January.February 2018

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@GO LG ;9DE QGMJ MHK=L ;MKLGE=JK Customer service expert Jeff Mowatt highlights common FAQs on how to best resolve issues with upset clients. 6

@GO LG C==H QGMJ HJG>AL9:D= ;MKLGE=JK7 Bobby Ramjist and the promocatalyst team outline best practices that will help keep your profitable customers doing business with you, as opposed to your competition.

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As I was sitting in yet another hotel room in yet another convention city (of which, frankly, I have forgotten the name and place; it could have been Long Beach or Calgary or Charlotte), I received a call from one of my daughters asking for advice: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dad how long should it be before I get a text from a boy after a first date?â&#x20AC;? So I began to endeavour to answer her question as I often did, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well when I =PM _Ia QV _PQKP _Mo^M KWVL]K\ML J][QVM[[ QV W]Z QVL][\Za Q[

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was growing up we wouldâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;Śoh, LQOQ\IT \MKPVWTWOQM[ _QTT TMIL \PI\ KPIVOM wait a second, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t text our dates then. Even worse we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have cell phones or answering machines.

We just had to hope that someone would be around to answer the phone when our potential date would call. God forbid it would be one of our parents!

In the end, I had no advice for my daughter that I could pull from my past. So, how does this phone call relate to Direct To Garment (DTG) printing?

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Sublimation imprinting is incredibly popular and profitable for all kinds of business owners. As trends and demands continue to rise, the technology available is also advancing to meet those needs. With fluorescent and expanded gamut inks, greater accessibility to larger format printing and new ideas being born of consumer buying patterns, the sublimation market for 2018 is going to continue pushing the proverbial envelope.

Here are a few areas to explore, which we think will be driving sales throughout the year.

Pillows: Pillows were very popular this past year, and we only expect this trend to continue to grow. Not only are they easy to decorate, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re both a profitable and evergreen product that you can offer off-the-shelf and as custom orders.

There many different types of pillow cases you can purchase as blanks: satin, velvet, fleece, peach skin, canvas, faux canvas and sequin are just a few. <]JTQUI\QWV KWV\QV]ML WV 9IOM !

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Jeff Lederer, President alphabroder Hard Goods Division (Prime Line)

alphabroder.com | primeline.com | jetlinepromo.com

Follow us on twitter: @imprint_canada

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Fast forward to the present day and I now know why that question was so important - more so for small businesses than just myself.

Decisions tend to be made with the short-term fixes in mind - in order to get to the next impending task - rather than with long-term goals in mind.

Having a clear vision for any company is vital to setting and achieving goals. Small business owners tend to have an abundance of energy and enthusiasm when it comes to getting their business idea(s) off the ground.

Sometimes, it might be a good thing to sit down and reflect whether your business is heading in the right direction, or if your decision making is producing counterintuitive results.

When I graduated from University some 35 years ago, despite my lack of business experience, I hit the job market, running from interview to interview trying to find any kind of fit at a bigtime ad agency.

However, as the business grows, that individual finds themselves perpetually running in many different directions and simultaneously managing numerous tasks. The focus devoted to seeing a task through to completion becomes dependent upon the time available before the next task arises.

The one question I always dreaded hearing was,â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where do you see yourself in five years?â&#x20AC;? I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even decide what I had planed for the coming week, let alone the next five years!

Without a clear-cut end-goal in mind, the consistency required in the decision making process to take the business in a specific direction may not be as evident as it could be.

Having industry peers and vendor/client partners share their insights with you can provide a fresh and unbiased perspective on whether or not your business is on the path it needs to be on.

Be prepared however to hear that same question I was consistently asked all those years ago; the long-term focus of your business is defined by your answer.

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Industry News

January/February 2018 - Volume 25, Issue 1

.),'. " Ă (()/( - ,# ( ,,#- Ă ! ( # - .) * ( ),." ,( Ă & ,. ")1,))' E ( #(! # , ,3 Stormtech is pleased to announce the addition of Brian Harris Agencies (BhA), to their Canadian sales team effective January 1st, 2018.

BhAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to integrity, professionalism and innovative customer service in Alberta since 1998, coupled with their extensive work with retail brands such as TaylorMade, adidas Golf, adidas Corporate, Fossil and Peugeot makes them a perfect fit to represent Stormtech. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brian and Scott bring an innovative approach to selling corporate apparel with an emphasis on being customercentricâ&#x20AC;? said Stormtech Director of Sales Chris Turner, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their proven track record of building brand awareness

and ability to provide a fully merchandised Stormtech showroom and lending library will better serve our customers in the area and truly complement the brand loyalty we have built in Alberta over the past 40 years.â&#x20AC;?

BhA will report directly into Mike Oliver, Canadian Sales Manager at Stormtech and will be responsible for sales and service covering Northern Alberta, providing a higher level of accessibility to samples with their new Stormtech showroom and lending library (open 5 days a week), located conveniently in Edmonton.

Brian Harris Agencies can be reached at (780) 4446396 or by e-mail: harrisgroup@bhainc.ca.

&*" ,) ,N ( ,#' #( N $)#( ), alphabroder is pleased to announce the addition of Prime Line to itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; family of brands. The combination of these two companies establishes a new standard in the industry for convenience, service and solutions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; creating the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first true â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;one-stop-shopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a family business with long time employees, we gave careful consideration to this strategic move and ultimately feel that this is in the best interest of both customers and employees,â&#x20AC;? said Jeff Lederer, now President of alphabroderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard goods division, which will operate under the Prime Line name. Lederer will report directly to Norm Hullinger, CEO of alphabroder. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The combination of these two great companies and cultures was born out of the input from our customers,â&#x20AC;? said Hullinger. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will honour this by continuing our

sharp focus on their businesses. Bringing our organizations together will provide us with the flexibility and agility to focus 100 per cent on our customers. The quality and longevity of the Prime Line team and their corporate culture firmly grounded in family values, brings a high level of predictability to the business which is essential to delivering the ultimate customer experience and these were the key drivers of this deal.â&#x20AC;?

Jeff, together with the long time members of the Prime Line management team, will be joining the alphabroder management team.

Prime Line is the fourth significant company to join the alphabroder family in the last five years, having added Bodek and Rhodes in 2015, Ash City Worldwide in 2014 and Imprints Wholesale in 2012.

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PUBLISHER

Tony Muccilli : tony@imprintcanada.com

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Adriano Aldini : news@imprintcanada.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeff Mowatt, Kevin Price, Bobby Ramjist, Robin Kavanagh, Eileen Fritsch

MARKETING COORDINATOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Maria Natale : shows@imprintcanada.com

GENERAL INQUIRIES feedback@imprintcanada.com, (905)856-2600

ADVERTISING SALES

Tony Muccilli (Toronto) Tel: (905) 856-2600 Fax: (905) 856-2667

Steve Silva : feedback@imprintcanada.com Imprint Canada is published six times per year

by Tristan Communications Ltd. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in whole without the consent of the copyright owner. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Dealing with upset customers is sometimes like feeding bears: most will be happy youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there, but a few will get really ugly if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give them what they want.

When things do go wrong unfortunately, is your team equipped to deal with the blowback?

Having trained customer service teams for over 25 years - particularly those dealing with customers who are frustrated, upset or stressed - Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put together this list of frequently asked questions on how to regain lost trust with upset customers, as well as internet â&#x20AC;&#x153;trollsâ&#x20AC;? who rant on social media sites.

How do you deal with a customer who is yelling and swearing at you on the phone?

Try something along these lines: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would like to help you. However using that language and tone is preventing me from focusing on resolving this issue for you. I would like to kindly ask that you please refrain from using that language.â&#x20AC;?

If they continue with the profanity, then respond with something to the effect of: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As I said before, I want to help you. However, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to do so when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using that language, so I am going to hang up. Please call back when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ready to talk about this without that language. Good bye.â&#x20AC;?

Then tell your supervisor about the conversation so theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be forewarned when the customer calls back demanding to speak to a manager. If you are the manager, do your best to keep your tone calm and speak slowly and clearly while doing your best to resolve the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue with tact.

How should you respond to customers who post rude, unfair of false comments about your business online?

First, gather the facts to determine whether this is an actual customer expressing a legitimate concern, or just someone trying to provoke a response.

In the case of the latter, oftentimes no response is better than any. The sooner that positive customer posts buries the negative post comments the better.

When you do receive unflattering comments from actual customers, first try to contact them by phone to resolve the matter offline. If thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not possible, then when replying in writing, stick to facts (not opinions), and remain professional, calm and reasoned (not emotional).

If there was indeed an error on your teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part, apologize for the hassle and offer a remedy.

Mention the steps youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take to ensure it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen again. Express your appreciation for the customer bringing it to your attention.

Your audience that is privy to the dialogue youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having with your irate customer will undoubtedly take note of how you are going about dealing with them and finding a solution; if the matter is handled professionally, you are only further solidifying your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation in their eyes.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fastest way to get an angry customer to calm down?

First, you need to listen without interrupting.

The customer is angry for a reason, and chances are it was because of something they expected from your company and did not receive.

After he or she has finished venting, your first words should be, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My apologies. That sounds frustrating.â&#x20AC;? Consider how this misstep may be affect

ing the customer and let them know that you understand why they are upset. Take ownership and apologize for any shortfall or misunderstanding and work towards a resolution that is deemed appropriate.

Why are customers more rude on the phone than in person?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s due to anonymity. Like road raging drivers in cars, people phoning in think they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be recognized, and as such they tend to be more aggressive.

This is why it is important to begin the phone conversation by introducing yourself with your first and last name. Then immediately ask them for their name. The quicker they identify themselves the less likely theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll become abusive.

What are other strategies for dealing with upset customers?

Tone it down - literally. By slowing your rate of speech and slightly lowering your tone of voice, you will sound less emotional and more rational.

With respect to your language, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t â&#x20AC;&#x153;dumb it downâ&#x20AC;? or over use filler words: kinda, sorta, like, well, you know. The more articulate and clear you can be, the more intelligent youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be perceived and the more respect you will garner from the person on the other line.

How can I get my staff to really care about unhappy customers?

Begin by hiring people who have the ability to empathize and can view things from other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspectives.

Check if they volunteered or played sports teams as this will provide a good indication that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned to work together with others.

Beyond this, provide your staff with proper customer communication training. Fortunately, employees donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to become proverbial bleeding hearts to effectively resolve customer concerns.

They do however need to learn techniques to help facilitate customer resolution.

Contrast for example, when an untrained employee says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll deal with it,â&#x20AC;? versus an employee whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been trained who says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take care of it for you.â&#x20AC;?

By simply changing a few words, service providers and employees can create better situations to allow for peaceful lasting resolution for your customers.

Bottom line - by equipping employees with the proper customer service training, you end up with less staff turnover and fewer social media comments that bruise your brand. Best of all, employees discover that when you learn how to recover trust with unhappy customers, those formerly angry bruins can actually become teddy bears. *JW]\ \PM *]\PWZ#

Jeff Mowatt is a customer service strategist and Hall of Fame speaker. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the author of the best-selling business books: Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month and Influence with Ease. This article is based on the bestselling book, Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month.

Jeff heads his own training company and has written and produced 13 self-study coaching tools. His Influence with EaseÂŽ column has been syndicated & featured in more than 200 business and online publications.

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You can use the natural colour of the fabric as the main part of your design, or print full-bleed to completely cover the pillow with the colours and images required. Once the case is complete, place a pre-made insert to fill out the pillow and you have a product that people will absolutely love.

Throw and decorative pillows are always in style. You can offer custom monogramming or designs for an additional charge, or sell off-the-shelf with your own original designs.

Sports photos, school photos, birth statistics/announcements, family names, funny phrases, holiday images/sayings and memory pillows are just a few popular ideas to run with. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mermaidâ&#x20AC;? pillows â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ones with reversible sequins â&#x20AC;&#x201C; took markets by storm over the past 12 months, and these types of pillow cases can often be personalized and decorated using sublimation. They also typically command premium prices, especially when you personalize them. Some businesses are even selling them as baby gender reveal and announcement novelties.

Apparel Trends: Shirts, hats and jackets will always be the staple of the apparel decorating market, but sublimation helps you branch out into more creative products. Already a popular choice for poly-performance sportswear and uniforms, sublimated socks have also risen to become a very in-demand product for both wholesale and retail customers.

Teams love to add customized socks to their uniforms.

Whereas before, athletic socks have been either white or only one or two colours; today, sublimated socks include full-colour logos, team colours, and even pictures!

They can be made up as full-bleed designs from toe to calf or just offer strategically placed images, words or team numbers.

Athletes and their fans also like customized socks with pictures of their favourite players imprinted on them. One great idea for kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sports is to build a relationship with the local photographers who shoot team pictures, and offer socks featuring each player, along with a complementary pattern in <]JTQUI\ML [WKS[ IZM I XWX]TIZ

coordinating team colours. These Q\MU \W K][\WUQbM M[XMKQITTa

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that make it to the end-of-season playoffs and championships.

Baby markets are also a great place to focus on with sublimated apparel. Beanies, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular. These soft, stretchy knit caps offer both comfort and warmth, and are great for babies and small children. You can easily add names, favorite colours, characters and graphics to order, making them both practical and a future keepsake for families. Along with this idea, you can also decorate baby bodysuits and sell as a packaged set!

Look for seasons or milestones that you can mark with a beanie: first holiday, first trip to grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, et cetera.

Flags: Printing larger is easier than ever these days with sublimation, which is helping drive demand for flags. Desktop systems give you a maximum print size of 13â&#x20AC;? x 19.â&#x20AC;? This is just right for garden or lawn flags that can be generalized or customized, car flags, desk flags and other, more personal flag applications. So long as people want to celebrate their favourite teams, countries, families and the like, these kinds of flags will continue to an in-demand product.

We are also seeing an upswing in demand for larger flags; sublimators are finding that taking the step toward larger format printing is more feasible than expected and the creative possibilities are even greater. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 25â&#x20AC;? sublimation printer is not only small enough to be operated in a home workshop environment, it can accommodate eight colours of ink, which makes offering specialty products both possible and profitable.

Flags are being used for signage and as promotional decoration for bricks-and-mortar businesses because they are easily branded with logos and corporate colours (thanks to expanded gamut ink sets for eight-colour printers). These are used primarily for indoor and soft signage applications; business owners are finding the colours attract attention, deliver the message and are very cost efficient in comparison to other types of signage.

Decorative flags for home dĂŠcor are also rising in popularity. These can run anywhere from licensed sports team and country or religious flags, to interesting patterns that match existing dĂŠcor, reproduced artwork, family names and more.

Fluorescent colours practically leap off the fabric and grab attention, making them perfect for this application.

These flags can be personalized or customized to-order, adapted for seasonal or holiday-focused purposes, cele-

brations; really, the possibilities are endless.

Bags: There are more sublimatable bag substrates on the market than ever before, and this is in direct response to demand.

Non-woven totes are an inexpensive option for corporate customers and are a perfect item for sub+IJa UIZSM\[ IZM I OZMI\ VQKPM

NWZ []JTQUI\ML IXXIZMT limation as they showcase beautiful colour quite well.

Heavier polyester or even poly-coated canvas tote bags are more expensive, but show more quality and are often the preferred choice among businesses.

Thin cinch sack backpacks are a great seller for schools, sports and youth groups. These can be decorated with screen print and vinyl transfers, but as a sublimator, you can offer full-colour and photo imprinting, thereby increasing the value to your customer. You have both retail and wholesale options for these products.

Sports teams, camps, clubs, gyms and other group-focused organizations like these bags as promotional products; some organizations even look to sell them their members and may come to you for wholesale deals. There are also many bags available that combine fashion with utility. These include purses and shoulder bags, backpacks, laptop, messenger, reporter bags, metro bags diaper bags and more. Each generally has a panel that can be imprinted with pictures, graphics, logos, and brand colours. These can be created as promotional products, corporate gifts, teacher gifts, personalized school and/or team gear, baby gifts or essentials.

The more creative you get, the greater your potential. Now is a great time to think about your markets and plan out some solid sublimation strategy for the year. These trends are a good place to start, and can help you start thinking in new, more creative ways when it comes to growing your business. *JW]\ \PM *]\PWZ#

Robin Kavanagh is the Public Relations Manager for Sawgrass, the global leader in delivering dye sublimation and digital printing solutions that make personalization possible and empower creative entrepreneurs to get customized products to market in record time.

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Heavy Yet Stylish

Heavyweight NEW 1904 Adult Long Sleeve Tee This new arrival from Alstyle® stands out from the crowd and makes a truly memorable impression. That’s because the Alstyle® 1904 gets it right from the hearty 8.6 oz/ly, 100% cotton construction to the laidback classic fit. The dense jersey knit takes screen print, heat transfer and embroidery beautifully.

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Well, I have been lucky enough to watch the complete transformation of the communications industry from start to finish. From rotary phones, and receiving TELEX messages at family weddings, to texting from airplanes and video chatting with family members around the world at the touch of a button.

This change in communications has changed the way we live.

The change in garment printing will not affect our daily lives as consequentially as the changes in communications, but for people working in the garment and promotional markets, these changes will continue to push us forward

along a path that will not subside. They way in which we have conducted business in our industry is rapidly and continuously changing; DTG - along with other Digital technologies - will lead that change.

It was sometime in the early 2000â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that I saw the first DTG machines. They were crude units assembled by inventors in garages and small shops; they were using mostly base machines from Epson. At the time, Epson the corporation had nothing to do with these first machines.

They could print on shirts but were quite slow, but speed was not their biggest problem. Their biggest problem was that they would â&#x20AC;&#x153;clogâ&#x20AC;? up and become useless unless you

had the skill set of someone like McGyver to keep them rolling along! It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look good for DTG back then.

Yet here we are, almost 18 years later, and the questions still remain: Will DTG survive and grow a viable technology? Will DTG make screen printing (a technology that was developed perhaps thousands of years ago) obsolete?

The answers of course are Yes and No, respectively.

If you need thousands of shirts or various garments printed, currently nothing can achieve this more efficiently than a modern automatic screen printing press.

However, the minimum number of prints and colours required on those garments continues to rise, as DTG technology gets faster and better equipped.

It used to be quite common to say that if you had multi-coloured T-shirt to print (i.e. four or more colours) then you would best served going the digital route if the order was smaller than 24 pieces. This was based on the comparative time and money it might cost to do this on a traditional rotary screen print machine. Today, with modern DTG machines, that number could be as high as 120 units, and it continues to climb every day; this minimum order number (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Xâ&#x20AC;? amount of colours per unit) to consider to use DTG will continue to rise.

Now if you are overseas and you are printing shirts for Walmart or Disney, this minimum number will mean nothing to you. But in Canada and the USA - where order sizes are shrinking and turnaround times being demanded are very tight - this number will be the difference between your company staying in business or looking for customers who are a fit for what you are good at (something which can be very hard to do in these changing times).

So I ask myself: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Am I the only one who sees the change and continued growth in the DTG business?â&#x20AC;? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so. With Amazon spending millions on their DTG programs and billion dollar companies, like Brother and Epson, developing newer, faster, better machines, this party is just getting started.

As well, the largest manufacturers of screen printing machines have already jumped into both stand alone DTG units as well as hybrid systems that combine both screen printing and digital direct-to-garment printing technologies.

For $80,000, today you can produce approximately 80 black or dark shirts, or 100 white shirts per hour with unlimited colours. For that same $80,000 (more or less), you could set yourself up with a nice automatic eight-colour press with all the extras you would need to run that press, like clean air system, dryer, exposing unit, wash booths, et cetera.

Then your only question would be, â&#x20AC;&#x153;what is your minimum number before printing it digitally?â&#x20AC;?

As I said earlier in this article, if you are not in a position to ask yourself what that minimum number is, then you may be putting yourself in a position whereby you start to lose the kind of orders that drive much of the business in Canada.

DTG is here to stay; detractors will tell you it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t perfect and they are right, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. However, it has come a long way in the 18 years since it first came out and it will only continue to improve. We are watching the change in this industry, just as I was lucky enough to watch the change in the communication industry.

Perhaps our children wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember the days where you pulled a T-shirt off the shelf that was already printed with someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea of what they should be wearingâ&#x20AC;Śthey definitely donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember the days before texting was a thing! *JW]\ \PM *]\PWZ#

IMPRINT CANADA _ -DQXDU\ )HEUXDU\

Kevin Price has been in the Garment Embellishment business in Canada for 30 years.

He is a graduate of University of Waterlooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Engineering Program (Mechanical, production) and went on to earn an MBA from Schulich School of Bsuiness at York University in Toronto. He has worked with many of the largest names in the industry in a consultative role over his 30 year career. He is now the President of RB Digital Inc., based in Vancouver Canada.

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In the September/October 2017 edition of Imprint Canada magazine, we highlighted how businesses can best go about determining which customers are the most profitable. In this article, we looked at several specific characteristics that profitable customers exhibit and discussed the importance of analyzing their total spend over a specific period of time in addition to reviewing the cost of providing any additional services.

We also factored in intangibles - such as customer loyalty as well as advocacy - which customers can provide.

This article shifts the focus on what businesses can do to retain these most prized customers.

Our customers are all very busy. Just like you and I, they are preoccupied with growing their respective businesses and expanding their brand. Some clients are seasoned professionals and others are winging it as they go along. All too often, we will pigeonhole ourselves into believing that the most we can do is assist them in building their brand, i.e. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw your logo on this and that product, and it will be a great way to advertise and get your name out there.â&#x20AC;?

To truly retain and grow a profitable customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book of business, we must be willing to engage them on all levels of their business. In our office, we refer to it as being the â&#x20AC;&#x153;connectorâ&#x20AC;? for our customers. We build partnerships whereby we understand our customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day-to-day struggles beyond advertising and marketing. Whether it is finding better space, assisting in the search for financing (by the way, this usually ensures that you are one of the first to get paid also), or consulting on their business operations, all of these will result in a greater relationship between your respective companies.

We have a wealth of experience to provide our customers with, along with the collective skills of our respective

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networks. There is nothing that will build great customer loyalty better than putting them together with another company that can solve a specific pain point. As Ken Blanchard refers to it in his book Raving Fans, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Listening to customers is powerful; responding to what customers say is dynamite!â&#x20AC;?

As you begin to truly understand and engage in your customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business, you will naturally absorb their culture, as they will yours. This will come to you when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for their promotional spends, and by understanding what resonates with them, you will be able to match the cultural feel to the product (rather than trying to force the product to provide the cultural feel).

We all tend to get a little product-centric in our approaches to customers, meaning that we grab the latest and greatest items from suppliers and rush off to show our customers - in hopes that it provides them the opportunity to be trendsetters rather than followers - regardless of whether it fits into their overall culture or not, simple.

As Steve Jobs said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our task is to [help our customers] read things that are not yet on the page.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical to remember that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all about the product; another T-shirt, fidget spinner, coffee mug, or journal set is not going to make that much of an impact. More and more, it is becoming about the delivery of the product and the overall client experience that matters.

Anyone can deliver a product, but delivering an experience will foster a deeper connection with your customer. A natural by-product of focusing on experiences is that you create a unique offering sprinkled with your own flavouring that your client simply cannot get from anyone else.

Be creative with your experiences and do not limit yourself only to products! Again, play the role of the connector whenever possible. Years ago, I provided a customer who was a huge hockey fan with the opportunity to meet his idol, Paul Henderson. It was a short meeting, maybe five minutes or so; but the customer walked away with an experience he would not soon forget. He was very grateful for the experience!

This next example seems relatively straightforward, and almost too obvious to mention, but it is surprising

how many times we hear about sales professionals tripping over it. Be truthful and upfront with your customers and hold on to your values while continuing to look out for their best interests. Recently, we were approached by one of our top clients looking for 500 USBs. We dutifully did our research and provided them with what was a fair price. They advised us that they could get them for a better price from XYZ competitor. We reviewed the competitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pricing and concluded that it was a sweet deal and told the customer to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grab it with both hands!â&#x20AC;? The customer came back to us and said that they preferred to deal with us because of our honesty and increased their order to 600 USBs. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all heard the adage: Under promise and over deliver. Too many times, we believe that means delivering 100% of what you said you were going to. In a competitive environment, that puts you squarely amongst the adequate.

Good customer service is easy; simply deliver what you agreed on, when you agreed to, where you agreed to. Your customers will be satisfied.

Oh, by the way, satisfied customers are completely up for grabs by your competition. They will move quickly to the next business that comes along that treats them even marginally better. However, if you can deliver just one more per cent of perceived value; it will set you exponentially apart from the competition.

What constitutes that additional one per cent? It can be small things such as hand delivering the products where possible to adding in a special gift to the decision maker.

Recently, I ordered some replacement mirrors for my motorcycle. Within a few days the shipment arrived, it was what I ordered, when I expected it and delivered where I wanted it. All the good customer service boxes checked.

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When I opened the package, tucked in was a very cool key chain for my bike. It was awesome and completely unexpected. It was their one per cent added perceived value!

Since then I have told a number of people about it and actually bought a few of the key chains for my friends. We refer to this as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Law of Value,â&#x20AC;? and we practice it in our business, whereby our true worth is determined by how much more we give in value than we receive in payment. Now, I wish I could tell you that we came up with that concept, but I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. I do recommend you check out the Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

One word of caution about the one per cent; exceeding customer expectations is important, but it is even more important to consistently meet their expectations before raising the bar. Occasionally, even within the best companies, orders fly off the rails. A supplier fails to deliver, customers have unrealistic deadlines, there is a miscommunication between your staff and your decorator, there are back orders, and my personal favourite, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your package has been delayed due to a train derailment in Northern Ontario,â&#x20AC;? which did occur to one of our shipments. (I pictured my boxes lying in the snow beside the tracksâ&#x20AC;Ś but I digress).

In each of these cases, we should always be looking for a win-win resolution with our customers. Sometimes however, a true win-win is not possible given the situation. If we are truly in partnership with our customers, we need to expand our perspective of the situation. We need to put win-win on a relationship level rather than an order level. This means that on some orders, your customer will come out ahead and on others you will come out ahead. We all do it with our close friends, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get this one, you pay the next time.â&#x20AC;? Why would we consider doing any less with our top customers? This is not a concept that should be executed with all customers across your business, but rather for those top customers who you consider to be true partners.

By implementing and executing on the tips we have covered, you can begin to build and experience greater customer retention. Anyone of these concepts is not something that can be quickly implemented overnight.

Rather, they each need to be cultivated with thought and precision. They take time and practice and in some cases some growth on your part to execute.

Good luck in 2018!

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No matter which method you use for garment decoration, now is an exciting time to be in the business â&#x20AC;&#x201D; particularly if you have a smart business model, marketing savvy and access to fantastic, original designs.

New opportunities and technologies for garment decoration are emerging because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the early stages of a huge shift in the way people discover and buy clothing.

Instead of buying mass-produced clothing off the rack in mall department stores, a growing number of buyers are looking online and other places for comfortable, affordably priced garments that reflect their individual tastes.

According to The NPD Group, a market research company that advises retailers and manufacturers on how to identify market trends, the percentage of online apparel sales in the US grew from 11 per cent in 2011 to 19 per cent in 2016. Online sales accounted for about US$90 billion of the US$218.7 billion in total sales of menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apparel in 2016. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The apparel industry is being pushed and pulled in different directions by consumers who are demanding something different and looking to less traditional buying channels to find it,â&#x20AC;? said Marshal Cohen, Chief Industry Analyst, The NPD Group. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maturing Millennials have a stronger shopping voice than ever before, but teens are showing a lack of passion for fashion and Baby Boomers are feeling forgotten. The who, what, where, when and how of shopping are shifting as apparel consumers express their different desires in retail.â&#x20AC;?

Additional research conducted by global e-commerce companies and suppliers in China found that 54.6 per cent of women in the 18 to 35 age bracket buy their clothes online. Women in this age group favor clothes in the US$20-$50 range and want garments customized by changing out some of the design details.

Because of the growing demand for customized and personalized apparel, industry analysts expect the global demand for decorated apparel to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.92 per cent from 2016 to 2021.

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Of course, this type of projected growth will attract all sorts of new players, including Amazon. In 2015, Amazon rolled out its Amazon Merch business for â&#x20AC;&#x153;printon-demand T-shirt publishing.â&#x20AC;? Earlier this year, they signed a deal with Kornit to purchase multiple directto- garment and textile printers.

How Amazonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrance into the T-shirt business will affect existing garment decorators remains to be seen. Keep in mind that Amazon also sells art online, but they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet destroyed every other business that prints and sells art. In fact, some galleries and artists use Amazon as just another platform to sell original works and reproduction prints online.

While many consumers love the convenience of ordering products through Amazon, others still like the experience of buying shirts directly from local artisans and makers. Some need to feel a printed garment before buying it. Many schools and community groups also prefer doing business with local vendors who might sponsor their teams, events and fundraisers. To compete with Amazon, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s becoming clear that printers must focus on services that Amazon canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide.

Supplying the Demand As the economy shifts from â&#x20AC;&#x153;supply-and-demandâ&#x20AC;? manufacturing to a data- driven â&#x20AC;&#x153;demand-and-supplyâ&#x20AC;? scenario, manufacturers of printing equipment, inks and garments are innovating like never before. *XXIZMT KWV\QV]ML WV 9IOM

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They also are developing products to serve transitional trends such as adapting global distribution processes to local and regional markets, â&#x20AC;&#x153;globalization,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;fast fashion,â&#x20AC;? in which apparel production is expedited to get new trends from the runways and into stores more quickly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brands and designers now understand that textile production can be much closer to the consumer,â&#x20AC;? said Sharon Donovich, Product Marketing Manager for Kornit Digital.

Apparel producers want to be able to react much more quickly to changes in customer requirements. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything is going to be data driven,â&#x20AC;? says Donovich. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fashion brands with short supply chains are increasingly using data to influence the production of their collections.â&#x20AC;? Both apparel brands and retailers are using data to track regional and generational differences and changes in consumer tastes.

Global apparel companies are retooling their supply chains to provide more eco-friendly, end-to-end local solutions.

And fast-fashion companies understand they must be both efficient and sustainable in how they manufacture their garments, said Donovich: â&#x20AC;&#x153;They need the proximity production and efficient processes that digital printing offers.â&#x20AC;?

Some demand for customized apparel will be produced

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by decorating pre-sewn, finished garments, however short runs of fast fashion or performance apparel will often be digitally printed in pieces on wide-format rolls of fabric.

The printed pieces will be cut and sewn to make the garments. This type of production will make it possible to manufacture garments on demand, in the exact sizes and colours a consumer requests.

Innovations on Display The 2017 SGIA Expo featured hundreds of products for garment decoration. The following overview can help provide context for understanding the wide variety of products introduced for garment decorating each year.

Screen Printing Screen printing firms were the first to create relatively small runs of decorated apparel for musicians, colleges, sports teams, resort visitors, hobbyists and fans of various movies and cartoon characters. They are incredibly resourceful in solving production challenges and were the first to experiment with heat-transfer printing and early forms of sublimation printing. Now they recognize the appeal of DTG. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Screen printing is still the preferred method for producing large-volume work, because the cost per garment is significantly less than direct-to-garment,â&#x20AC;? says Taylor Landesman, Vice President of Lawson Screen & Digital Products. â&#x20AC;&#x153;DTG shines for low-run, high-colour work and the growth of DTG has supplemented traditional screen printing.â&#x20AC;?

Today, many companies make products for both screen printing and DTG printing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have seen a huge boom in demand for custom, one-off T-shirts with the rise of online T-shirt sellers,â&#x20AC;? said Landesman. With an effective approach to online marketing, small start-ups using

IMPRINT CANADA _ -DQXDU\ )HEUXDU\

DTG printers in their homes or garages can compete with established T-shirt decorators.

But there has also been a resurgence of interest in screen printing as a hands-on craft. Some young entrepreneurs have opened screen printing studios to print T-shirts and gig posters for local bands. They have helped generate interest in â&#x20AC;&#x153;retroâ&#x20AC;? garments with the classic look of a simple screen-printed design on a soft, cotton garment.

To help all sizes of screen printing businesses be more competitive, a lot of effort has gone into automating the tedious processes of making and cleaning screens. With less human labor involved in the screen printing setup processes, companies are saving money, reducing errors and achieving more consistent quality.

Automated computer-to-screen (CTS) systems can now be used in small- to medium-sized shops that make as many as 10 screens per day. In addition to saving on film costs, shops with CTS systems can register multi-colour work quickly and reduce exposure time to an average of five to seven seconds.

Screen printing companies that use DTG printers for short-run jobs have discovered that automated pre-treatment sprayers and conveyor dryers for DTG printed garments can dramatically increase the productivity of DTG printers.

Screen printers should also be aware of an important innovation that enables screen printing presses to be used for mass customization of T-shirts. Digital screen printing technology (DST), has been used in Europe for the past several years. It is being offered by ASA Print Technologies and it involves screen printing a white underbase beneath a four-colour design printed with toners on the transfer release liner approved for the DST process.

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DST transfers can be used with any type of textile and can withstand high-temperature washing, industrial washing and dry cleaning. The transfer remains soft and flexible and can even be used to decorate spandex.

According to Direk Chowdry of ASA Print Technologies, the process â&#x20AC;&#x153;allows us to have very bright images on black garments.â&#x20AC;? Anyone who can do one-colour screen printing can use the DST process to make garments with four-colour images. Big corporations can make one or two million different T-shirts without the cost of making multiple screens for each shirt.

DST in Denmark used the screen printing inks to make variable-image-data T-shirt transfers with images printed on an HP Indigo 5600 digital press. The project was part of HPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collaboration with Diet Coke to demonstrate how consumer packaged goods could be customized for each customer. A design studio used the HP Indigo Mosaic Application to automatically generate more than two million designs that could be used to decorate bottles, billboards, T-shirts, bags and glasses.

But the DST process isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just for big companies, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just about customization. With the DST transfer process, start-up screen printing companies can print full-colour designs without having to learn the intricacies of four-colour process screen printing. The process can help all screen printing firms optimize reduce lead times while delivering high quality images and responding to changing customer requirements.

Direct-to-Garment Printing Direct-to-garment printing is the technology most associated with â&#x20AC;&#x153;on- demand â&#x20AC;? printing of customized garments. The inkjet-based process can quickly and costeffectively print a few full-colour, customizable garments

at a time. The process provides infinite with the fabric, the fabric feels soft and design flexibility without setup costs or natural and the images wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fade even minimum order quantities. after multiple washings.

Manufacturers and suppliers are workThe dye-sublimation process is perfect ing hard to improve the speed, automation, for performance apparel, team uniforms, versatility and reliability of DTG printing athleisure wear (such as leggings), fast with more robust printheads, better inks fashion and high fashion. The decorand easy-to-use software for everything ated fabrics can also be used to make from process control to garment-business handbags and caps. management.

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T-shirt printing as a standalone busispecifically for neon colours in athletic 2UIOM KW]Z\M[a WN ;WTIVL ness or allow sign shops, in-plant print wear. Improvements in software and shops, or commercial printing firms offer short runs of heat transfer presses are also continuing.

T-shirts for new business openings, trade show booths Heat Transfers and other special events.

Heat transfers were the original method for making Designs can be easily previewed and modified based one-off prints for decorated garments. Anyone with a on the colour of the garment fabric. Designs will look the small-format heat press could buy an adhesive-backed same on the screen as they will on the garment. Optional heat-transfer film and make customized garments, such Spark software offers personalization features and speas sports team jerseys with the playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name and number. cial effects as well as a customizable proposal system for Today, heat-transfer printing continues to be an easy, costquickly generating quotes. effective way to enter the garment decoration business. Heat Dye Sublimation for Apparel transfers are particularly popular in small enterprises that Dye sublimation starts by printing images or patterns use inkjet print-and-cut devices to make stickers and decals. in reverse onto a transfer paper with sublimation inks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We introduced our HeatSoft materials to make it easier For garment decoration, the print is then transferred to for sign shops and other print-service providers to add a polyester knit fabric via a heat-transfer press. Images apparel decoration to their product offerings,â&#x20AC;? says Lily can be transferred directly to finished garments such as Hunter, Product Manager, Textiles and Consumables, Roland T-shirts or to rolls of fabric that will be cut and sewn into DGA. But products such as Rolandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VersaStudio BN-20 garments. The dye-sublimation inks penetrate the surface desktop printer/cutter and R-Wear Studio are attracting of the fabric so that polymers in polyester fabric bond a new breed of â&#x20AC;&#x153;makersâ&#x20AC;? and home-based businesses. with the ink. Because the colours are permanently fused KWV\QV]ML WV 9IOM

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The heat-transfer process can be used to apply cut vinyl or graphics that have been printed onto transfer films with screen printing presses, inkjet printers, or toner-based presses.

Transfers can also be used to add special effects such as rhinestones and foils.

While some heat-transfer films can still feel like stiff, thick plastic, these films are primarily made to be extra durable and abrasion resistant for sports uniforms and similar applications.

Other materials on the market are thinner and more flexible.

In terms of inkjet-printable heat transfers, recent advances include the increased availability of non-PVC-based heat transfer materials, which has come about mainly because companies that make apparel and accessories for children must meet CPSIA certification requirements. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are more printable films on the market that have a soft hand, so it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re wearing a piece of plastic,â&#x20AC;? added Hunter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Along with the comfort factor, you want to have the stretchability these films offer, especially if you will be applying them onto Spandex.â&#x20AC;? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that the decorative material stretches with the base fabric.

The industry is also working to develop a more universal hot melt adhesive that can be used on a wider variety of fabrics.

Will Garment Decoration Go In-House?

The market for printed textiles and decorated garments is so massive that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unrealistic to expect that on-demand garment printing will be the exclusive domain of printfor-pay service providers.

As garment decorating processes become more automated and easier to use, some printers will undoubtedly be installed at sites where the apparel and promotional products are manufactured or sold.

For example, some DTG printers might be used in university and corporate print shops or resort gift shops.

Big apparel companies, fashion brands and design studios may also bring garment decorating equipment in-house.

Ultimately, all types of businesses in the garment decoration supply chain will be forced to reinvent themselves for the demand-and-supply economy.

Creating the Demand With so many changes occurring in apparel retailing, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to know for sure what the garment business might look like 10 or 15 years from now.

Currently, there is plenty of demand for custom T-shirts and athleisure apparel that is stylish and comfortable enough to wear outside of the gym. According to the NPD Group, the market for athleisure apparel reached US$45.9 billion in 2016. Decorated T-shirts and other forms of branded apparel continue to be extremely popular promotional giveaways for companies, organizations and event organizers.

When attending a Digital Summit conference that extolled the miracles of online marketing, I found it ironic that event organizers gave me a one-colour screen printed T-shirt as a memento (and offline promotional tool). And, every member of the bridal party at my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding had two sets of screen printed T-shirts: one for the bachelorette party and one to wear in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;getting-readyâ&#x20AC;? room the day of the wedding.

Custom Ink was one of the first web-to-print that deserves credit for helping create the burgeoning demand for custom T-shirts. One thing smart marketers like Custom Ink have learned is that consumers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all act alike. Data analytics are proving that different design trends catch the attention of different groups of consumers. Some people love full-colour dye-sub printed T-shirts. Others prefer the look and feel of simple screen- printed graphics on soft, cotton garments.

You no longer must be a big, multi-national brand to influence consumer tastes. Just as hundreds of local craft beers have stolen market share from the big-brand breweries, apparel micro-brands can develop loyal fans and brand evangelists.

As an independent garment decorator, buying equipment and materials will be just the beginning. If you know what type of designs and garments will make up your main â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bread-and-butterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; market, focus on mastering the garment decorating method that will best serve that market. You might also want to consider equipment that lets you make other products besides apparel.

Unless you already have a big community of followers for your art, the hardest part of starting a garment business may involve creating and promoting a collection of products and designs that will attract an audience. While you have dozens of channels for promoting yourself, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re competing with millions of other marketers vying for each consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention.

But, in the globally connected world of social media, we never know where the next million-dollar apparel design trend will come from. It could come from a big brand with millions of dollars to spend on designers and agencies. Or, it could come from a few small-town artists with a screen printing press, DTG printer, or dye-sub printer and 20,000 enthusiastic Instagram followers.

In the era of mass-customized apparel, customers will decide what they want.

This article was excerpted from the Fall 2017 SGIA Journal, Garment Edition. For more information, please visit www.sgia.org. *JW]\ \PM *]\PWZ#

Eileen Fritsch is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer. She can be reached at eileen@eileenfritsch.com.

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To order your subscription publication please email info@trendexna.com Excluding sales at gasoline stations, total retail sales declined by 0.2%. Sales were up in 5 or 11 retail subsectors, representing 52% of total retail sales.

Total retail sales were up in five provinces during the month with the largest increases occurring in New Brunswick (+2.1%), Ontario (+0.5%), BC (+0.4%), and Alberta (+0.3%). Sales in Nova Scotia decreased 2.5%, while retail sales in Quebec decreased 0.5%.

Sales in Montreal (-1.1%) and Toronto (-0.8%) decreased, while Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retail sales increased 0.7%.

Comparable sales (excluding gasoline sales) increased 1.4% in Costcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 97 Canadian stores. E-commerce sales increased 16.7% on a year over year basis and by 39.1% year to date. In total ecommerce sales accounted for 2.4% of total Canadian retail sales during September 2017. Retail sales in clothing stores, despite the unseasonable warm weather in the east, increased by 3.3% (Y/Y) in September 2017.

Through the first nine months of 2017, sales in clothing stores increased by 4.6%. During September retail clothing store sales increased the most in Ontario (+9.7%) and Alberta (+6.5%) and decreased in only Quebec (-2.6%). Year to date clothing store sales grew the most in Ontario (+8.6%) and BC (+5.5%) and preformed the poorest in Quebec (+0.1%).

In September 2017, sales of Canadian clothing manufacturing shipments increased by a significant 18.4% compared to the same month a year ago. During the first nine months of 2017, sales of Canadian clothing manufacturing shipments increased by 2.9%.

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Year to date, apparel sales among the retailers making up Statistics Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Large Retailer Survey increased 1.6%.

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