Estimates indicate that the signage and graphics industry of India is home to more than 10,000 sign makers and PSPs, employing over 3.5 lakh people. This core audience forms the direct employee base of the industry, in addition to the thousands of associated resources–such as, media suppliers (whether manufacturers, traders or importers), designers, etc–whose participation and skills play a key role in the industry.

Beyond tradition

India’s commercial growth story has gone beyond the traditional markets of metropolitan cities and brands today are addressing the entire nation. The growth of organised retail in the newly emerging markets accounts for strong demand for a wide array of solutions, including professional signage and graphics solutions. Brand owners seek consistency across the nation – necessitating the need for a pan-India eco-system of signage and graphics supply chain players to deliver a consistent, high-quality solution with a common pricing platform.

New revolution

Emergence of brand-consciousness amongst consumers of diverse corporations, whether in private or public sectors and increasing presence of MNCs with their natural penchant for being brand-savvy in the country, have led to significant growth of the marketing sector (and by implication, signage and graphics solutions). These key developments in the signage and graphics industry have prompted the launch of SignSupplyIndia.com, an e-commerce portal focusing on satisfying the B2B transactional requirements of the industry.

SignSupplyIndia.com builds a vast eco-system of resources to deliver quality solutions. With the level of professionalism that has increasingly permeated the industry, a vast majority of the resources (core and allied) associated with signage and graphics solutions are now connected to the internet and use it, to serve their business needs.

Perfect platform

Structured to address the pressing requirements of key players in the industry, SignSupplyIndia.com fulfills the demands and requirements of manufacturers/material suppliers - both media and allied requirements like lighting; designers who conceptualise signage and graphics solutions; convertors/PSPs, the key enablers of translating concepts into solutions; installers/applicators responsible for on-ground executions; and of course, brand owners, customers/end-users of these solutions.

Also, the portal is designed as an integrated cross-audience online platform to offer all of these industry players with a strong business proposition. It offers opportunities for the supply chain players – media suppliers, designers, convertors, PSPs and applicators to enhance their top line and bottom line performances; and for end users to gain best-in-class techno-commercial solutions for their signage and graphics requirements across the country.

Key benefits

A snapshot of how each industry player will benefit from SignSupplyIndia.com is outlined as:

• Suppliers of high-quality media solutions can exponentially build their customer base by reaching out effortlessly to audiences in the unexplored markets and capitalise on opportunities in the very lucrative Tier II and Tier III markets, in addition to the growing customer bases in Tier I markets. Interacting through an e-commerce platform will also help them streamline the payment process and address transactional risks. The platform will also provide a level playing field and opportunities for media suppliers to compete on the merit of their product offerings.
• Convertors and PSPs will have access to a range of materials and resources, including tools to compare different materials on offer and choose a solution mix perfectly aligned to their requirement on different assignments. They will also have access to other resources on the signage supply chain (such as designers and applicators) and, therefore, the opportunity to offer integrated solutions to brand owners in their geographies. Most importantly, convertors will be assured of transparency in pricing and of delivery schedules by ordering direct from the platform. In essence, the platform will help convertors and PSPs achieve their time, cost and quality commitments to customers. This would prove to be of tremendous value to the community with access to quality material and competitive pricing.
• Designers will find SignSupplyIndia.com a strong platform to showcase their talent and portfolio to enhance their customer base. Through this platform, designers will also be able to build opportunities in and address the requirements of small businesses in core and emerging markets in a highly cost-effective manner.
• Applicators and other allied talents will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and create business growth avenues. They will be able to align with other resources on the supply chain in their geography to offer integrated solutions

Plethora of services

In essence, SignSupplyIndia.com will play a key role in taking an organisation of the fragmented signage industry in India to the next level and will offer brand owners a plethora of services – whether direct material procurement, partial or full service offerings. The success of the portal is inherent in the size of the industry. Signage solutions, whether static or digital, combined with supporting infrastructure such as lighting, are increasingly dotting the Indian landscape and helping brands across the country establish a strong image. Another indicator of business potential is the growth trend receiving generally in the advertising and marketing segment, in which the signage segment is a sub-sector. The industry today is estimated by some reliable sources to have an annual turnover of over US$ 3.5 billion, witnessing a 20 percent annual growth.

Industry players react

The overall concept of SignSupplyIndia.com, which is being tested pre-launch with select players, is already seen as a powerful tool to change the rules of engagement in the industry. A convertor said that with the range of companies setting up operations in his city, both for corporate operations and retails, they have witnessed a huge spurt in demand for professional signage solutions. They typically struggle to meet the customers’ expectations for quality outputs with the access to resources and materials which they have traditionally had access to. And SignSupplyIndia.com is ideally positioned to help them change it and offers high-quality solutions to their customers.

And a brand manager with a leading MNC mentioned that their company’s business has been growing at a frenetic pace and are looking for such smart solutions across the country to ensure that their brand image is consistently projected through effective signage and graphics solutions. What they found of SignSupplyIndia.com at the pre-launch stage had left them very excited at the ease with which they can roll out major branding initiatives – be it requirements for new outlets or brand image change campaigns.