Online print network Cloudprinter is preparing a major pivot from a distributed print network using existing print businesses to a business that owns its own operations to print as close as possible to the end customer.
The business has been focused on meeting the needs of international corporates with a print network across the US and Europe delivering to 104 countries through 300 print partners. These enable Cloudprinter to offer a portfolio of 50,000 products including promotional items, apparel and wall coverings.
More recently it has expanded to include creators and ecommerce businesses with integration to Shopify or Woocommerce. Success in this market is down to speed of fulfilment, what Cloudprinter CEO Martijn Eijer calls the Distance Tax.
It plans to set up print fulfilment centres in 18 US states and in major European countries. The first of these will be in operation in Q2 this year with the full US network in place within 18 months. As well as speed, this will cut long distance shipping charges.
There will also be Cloudprinter sites in the UK, Spain. Germany, France and the Netherlands though these do not suffer long distance shipping charges.
The explosion of social commerce, through the growth of TikTok Shop, Etsy and the like, and the same day delivery pioneered by Amazon, underlies the opportunity that Eijer identifies.
“We are moving the factory to the customer’s street. By launching our own specialised Print Fulfilment Centres, we are providing the physical infrastructure required to ensure our customers — whether they are individual creators or global enterprises — win on speed.
“The ‘Now economy’ doesn’t wait for a box to travel across the country. Whether it’s a viral TikTok trend or a high velocity Amazon seller, the winner is determined by who is closest to the customer’s front door.”
There are no details yet on the technology each operation will have, nor the location, nor whether Cloudprinter will be seeking investment to fund the development. It does not say how the existing partners will be affected and which products will be produced by the Cloudprinter sites and which through its network.
Eijer explains: “We move data, not boxes. Our customers are no longer victims of inefficient shipping routes or the ‘Distance Tax.’ By launching our own infrastructure, we have built the engine that allows anyone to scale without limits. The era of paying for distance is over; we are tearing down the barriers of logistics to return those margins directly to our customers.”
The locations are likely too to be close to logistics distribution hubs in North America to tie in with existing delivery businesses.
Cloudprinter will come up against drop shipping specialists like Printful which has eight production sites and ships 1 million products a month, and other print networks, Mimeo for example. Mimeo operates in multiple countries, and offers next day shipping to 140 countries. It is also following a path taken by Gelato. That business started as a proposition for international brands and now focuses on the demands of the creator economy, though continues to work through third party print service providers.
