To complement the article “Ayurveda: Ancient Wisdom Enhances Massage,” in the July 2014 issue of MASSAGE Magazine. Summary: In-house printing enables massage professionals to offer a wide range of branded products, accommodating variations such as seasonal ingredients and branding needs for the locations they serve.
In the massage industry, individual therapists, therapy centers and full-service spas often use a unique product line to build their brands, meet specific client needs and differentiate themselves from competitors
Products frequently include items such as essential oils, lotions and oils, candles and aromatherapy products.
The Conflict
Therapists who make their own products or buy merchandise under a white-label agreement can improve sales with distinctive labeling. But if they offer a broad range of products, it can be a challenge to deal with labeling multiple product types.
For example, selling a therapeutic cream with 15 unique scent variations can be an effective merchandising strategy, but obtaining labels for small batches of products can be expensive for companies that use an outside printer.
Another potential complication is the need to produce product labels branded for specific locations, such as a spas or massage therapy centers.
A single therapist, or group, who serves a number of different locations can open up new markets by selling products to salons, spas, hotels and retailers for resale; however, branding requirements often vary across locations.
The Solution
An affordable label printer can be an ideal solution. With the right printer, it’s possible to produce short runs of high-resolution, full-color labels that can be applied to many different surfaces, including candles, bottles, flat packages and more. Advanced technology makes it easy to achieve the same professional look and feel as an outside print shop by using an in-house inkjet or laser printer.
The right labeling solution not only enables massage-product manufacturers to project a distinctive brand image, they can also place bar codes to enable automated inventory management. And with in-house printing capability, massage professionals can offer a wide range of branded products, accommodating variations such as seasonal ingredients and branding needs for the locations they serve
When Purchasing Your Printer
When thinking about purchasing an in-house printer, it’s important to consider industry-specific labeling requirements.
Scented candles, creams, oils and similar products require moisture-resistant labels to reduce the possibility of label degradation under normal use. For that reason, it’s a good idea to look for a printer than can accommodate not only standard labeling paper but also water-resistant polyesters or polypropylenes.
To maximize flexibility for labeling different types of products, it’s also advisable to consider printers capable of producing labels of various shapes and sizes. An affordable label applicator that can quickly and cleanly apply labels to a variety of product types can make the job of product packaging much easier.
In-house label production capabilities can help massage product manufacturers and therapists merchandise their goods more effectively. In the past, personal care product manufacturers who wanted to compete aesthetically with brand names had to pay outside printers a premium to create professional-quality labels in small batches.
Thanks to advances in printing technology, there are now new options. Affordable printing and finishing systems can enable massage therapists to produce labels with sharp colors, crisp print resolution and high-quality graphics, strengthening their competitive position while giving customers a unique product selection.
Jennifer Loegering is marketing manager at Primera Technology Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of specialty printing equipment. Primera Technology serves a variety of clients, including personal care product manufacturers, worldwide.