FuturePrint Vision Report 2022: What Did We Learn?

April 5, 2022 Karis Copp

In this episode of the FuturePrint podcast, Co-Founders Marcus Timson and Frazer Chesterman talk to Head of Content Karis Copp, about the launch of the 2022 Vision Report.

Listen to Marcus, Frazer and Karis dissect the key trends from the report and comment on some of the challenges we can expect to encounter this year.

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Supply chain issues

The report finds that current issues and delays are, of course, making it hard to get hold of certain components and unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a resolution on the horizon. However ,there are some positive stories from contributors, and this episode offersuseful insights into how businesses are coping with these issues.

Marcus talks about how it will take some time for supply chain management to improve but on a more positive note, we are seeing a huge demand for products, driven by inflation and the lifting of COVID restrictions.

Staffing

Whilst compiling the report, Karis spoke to businesses about their recent experiences with staffing issues, commenting on the contributors who raised this problem and how they are dealing with the need for flexibility, automation, and the importance of relationships.

Karis also covers off a conversation she had with Dorinda Gibbons, Profile Recruitment Director, about how to attract the best talent to your organisation and, most importantly, how to keep them!

Buying channel changes

A key theme of the Vision Report was how buying decisions are changing. Companies are now far more rigorous when it comes to participating in events,asking themselves if they are delivering a justifiable ROI, or if it’s something they could be involved with virtually to save on time and costs. However, Karis found that there is still a huge appetite for conferences and trade events, noting a shift towards hybrid formats; a successful approach combining digital and face to face events can allow more people to take part and benefit.

The Vision Report notes that this hybrid way of working has also affected the sales cycle. Customers are no longer learning about products and getting to grips with the latest news and information just at trade shows; Marcus talks about how companies, including FuturePrint, are working in new ways to communicate with customers through podcasts, webinars, articles and much more.

Sustainability

Karis speaks frankly, “if you’re not serious about sustainability, then you’ll be left behind”. Both Marcus and Frazer agree and remark how every organisation must now prove how it’s meeting sustainability targets for 2022.

We’re pleased to see digital products supporting this by enabling efficiencies and reducing waste but note that sustainability needs to transcend the ‘trend’ label and become a fundamental aspect of how a business operates.