Trends, Technology and Innovation in Today’s Office Supplies

 “Innovative” isn’t a term that is often associated with office supplies and that’s a sad observation. 

Of course, some of the most exciting innovation in any industry in the last century has been in office equipment: certainly computers, digital communication and web-based dissemination of information have been extremely creative and nothing short of revolutionary.  Technology is inherently innovative and it can easily cross industry boundaries in unexpected ways. 

Thanks to technology, there are new essential office supplies in the digital age, like compact discs, toner cartridges and anti-static wipes.  Most are commodities that feed the equipment.  None of them are particularly exciting and none have eliminated or significantly changed the traditional office products.

Paper stays predominately white even though we can economically use virtually any color.  Ink stays predominately black, blue and (unfortunately) red, even though we can easily choose orange or turquoise.  Paper clips, push pins, scissors and staples are all essentially unchanged and still essential.  Business communication, ergo office supplies, is traditionally quite conservative, and that isn’t likely to change any time soon.

But beneath the calm waters of seemingly unchanged office supplies there are strong-flowing, ever-changing currents that influence the products we ultimately use and buy every day.

The human factor

Consolidation of manufacturers, re-sellers and retailers has allowed office products to become predictable and generic.  A few brand names stick out, but office products in general have become commodities driven mostly by price since fewer vendors are easier to manage for quality and price.  Ultimately, buyers faced a standardized menu that covered all the basics. If you wanted a binder, you chose white or black, round ring or D-ring, view binder or plain. Easy for everyone and the arrangement facilitated corporate contracts and office short lists.  Delivery tomorrow, best price guaranteed, just order from our list. 

However, real people use these office products and make selections based on independent criteria.  There is no standard profile for “office worker”.  Mothers are working part time or job-sharing.  Dads are juggling conference calls and coaching.  Older workers are working longer and younger workers balance career and lifestyle choices.  There is a broad diversity in the modern work force that goes beyond cultural, racial or age definitions.  Personal priorities vary widely and greatly impact daily decisions in the workplace. 

Personal priorities are making a comeback. A backlash against standard choices is an increasing consumer search for alternatives.  Innovative products are out there, being manufactured by entrepreneurial companies creating products that solve problems in new ways and industrious consumers are finding them.

The informed consumer

Any buyer in any sector today gets an unlimited and largely unrestricted stream of product information from extremely diverse sources.  The sheer volume of media exposure influences the very concept of communication.  End users are educated about products in new and very creative ways from spam email to glimpses of brands in movies.

Media influence has taught consumers that they have choices and they can get anything they want.  If it isn’t on the shelf of the local retailer, go online to the manufacturer’s web site or surf eBay.

Younger, tech-savvy colleagues bring new assumptions and expectations to the table based on current pop culture.  While office products would never be called an industry subject to fads, this variety creates a unique crossover demand for products that creatively solve problems in new ways. 

Market boundaries are blurred even more when products designed for non-business uses, like scrapbook sheets that go to the office and became presentation covers or brightly colored school portfolios that become color coordinated packets for team-building seminars, introduce a creative influence.  If a color or style or feature is attractive enough for use outside the office, it often finds it’s way to work, one way or another.

Specifiers know what they want and they won’t accept that it isn’t available.

Personal comfort & style

Office is often synonymous with boring and ugly.  Large offices tend to buy lots of furniture that looks the same, i.e., office “systems”, and small offices tend to buy furniture that reflects smaller budgets.  The result leads to a uniform and “business-like” image that tends to suppress the individual.

While cubicles and in-expensive furniture won’t go away, they are definitely growing more personal and style conscious.  For some time now, we have realized that ergonomics play a critical role in productivity.  The monitor should be adjusted for comfortable viewing and left-handed users can’t work with a right-handed mouse.  Now there is much more.

Furniture has adapted to custom requirements.  Modular components allow configuration for workspace preferences as well as personal requirements for wheelchair access or lighting adjustments.  It has also adapted to personal style with rich finishes that are no longer limited to rich budgets.

Technology has increased the ability and the desire to personalize office products, too.  Personal office products now include high capacity digital storage to be carried home on a key ring so tomorrow’s report can be polished tonight after soccer practice.  And perhaps a few soccer photos come back to work for the computer screensaver.

Personal style emerges in reports and presentations and influence choices for more than just the black or white binder.  Now the report cover is being created and printed in color, so more options are required.  We want larger covers, easier files and documents that look the way we want them to look.  Price and easy availability aren’t always the deciding factors when our documents are now career statements.

Safety, security & privacy

All work environments have felt the impact of security concerns.  Privacy and safety issues have been legislated to require new products in every office.  Safety documentation must be visible and easily accessible at all times, while personal details may not be shared under any circumstances without explicit authorization.

A new generation of products like fully enclosed binders offer privacy in situations where files must be shuffled, shared and reviewed.  These same kinds of products can allow highly visible storage and reference of safety data in hazardous or dirt and moisture-prone environments like shop floors or emergency rooms where that information is vital. 

Security becomes an issue when the contents of packages are not visible.  Clear poly mailers protect the contents and the recipients by allowing no hidden surprises. Binders with durable poly instead of metal rings facilitate the use of metal detectors that are now mandatory in far more venues than just airports.

Organization is Key

Office products are all about organization.  They always have been.  From mundane supplies like file folders, and highlighters to furniture such as workstations and lighting.  The primary goal is effective communication of facts that affect the business and efficient use of resources like space, time and money.  There is always room for improvement.

Personal organization is a relatively young concept that is fueling the trend for manufacturers to re-visit standard products and offer more creative ways to use them.  The premise is that individuals can improve their personal work experience with improved organization that they individually adopt.  That means buyers are actively and aggressively looking for better ways to organize the information they personally work with and they are no longer willing to be satisfied with the standards.

For instance, consider file folders.  Color has been a choice for those with a few extra pennies to spend, but the big choice was three tab sets or five.  Now, there is the radical concept that perhaps the files will be better organized if the tabs that identify the contents are arranged in a straight line, one behind the next, so you don’t have to scan left to right and possibly overlook a critical file. 

Even more radical is the idea that files don’t have to go in folders in drawers.  Consider UniKeepTM Case Binders that allow labeled files to be neatly organized on shelves.

Any product that offers new and unique organization is hot and there are a lot of them coming from savvy manufacturers outside of the normal distribution channels.

Desktop publishing has created publishing power at every level.  Buyers expect choice and demand control.

Archiving and long term document management is now largely electronic, but short term documents have greater challenges than ever. The digital age has raised the bar on the acceptable quality and ease of use.

Data processing has evolved far beyond its humble beginnings from glorified typing to powerful document design.  Now a simple report can be formatted elegantly into a professional presentation in any number of standard designs using built-in styles.  Clip art ranging from cute illustrations to professional photography can be added in only a click or two of the mouse.

The creative freedom of modern software gives any user a strong sense of ownership and the expectation of controlling the entire publication.  Users EXPECT to have the same degree of control and a menu of choices for binding, titling and mailing of the document.

Similarly with letters and other standard mailings: users expect to be able to make choices and personally control the document.  Sales managers who agonize over the precise formatting and color choices for the fields in their spreadsheets take equal care in the choice of presentation binder and cover sheets.  Administrative professionals who format and design critical manuals and letters EXPECT to have worthy options for mailing the news or the reference disc.

Laser printable mailers for specific items like discs and business cards are getting high marks from users who want to control every aspect of their creations.

Form vs. function

Aesthetics is an increasingly common concern.  Office products are historically utilitarian in both features and design, but sensitivity to both ease of use and visual appeal continues to grow exponentially. 

The same sales manager crunching numbers in her now colorful and well-formatted spreadsheet has a heightened sensitivity to the look and feel of the publication.  She strongly feels the look determines its perceived importance.

Publications go beyond corporate identity to personal identity with the materials that one hands to a prospective client or current superior manager.

Users care how the product looks and the cost-efficiency equation now includes a component for perceived quality.

Democratic document control & office autonomy

Each office worker with a computer generally does for himself many tasks that were once handled by others like publishing, back up, mailing.  So, if everyone is publishing their own presentations and manuals, how do you stand out from the crowd?

Recent trends in office products focus on items that bring individual personality and style into the everyday document.  A metallic gel pen is just a little more interesting, especially in a “signature” color.

Despite corporate purchasing agreements and government contracts, the purchasing authority for office supplies seems to increasingly rest within local offices or departments.  Most administrative professionals and buyers can really get whatever they want.  They know it’s out there.

Document management works overtime

As a general population, we now expect easy public access to information and that applies to home, as well as business.  We print reams of emails, reference and downloads from the Internet and file it away with personal medical records, school papers and product warranties.  The organization we find so important at work becomes absolutely critical after hours.  The products that organize, consolidate and publish at the office now store, organize and preserve at home.  We require the same elements of personal style and ease of customization, often demanding even more colors and functionality.

This brings the trend full circle, underscoring how little distinction there really is in office products.  If a good product works, and solves a problem, it is used anywhere.

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Karen L. Sullivan is Director of Marketing for UniKeep LLC, manufacturer of the revolutionary UniKeep View Case Binder™, and is actively involved in ongoing product development for emerging niche markets in the office products industry.  For more information, visit www.unikeep.com or call 800/829.8117.