Partnering with Ricoh, Pacful, Inc. makes leap; becomes true 'marketing service provider'

MALVERN, Pa., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Every print service provider aspires to become a marketing service provider to expand its business opportunities, but many companies fail to make it over the crucial hump.

Pacful, Inc., a 50+ employee company headquartered in California and a Ricoh customer, is an exception to the rule. The company, which describes itself as a print and fulfillment provider, has succeeded in becoming indispensable to national brands around the country.

"We're well over the hump," said Jennifer Hudek, President of Pacful. "We are now a full-fledged marketing service provider."

Over the past three years, Ricoh has helped with Pacful's transformation by combining strategic insight with powerful tools, specifically the over 40 customized Web-based storefronts Ricoh has helped Pacful create for clients.

Pacful clients, typically marketing / event departments at large companies, store their branded content – high-resolution logos, document templates, collateral designs, contact information and other digital assets – in these custom-branded websites. Central storage helps clients maintain critical brand consistency as they order print jobs, event materials, promotional items, even branded garments directly through the shared sites. Orders flow directly into Pacful's print / inventory management systems, where they are swiftly executed.

"When clients work in our Web storefronts, they often don't even realize they've left their own intranets," said Hudek. "That's because our print management infrastructure is so well integrated into their normal intranet experience. It's seamless, and with Ricoh's support, we've effectively become an extension of their marketing team. As repeat customers, they don't need heavy consultation. They get exactly what they want, with consistent quality and turnaround, every time."

Ricoh leads the way with Pacful
Pacful deploys its Web storefronts using MarcomCentral software from Ricoh strategic partner PTI Marketing Technologies®. MarcomCentral is a comprehensive Web-to-print system that automates the creation, ordering, printing and delivery of static, personalized and variable data pieces. Clients use it to automate marketing, creative, fulfillment and distribution – even 1-to-1 mail or email campaigns – with comprehensive tracking. Clients can easily extend their campaigns to microsites and mobile platforms with MarcomCentral.

"No matter how smart we are, print service providers need the right tools to become successful marketing service providers," said Hudek. "Our tools come from Ricoh – MarcomCentral backed up by RICOH Pro C901 Graphic Arts+ Edition color production printers. These 90 page-per-minute workhorses handle the growing volume MarcomCentral has generated for us. We get near-offset quality at a significantly reduced cost per page compared with the large, expensive digital presses, which are falling out of favor in the industry. We can then pass this savings on to our clientele."

Pacful started out three years ago with a single RICOH Pro C901. In the ensuing years, the company has quintupled its fleet with two in Sacramento, two in Redwood City and one in Fort Wayne, Ind., all buttressed by a stable of black and white Ricoh production printers.

"The transition from print service provider to marketing service provider, though difficult, opens up a multitude of opportunities for companies like Pacful that achieve it," said Tim Vellek, Vice President, Production Printing Business Group, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "By offering campaign management, variable data printing, easy access to marketing materials and much more, a marketing service provider can deepen its relationship with customers and give prospects ample reason to engage with the business. Ricoh is committed to providing the solutions, products, training and business development tools that can help more print service providers succeed in their transition."

For details on Ricoh's full line of products, services and solutions, please visit www.ricoh-usa.com.

About Pacful
Pacful's experienced team of professionals delivers on a wide range of jobs "just in time, every time," including trade show banners, e-commerce sites, on-line ordering of products and materials, immediate tracking and status of orders, fulfillment of orders, personalized 1-to-1 marketing campaigns including printed material, custom embroidery, event support, storage and distribution. www.pacful.com.

About MarcomCentral
Produced by PTI Marketing Technologies®, MarcomCentral is a leading provider of SaaS based marketing software solutions since 2000. MarcomCentral is the premiere marketing asset management solution that empowers sales teams, field marketers, partners, and others to produce custom marketing pieces with corporate approved templates using data or a user's selections to generate dynamic content. The online marketing resource center connects a corporation's approved vendors to provide a one stop shop for all marketing goods. MarcomCentral provides a platform to quickly and effectively deliver all digital and traditional marketing assets to the field.

About Ricoh
Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in about 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2013, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,924 billion yen (approx. 20 billion USD).

The majority of the company's revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialized industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.

Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change.,Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees.

For further information, please visit  www.ricoh.com/about/. 

© 2014 Ricoh Americas Corporation. All rights reserved. All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies. 

Contact:

John Greco
Ricoh Americas Corporation
(973) 882-2023
[email protected]

Jill Searl
Brodeur Partners
(603) 559-5824
[email protected]

SOURCE Ricoh Americas Corporation

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