Sending marketing materials to many shops at once – how it works

How it works, step by step

1. List of sites. You send us a spreadsheet: one row per shop, with address, contact person and phone number.
2. Materials matrix. In the same sheet (or a separate tab) you mark what goes to which site: how many posters, which window vinyl format, whether there is a stand, whether there are wobblers.
3. Printing everything. All materials are printed together, in one colour batch. That matters – a poster in Dublin and one in Madrid then look exactly the same.
4. Kitting. We assemble a kit for each site, band small items together, add installation instructions if you provide them, and label the parcel with the shop's details.
5. Dispatch. Parcels go by courier. Flexible graphics travel rolled on a core or in a tube; rigid boards and large quantities on a pallet.
6. Replacements. When a shop reports something missing or damaged, we send the missing item from stock or reprint it from the same file.

This way of working is also described on the campaign kits for retail chains page.

What it costs

Example: a campaign in 40 shops, each receiving the same kit. Kitting and dispatch handling come to 40 × (€3.30 + €2.80) = approx. €245 net. Add the printing of the materials and the courier costs, which depend on parcel weight and size. For comparison: sending the same out from head office usually takes one person several days, with a real risk that a shop receives the wrong format.

The address list and matrix – this is where it is decided

Our experience with chain campaigns is that problems rarely come from printing. They come from the list. An old address for a shop that moved two streets away. No phone number for the manager, so the courier has nobody to call. A shopping centre that accepts deliveries only at the loading bay at set times.

A good list has columns for:

• the site number or code (the one you use internally),
• name and full address with postcode,
• contact person and mobile number,
• delivery notes: hours, loading bay, rear entrance,
• quantities of each material in separate columns.

An Excel sheet is enough. We print labels and picking lists from it, so the fewer descriptions in words ('as usual, but without the stand'), the fewer mistakes.

When shop windows are different sizes

This is the most common problem when applying window graphics across a chain. On paper all the stores are identical; in reality one pane is 180 cm wide, another 210, and a third is split by a glazing bar. There are two ways round it:

• Measuring by shop staff. We can prepare a simple form with a drawing showing what to measure and how. Cheaper, but someone has to make sure every shop sends back its measurements.
• On-site survey. Our crew measures and photographs each site, approx. €85 net per site. For a rollout with installation it is the most reliable route.

For large rollouts we combine everything into one process: survey, production, kitting, installation and a completion report – described on the multi-site rollout with reporting page. More on window graphics in our guide how much window graphics cost, and on the specifics of retail chains on our fashion retail chains sector page.

Recurring campaigns: storage, spares and changeable graphics

If campaigns change monthly or seasonally, a few solutions pay off:

• Spares held by us. We print a few per cent extra and keep the spares in our warehouse. Replacements go out straight away, without starting production for a single piece.
• Changeable graphics instead of new displays. LedMeSee ultra-slim light boxes (shop.ledmesee.com) and fabric frames let you replace just the graphic. A light tube goes to the shop, not a whole structure.
• Neutral packaging. For agencies and partners who serve chains under their own brand, we pack in neutral packaging without our logo.

For recurring campaigns it helps to fix one regular dispatch day each month – the shops know when to expect the parcel, and we can plan production in advance.