News in the Channel - January 2023

LABEL PRINTERS

well as other consumables. “These products are also developing smarter tools such as asset tagging equipment labelling, scan to text – where text can be scanned and straight away printed onto a label – and scan to translate, where, for instance, in a hotel environment a label may be required in Japanese to cater for a guest, and the text can be translated and printed onto a label.” As Louise mentioned, label printers have myriad applications in a wide range of industries, and this needs to be thought about by sales teams when talking to customers or potential customers. “Salespeople can think about workflows within an organisation. Is that printer the right printer in the right place, and is it integrated into your software? Think about that point of printing; is it the right place at the right time with the right technology?” says Ged. “Printing and labels can easily be overlooked, so our message to salespeople is to be curious and ask questions of customers. “Good salesmanship can take them to that next level step and create a true solution for their customers who are already buying from them. Brother’s proposition is ‘don’t just think label printers’, think office or desktop printers, or think bench packing stations too. For every label printer, there will be a laser printer in the back office printing out manifest or delivery sheets as well. “Think of the label as the start and also the end of the operation. You can’t do anything without a barcode label on there. So you really should be looking with a bit more of a curious mindset of what are they actually scanning, where is that coming from? “The channel is ready. Printing is a be all and end all, especially with ecommerce, as it revolves around the barcode label.” With ecommerce set for growth, along with developing trends in other sectors as outlined above, the market for label printers is set for growth for the foreseeable future and can provide good revenues for resellers in the market, no matter which sectors they sell into.

who died from an allergic reaction after eating sesame seeds that were baked into the dough of a baguette. PPDS food now must clearly display the name of the food, along with a full ingredients list – including highlighting allergenic ingredients – on the packaging. “Different countries have adopted their own variations of that law because obviously the prep is the same, so it’s something that businesses are using,” says Dayle. Upgrade and renew The introduction of Natasha’s law moved many businesses to purchase label printers at the time to comply with the legislation, but now, 18 months on from its introduction, businesses will be assessing whether their label printers are still fit for purpose, says Ged Cairns, head of Auto ID Business Unit, at Brother UK Ltd. “Businesses will be looking at whether their current devices are sufficient and still meet their needs. Some early adopters would have installed a printer in early 2021, so two years old, and those in a kitchen, pub or food environment, will have had high use, so there is going to be a replacement market there for resellers.” Ged adds that with the growth in ecommerce and being able to ship efficiently, quickly and as cheaply as possible a priority for many businesses, especially smaller ones, there is growth in demand for relatively inexpensive label printers. Easy add With demand set to increase for the foreseeable future, label printers could provide a potentially profitable market to move into, and adding it to a sales roster is relatively easy, adds Louise Unsworth, business unit manager at Brother UK. “It is really easy to add it to a resellers’ profile and every company probably uses a label in some shape, whether they are farmers or in an office, and label printers typically come with a three- year warranty, so there’s no danger in adding the labelling printer range to a portfolio. And it also adds a nice revenue of ongoing label roll sales as

Ged Cairns head of Auto ID Business Unit Brother UK

Think of the label as the start and also the end of the operation “ ”

Louise Unsworth business manager Brother UK

brother.co.uk