Printcious is an e-commerce website that targets both Business-to-Consumers (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) customers in providing a range of customizable gifts for their loved ones.
They sell various gift products and merchandise, from mugs, t-shirts, canvases, throw pillows, jigsaw puzzles, and even baby rompers. You name it, they have it.
Customers have thousands of unique ready designs that they can choose from on the website. Some are hilarious, some are cheeky, and some are inspiring. There are a lot of designs that cater to each individual's taste.
Another exciting plus point for the creative customers, Printcious offers one of the simplest online designing tools on their website that contains straightforward steps for customers to design their gifts.
It is the factor that makes Printcious so unique, as they are one of the largest online Do-It-Yourself (DIY)-printing platforms in Malaysia to allow gift customisation.
Hence, we are so lucky to have a lovely chat with the one and only Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Printcious, Vincent Tong, to share his story and insights into running his business.
First and foremost, Vincent stated that Printcious's ultimate value is personalization. That value drives his company's mission to fulfil his customers in creating memorable and precious gifts.
He makes sure that everyone, including those who do not have a background in design, is capable of producing something special for their loved ones.
“We want to make the act of gifting more memorable for our customers, where they can be involved in the gift customization process.
It is why we created our designing tools on our website the most straightforward and easy it can be. It will make the gifts more memorable and meaningful to them.”
Apart from that, they also provide this experience for their B2B customers. They value personalization from the gifting process and the service too.
“What we do extra for B2B is we consult them with their design ideas. We just received a tremendous order from a company where they asked to send 600 gift sets individually to each of the recipients.
All of it includes customised items, some with their name and some with the logo on them. We allow our customers to put their creativity into the gifts to make them unique and special to the gift recipients.”
Printcious truly cherishes this personalization value and incorporate it into its services. They recently collaborated with another company that shares the same value, Shutterstock.
It is the biggest stock photography company in the world. They have millions of one-of-a-kind photos where some can be found on Printcious's website that could touch Printcious customers' hearts.
“There are so many pictures accessible on Shutterstock that can cater to many different individuals, giving them that sense of personalization, which we truly value.
For example, a programmer wearing a t-shirt with codings or pictures they resonate with will make the individual happy with the product. It showcases their personality, which people appreciate a lot.”
You must be wondering how Vincent came up with the idea of a DIY gift printing platform that has contributed to countless priceless memories. He got this idea back when he was still in his college days.
“Back in my college years, I had problems finding the right presents for my friends. I find it hard to find a memorable, affordable, and practical one, and one that someone could remember for years.
Plus, I studied this technology called heat transfer printing that allows personalized gift printing at the lowest cost and shorter time. I realized that there is high demand there.
So, that gave me an idea to provide another option in the market, which is personalized gifts.”Â
Since then, Vincent and his brother, Henry, brought their idea to life and named it Printcious in 2015.
Over the years, they were able to attract customers locally and overseas, such as Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, and some Middle East countries.
Providentially, their business is progressing amazingly, and that makes me wonder what challenges they have gone through to keep up the force of providing the best service to their customers.
“The challenge was to come up with out-of-the-box gift ideas. We received a request from a customer who wanted to give retirement farewell gifts to his colleagues.
We discussed with him how he could make the gifts more special. In the end, each person received mugs printed with their own designated farewell message.
Plus, before the pandemic happened, we received a request from a B2B client to set up an instant printing booth for their event in one of the largest travelling exhibitions in Malaysia.
When the customers signed up for any package offered, we needed to get the customers' name and print it on mugs, button badges, pillows, and more and give it to them instantly.
It was highly challenging to print it on-demand, ensuring the orders were correct while also controlling the crowd.
Other than that, we had to deliver 100 gift sets of t-shirts to various locations and gift recipients. Each t-shirt was customized differently from one another, so we had to make sure their names were printed accurately, received the correct sizes, and delivered to the right person.
In order to avoid any human mistakes, we had to triple-check in making sure everything was correct before we shipped them out.”
The amount of dedication and effort that is being put into the work to ensure all his customers receive the gift in perfect condition and arrangement shows that personalization is not an easy thing.
It is impressive, but it takes an immense amount of attention to little details. However, the widespread number of positive reviews from his customers goes to prove his dedication to his business.
Undeniably, all entrepreneurs have learnt so much through the ups and downs of their entrepreneurial journey. Their experiences helped in shaping them and their company.
Vincent most generously shared his tips and tricks with us on how he managed to be where he is now.
“First of all, you need to be mentally ready. To become an entrepreneur and the boss of your company is not an easy job.
You have to be resourceful and have problem-solving skills. Also, you must learn to expect the unexpected.
In the business world, so many uncertainties and unexpected scenarios will happen. If you are not mentally strong and agile towards this, you may give up easily.
You do not need to know everything, but you must know where to find resources. Keep learning from mentors, friends, YouTube, books, and more.
Continuous learning from mentors and peers surely help to understand our problems, business strategy, growth plan and more.
Talking to them will help you realize that you are not alone, as they may have encountered the same experience before.
In fact, the best moment is when a new thought or idea strikes me and comes into my mind. Thus, I give 100% attention to learning new things, as I do not want to miss any sudden discovery."
"Just keep trying to do your best to achieve the best outcome. You can never compromise for the basic result.”Â
Vincent Tong
Vincent made it very clear to us that learning is the only way for you to be successful. No matter what position you are holding, knowledge will always be the key to reaching whatever ambitious aspirations one desires.
The humble CEO is praised for his eagerness to learn by one of the mentors here in the Entrepreneurs Programme.
Alan Lim, the co-founder and former CEO of MediaBanc Group, mentioned to us that his enthusiasm for learning will contribute so much to the growth of Printcious.
Not only that but he is also described as a generous person for always sharing his skills and knowledge with other entrepreneurs.
“He is not one to hold back when it comes to helping others, be it providing a helping hand or sharing his opinion or expertise," Alan said.Â
He continued, "Others in the Entrepreneurs programme benefitted as much, if not more, from his sharing and contributions."
"It is what makes him a valuable player in the programme, and in turn, this marks him as a true hallmark of a successful businessman.”
Alan Lim, Entrepreneurs Programme Mentor
He mentioned that there are a few things that he is looking forward to Printcious in the future, such as expanding product lines, countries and approaching more customers.
“We are still learning and growing, but we hope to keep growing our business and continue making our customers happy.”
It is truly an honour to have a conversation with Vincent. It was crystal clear that he is a dedicated and inspiring entrepreneur that is passionate about his business.
One must be strong-willed and use his passion as a drive to accomplish our life goals.
Just like Vincent, who turned his idea into a business that has helped many customers to create precious and priceless memories through the art of gifting.
Who would have imagined how much influence personalized gifts can affect others in fostering healthy relationships with the people around them?
To find out more about Printcious, visit their website here for more fun and exciting things from them soon!
We hope that you learnt a few things through this article and feel inspired to achieve your goals in life. We at Entrepreneurs Programme wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
