s where the revenue grows.

Your Next Step

Bring one question into your next sales conversation:
“Where do you need more flexibility this year?”

Their answer will point directly to one of these trends – and to a print solution you can offer.

Navitor is here to help you deliver it with:

Low minimums (sometimes down to a quantity of one)
U.S.A.-made options across categories
Fast-turn capabilities
FSC-certified stocks and sustainable substrates
A huge catalog of labels, signage, packaging, and tactile options

The market is ready for smarter print. Now’s your time to lead the way.

Filed Under: Marketing, News, Print Products