THE POWER OF PERSONALISATION: MARKET SHIFTS AND KEY INDUSTRY INSIGHTS reveal the secret to your business growth strategy

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15 Feb

WRITTEN BY FESPA TEXTILE AMBASSADOR DEBBIE MCKEEGAN

What if the secret to your business's growth lies not in volume, or meterage, but in creating a product that's uniquely tailored to the customer? Personalisation is no longer a novelty; it’s fast becoming the new normal across the print industry. Businesses that fail to adapt risk being left behind as consumer expectations shift to on-demand, customised experiences as standard.

From customised t-shirts and couture fashion to bespoke wallcoverings in interior decor, personalisation is taking centre stage across all sectors. The trend is not just a passing phase but a fundamental shift reshaping how businesses think about scalability, production, and customer satisfaction.

Why Personalisation Matters More Than Ever?

The rise of personalisation is fuelled by a consumer-driven market. Today’s buyers demand more than high-quality products—they want items that reflect their identity.

A recent study by Deloitte revealed that 36% of consumers favour personalised products, and companies offering these services have seen higher customer satisfaction rates and brand loyalty, stating: "The business value of personalisation is growing clearer every year as customers gravitate toward brands that make them feel understood as individuals. Brands that excel in personalisation are soaring past their revenue goals because their customers buy more, more often, and remain loyal over time".

For the print industry, whether it’s apparel, promotional products, or interior design, this shift offers a powerful strategic opportunity. Agility and production efficiency must be prioritised for businesses in this sector in order to adapt to rapid (and often fickle) consumer demand, when adopting on-demand manufacturing effectively.

The New Reality for Businesses

On-demand manufacturing is non-negotiable, it aligns with sustainability and directly supports personalisation. It eliminates overproduction, cuts storage costs, and facilitates the creation of highly customised products.

Leveraging customisation delivers added value for all stakeholders – by definition - personalised products offer instant gratification, retain and build brand loyalty and align with real-time customer expectations. Delivering a whole new territory for the creator economy (online and off) – by empowering a new generation of entrepreneurial business models – powered, fueled and fulfilled by 3rd party Smart Hubs.

Brands and Retailers (old and new) that have invested to onboard personalisation technologies are thriving. By actively encouraging customers to design their own customised garments, accessories and decorative goods they are reaping the financial rewards, in difficult market conditions. There can be no doubt: personalised products are increasing sales opportunities across the print industry - in many forms, B2B and B2C.

However, integrating on-demand production models doesn't happen overnight

For the brands sourcing and aligning their business model with the correct supplier/suppliers is critical. Transparency and traceability are now essential across the on-demand supply chain – from design to production and onto fulfillment. Transparency in sourcing materials and production processes plays a large role in making personalised offerings both appealing and responsible. Each and every stakeholder must demand clarity and deliver mutual trust alongside strategic collaboration.

Businesses of all scales must adopt advanced, intelligent software and lean into secure suppliers using (and continually investing in) on-demand digital manufacturing technologies. By example; direct-to-garment (DTG) and DTF (direct -to-film) printing. In this ever expanding and established market sector, innovations are thick and fast, with a myriad of technologies to choose from; single desktop print stations to the latest roll-to-roll innovations for DTF/DTG printing from manufacturers such as Brother, Epson and Mimaki onto the impressive - fully automatic – digital DTG print equipment such as the Apollo from Kornit Digital.

Equally in Interior Décor: Business is booming for large and small print businesses successfully serving independent designers and behemoth retailers. When choosing technology, we reiterate “integrating on-demand production models doesn't happen overnight”. Collaboration is key for successful manufacturing, as demonstrated by the “Wallpaper Factory” concept demonstrated by Fotoba cutting technologies with Canon Colorado wallpaper printing equipment.

It is these powerful, strategic collaborations between machinery and software companies that are aggressively disrupting and upending the traditional print supply routes, to offer the industry viable digital manufacturing solutions, and not “proof of concept”. Leaving the “Printer to Print – and not Pioneer”.

The message for business owners is clear - Personalisation is no longer optional. It is an essential tool to retain current customers and attract new ones. By pivoting to meet these demands, print businesses can gain a competitive edge and achieve long-term growth.

We’ve reached a pivotal moment. The question is not whether you should integrate personalisation, but how quickly you can adapt and onboard. Delaying means playing catch-up in an evolving market; acting now cements your position at the forefront of this market shift.