Dotgain moves to ‘revolutionise’ online print quoting

A new online print quote comparison platform is hoping to bridge the gulf between creative agencies and printers in the local marketplace, with the freshly launched website, Dotgain.com.au, working to ‘revolutionise’ the traditional print quote comparison model.  Dotgain co-founders, Carl Taranto and Stuart Shepherd, say the new online platform breaks from the traditional price-based approach many print quote sites and brokers take. “Dotgain is not about the cheapest price, nor is it a bidding platform. Dotgain is about encouraging the highest level of quality and service and rewarding businesses accordingly,” says Shepherd. “For many years we felt that both printers and agencies have been working in a very old fashioned way. We wanted to change the focus so printers can be more about quality and service rather than sales and bottom line. “From our experience this is what the creative industry has been crying out for, and the agencies we have spoken with have reflected this. Printers on the other hand would love the opportunity to be exposed to 150 plus creative agencies and have the opportunity to quote more often,” he says. According to Dotgain’s website the platform offers printers the exposure of hundreds of creative agencies nationally along with a quick and easy quoting system, while offering agencies the opportunity to establish new business relationships. “It is just as much a networking tool, as it is a business tool in fact we encourage printers to more actively get involved in the process,” says Shepherd. “Meet and chat with agencies to build credibility and much stronger relationships. “Dotgain also has a few cool features which we think will make life a little easier including providing industry insight into how competitive a printers quote was plus a unique ‘Satisfaction rating’ system which lets printers know how well they are performing in the market based on agency feedback,” he says. According to Shepherd and Taranto, Dotgain allows printers to connect with creative agencies online, eliminating many of the pain points and inefficiencies around cold calling, forming relationships and freeing sales representatives to broaden their client base without leaving the office. When a quoting opportunity arises, printer can simply provide the associated costs and send back to the agency, without the need to write out a quote with all the specifications of the job. For Taranto, the platform provides a forum for printers and angencies to improve working relationships by making them easier for all parties. “Dotgain was developed because we strongly believe creative agencies and printers can work better together,” says Taranto. “From the way agencies manage their print jobs; source, review and compare print quotes, to the way printers find new business opportunities. It’s a tired, time intensive and laborious process that can be easily streamlined.” Below is a diagram explaining Dotgain’s new quote comparison structure: