Part
01
of one
Part
01
Please provide a competitive analysis of Lob.com
Greetings!
Thanks for requesting a competitive analysis of Lob.com. I found a total of 7 companies that provide either nearly the exact same services, Lob's type of services plus a lot more, or something in the same realm but slightly different. Most of my research came from corporate websites as well as trusted media sites, such as Forbes. Below you will find the deep dive associated with this analysis.
METHODOLOGY
I began the search by looking for companies that offered on-demand printing and mailing services with an API, and then narrowed it down to companies that focused on business-specific materials, and not phonebooks, home decor, etc. As previously stated, I found 7 companies that provide the same, more, or slightly different services as compared to Lob. I chose these companies in particular because each one exhibits large, well-known and reputable corporations and companies as clients, or has been featured in a well-known and respected print or news source. I have provided a list of these 7 companies as well as a general overview of their business model.
LOB COMPETITIVE ANAYLSIS
According to a 2017 article published in Forbes, which indicates that while many have claimed that print is dead there appears to still be a very real demand for this type of marketing, and it is becoming increasingly competitive. Some helpful tips outlined by the article were including QR codes and PURLs, built in audiovisual features, augmented reality, dimensional mail, and endless folds. These features have the potential to bolster a digital campaign.
As far as a competitive analysis of Lob is concerned, Printchomp is a company that provides print and mail API, offering similar products to Lob, but with a lot more options for printed materials, whereas Lob focuses primarily on just a few mailed business products. Printchomp has a target on business products as well, but also offers tons of other products such as calendars, mugs, t-shirts, blueprints, stationary, and much more. They appear to have a much larger product base, therefore they can draw a larger client base.
Mimeo is an award-winning company that has worked with giants such as the Hyatt and Jenny Craig. The company markets its ability to "print and distribute your work to any number of destinations as early as the next morning." While they do smaller print pieces like postcards, flyers and mail outs, the focus seems to be more on large reports or information packages that the client creates online and then is printed and mailed out. Again, this is a larger company that has more products and therefore a more diverse client base.
Docsmit has a more simple platform compared to Printchomp, Mimeo, and Lob. Essentially, the system allows you to drag and drop your pdf and it will be printed and sent out by USPS mail in seconds. You have to do the pdf design yourself, but you can also send it from your computer as snail mail as well.
PFL is another well recognized brand that offers various solutions for companies looking to integrate social media campaigns with printed material. "The TMA solution easily drops into your automated campaigns as an event based trigger to make the send of direct mail as easy as email. Simply drag and drop tactile marketing instances into your automated campaigns. Once the step is triggered from within your campaign, fulfillment, shipping and tracking is handled for you." Major clients of PFL include Microsoft and Adobe. But, like many of the other established companies in this field, they also offer other products such as bound reports, business cards, and the ability to send gifts with a personalized note through the mail and much more.
Handwritten letters by MailLift is a bit different, but still within the same realm. The company provides handwritten notes to clients and campaigns. The company has been featured in Forbes, Inc., and other credible publications. "Set a template, select recipients, and customize any other details to make your handwritten letter stand out. Our handwriters then start writing." The postmark of the mail will be from where your business is located and you can include other products with it as well.
Shutterfly is another company offering business solutions that work with digital campaigns and products and can convert them to print pieces that go directly to clients. This dedicated wing of Shutterfly known as Shutterfly Business Solutions allows a client to manage their campaigns with one partner while reinforcing that personal feel. "Your print, web, email and mobile campaigns can all leverage the innovative variable data and speed to market that has shattered response rates for over ten years.
Amazingmail appears to offer the same variety of products and solutions that Lob does currently. The company offers next-day, direct-mail business solutions at no minimum. While they don't appear to be as modern looking, at least on their website, the company offers many of the same direct mailing services as Lob. That is, letters, brochures, postcards, pre-made designs, mailing lists, digital printing, barcoding, addressing, and mailing. The company was recently featured on ABC News for being a cheap and easy way to outsource Christmas cards.
SUMMARY
To wrap it up, Lob appears to have several high-quality competitors offering the same if not more products and services. PFL and Printchomp might be the most akin to Lob. All three companies cite major businesses and corporations as clients. Moreover, the Forbes article does outline the instance of direct mail's high ROI as well as offering a few tips on how to capitalize on print campaigns.
Thanks for choosing Wonder!