Industry Research Is a Critical Tool for All Women in Print

This article was originally published on Women in Print Alliance.

Following industry trends is an important practice for all members of the printing industry, not just those working in the C-suite or business management roles. Economic reports, research studies, and understanding the top industry trends all support career development, product development, and service to customers. Trends often help identify new products/services to offer, enhance selling conversations, educate on unforeseen opportunities, and elevate the organizational value of the people sharing them.

Despite the value and advantages of staying current on the industry, women working in the industry may not take full advantage of available resources. Of the common obstacles women working in the printing industry often cite for not staying current on business trends, there are solutions today that make information more convenient to access and easier to grasp. Consider the following obstacles and resources for overcoming them.

• Challenge: Too busy with work and meeting current job responsibilities. Following and learning about industry trends has gotten easier with the expansion of content options. Podcasts, videos, and recorded presentations enable anytime access, and convenience, for listening or viewing content.
• Challenge: Research and economic reports are too technical, not approachable to lay people, and require too much effort to comprehend and make actionable. While in the past that may have been the case, today’s reports consider their audience’s time and focus on presenting easy to understand content in multiple formats — including, written, infographics, audio, video.
• Challenge: Too expensive to purchase research, trends, and economic reports. Access to industry research and trends has become more accessible. For example, NAPCO Research provides free downloadable reports that range from detailing industry trends to sharing survey results. In addition, the research unit of NAPCO Media frequently shares trends and research findings in free online webinars hosted by NAPCO publications. You can watch the latest 60-minute webinar with a focus on the business outlook and top trends for 2024 here.

It’s time for a new mindset on seeking out printing industry trends, economic, and research reports. I invite you to start the new year out right by viewing the NAPCO Research and PRINTING United Alliance Economics Teams’ webinar to find out what trends will influence the printing industry in 2024.