FedEx Kinko’s Enhances Online Presence with New Print Online Web-to-Print Solution

Note: This Special Report Extra accompanies our Exclusive Interview with Brian Philips

By Cary Sherburne, Senior WTT Editor

February 21, 2007 -- After much industry chatter about which supplier(s) would provide web-to-print infrastructure to update the FedEx Kinko’s offering, the company ended up developing its own interface, launched last October as FedEx Kinko’s Print Online.  Prior to that, the company had four different online job submission options, including Print to a FedEx Kinko’s, Web Order, File, Print FedEx Kinko’s and DocStore. Print Online replaces the first two.

WhatTheyThink spent time at FedEx Kinko’s Print Online to see how the interface worked compared to previous versions.  In previous generations, although it was not always clear which interface was best for which specific type of application, I had tried them all and found that they were fine for simple job submission, but fell short of expectations when a job became more complex, especially if you were trying to submit a job that consisted of multiple components.  That is, with the exception of DocStore, which is a catalog-based storefront that is targeted at FedEx Kinko’s larger corporate customers.

With the new FedEx Kinko’s Print Online, the company has done a nice job of providing a simple user interface that has a surprising level of functionality. Our readers, especially print service providers who have not yet implemented a web-to-print solution, should take a look.  As we have been warning for some time, FedEx Kinko’s, along with the office superstores, are rapidly improving their functionality and broadening their offerings, and they continue to eat into the lower end of the market which has previously been the province of small commercial and quick printers. Add to the online functionality the convenience of a national—and even international—footprint, and particularly in the case of FedEx Kinko’s, the growing integration with the FedEx distribution network—these non-traditional competitors are poised to present a formidable competitive threat to the approximately 20,000 small commercial and quick printers with less than 20 employees in the U.S., and their counterparts in other parts of the world.

While FedEx Kinko’s is dedicated to digital print production and has only a small remnant of legacy offset, most of the work they are targeting is ideally suited for digital printing anyway, and in fact, can be produced with acceptable quality, fast turn times and a competitive price point that makes it easier to migrate these short-run jobs to digital.

According to Linda Price, Senior Marketing Specialist at FedEx Kinko’s, “Our market research showed that when customers use online printing, even repetitively, they want an easy-to-use, simple, clean interface, yet their requirements for functionality are increasing. Our objective in developing Print Online was to meet those customer requirements.”

From my experimentation with the system, FedEx Kinko’s has done a nice job of meeting those objectives.  When visiting the FedEx Kinko’s site, visitors can choose to register for Print Online, or merely submit a job without registering. “The advantage to registering,” says Price, “is that all information will be securely saved to eliminate the need to reenter it on the next visit.”  During the registration process, visitors can easily opt out of receiving promotional materials, which is always important to me, personally.  However, if they opt in, they will receive regular information about discounts and promotions that could be of interest as they look to produce print cost effectively.

The other benefit of FedEx Kinko’s Print Online is the fact that it does not require the user to download software; it is completely web-based.  “Most users really don’t want to download software onto their computers,” adds Price.  The site also offers two separate paths, one for U.S.-based print, and the other for international, presumably to make it easier for users to select the FedEx Kinko’s outlet nearest them.

Creating a job is easy.  Users can browse to find the file locations on their computers or networks and select the file(s) using a standard browser interface.  Multiple files can be uploaded at once, and they can be treated individually or combined into one or more jobs. The interface makes it easy, for example, to create a binder or spiral bound book of materials separated by tabs or inserts for a training manual or conference materials. The tabs feature is very intuitive and easy to use, and once materials are combined, it is easy to rearrange them.

Prior to finalizing the job, users are required to review and approve an online proof, although the job can be previewed at any stage.  During my online demo, I had difficulty getting images of a double-sided flyer to appear in the proof. The problem turned out to be an instance of Adobe Acrobat that was not running properly on the server that handles the preview function, and the problem, once discovered, was quickly corrected.  While on the subject of troubleshooting, one shortcoming, which would not be difficult to fix, is the lack of instructions to about what to do and/or who to contact if difficulties like this are experienced.  While I am sure that FedEx Kinko’s would like to keep the number of calls coming in to a minimum, the value of using an interface like this is the ability to quickly and accurately produce last-minute work, and users are likely to become very impatient very quickly, abandoning the solution if it becomes too much of a hassle for them.

Print Online does not have a catalog feature. FedEx Kinko’s refers clients to DocStore for that purpose.  However, print jobs can be saved for later access and reprinting, with or without modifications. Alternatively, for an even simpler interface, users can use, File, Print FedEx Kinko’s which allows printing of a job from within the application as though it were being printed to a local printer.  File, Print FedEx Kinko’s also makes it easy for users to submit work even while offline, with the job being actually submitted the next time the user connects to the Internet. This application does, however, require a software download to function.

The final stage of job entry for FedEx Kinko’s Print Online is designation of shipping methodology. Here, as you would expect, FedEx Kinko’s shines. You can, of course, choose to pick up the job at any FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Center. Alternative, FedEx Kinko’s has a partnership with eCourier to allow local deliveries. This option, according to Price, is largely used for deliveries to recipient addresses that are within 20 miles of a FedEx Kinko’s on Monday though Friday between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.. The final option, of course, is to have the job shipped to you via FedEx, using either a credit card or your FedEx account number.  Once the job has been entered, it is very clear what the production timelines look like and when you could expect to receive the job using the various delivery methods.  Pricing is also presented dynamically at all stages of job entry.

Users can specify a particular FedEx Kinko’s when picking up an order. When customers select eCourier or FedEx shipping as the method of delivery, the system will perform its smart routing function to assign the job to the most logical site.  With the FedEx Kinko’s hub and spoke structure, stores can share jobs within the network, and based on complexity and workloads, the job could be produced at the hub, distributed to a spoke, or redirected to one of FedEx Kinko’s 31 closed-door production facilities (CPCs) for production.

Overall, I give good marks to FedEx Kinko’s Print Online. While it will not meet the needs of all users—nor is it designed to—it is an efficient way for the company’s key target markets (small to mid-sized businesses and mobile workers) to get things printed. With this newly developed interface in place, I am sure we can expect to see new features and functionality added quickly as new customer needs emerge.  If you are a small commercial or quick printer and don’t see FedEx Kinko’s as a competitive threat, I would urge you to take another look and take appropriate action to ensure that you have enough market differentiation to ensure your future success.  While FedEx Kinko’s might not be for everyone, it would seem that the company is well positioned to meet the needs of an increasing customer base.

Cary can be reached via email at cary@sherburneassociates.com, online at www.sherburneassociates.com and by telephone at 603-430-5463.

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