In the dynamic realm of grocery retail and wholesale today, the need for efficiency is more pronounced than ever before. The fast-paced operations of supermarkets and wholesale outlets demand the swift creation of weekly ads and flyers. These materials, which play a crucial role in conveying the latest deals to customers, must come together within a tight timeframe.
Contents
- Automating Ad Circulars and Flyers with Grid-Based Layouts
- Challenges and Innovative Solutions:
CASE 1 – TEXT PRIORITY
CASE 2 – MANAGING MULTIPLE IMAGES PER PRODUCT - Conclusion
The intricate interplay of supply, demand, and consumer preferences often leads to offers and discounts being finalized mere days before the scheduled ad publication. This leaves an exceptionally narrow window for the process of designing and perfecting these weekly ads. As the retail/wholesale industry continues to evolve, the search for innovative ways to streamline and enhance this process has become of utmost importance. This is where the automation of weekly ad circulars comes into play, revolutionizing how these critical advertising materials are conceived and brought to fruition.
Automating Ad Circulars and Flyers with Grid-Based Layouts
Pagination developed a system for the automatic creation of weekly ads and flyers. The process of automation seamlessly integrates data files containing product information into a made-for-automation InDesign template.
In weekly ad circulars, a grid design is quite common – because it allows creativity and precision. These kinds of templates are well-suited for automation allowing various product layouts to perfectly fit into the grid. For instance, imagine a page structured in a 4×5 grid. Using modular product layouts, it is possible to build the page as desired. The possibilities for the modules’ design are plenty. Here are some examples:
- Single-block for compact data,
- Double-block or full-row for showcasing long lists of variants,
- Two-dimensional modules like 2×2 or 3×2 layouts allow for larger space for images and descriptions.
Understanding the logic behind placing each product layout on the template, boosts efficiency and creativity, letting customers use the entire page for their purposes. Notably, the design of the page can happen directly in the data file, where users can define the product layout to use for each product. In this way, it is possible to plan the structure of the pages without seeing them beforehand, using only the data file. This empowers customers, as there is no need to master complex software like InDesign, and overall, this process is more time-efficient.
Challenges and Innovative Solutions
Automating grid-based layout documents for weekly ads and flyers presents a big challenge: dealing with limited space. This kind of layout approach is well suited for automation, but their fixed structure can interfere with adaptability. This is where Pagination steps in with creative solutions to tackle these challenges.
Let’s delve into two scenarios where Pagination’s custom-made algorithms overcame the rigidity of grid-based layout:
CASE 1 – TEXT PRIORITY
Imagine needing to make sure product descriptions are easily readable, even if it means sacrificing some image space. This is common when in a weekly ad there are several items with different sizes, flavors, or colors causing a bigger amount of text to display. Here, Pagination’s algorithm steps in, to resize images carefully, fitting them into the available space while keeping descriptions clear. This smart approach balances text and images in the grid, resulting in well-organized layouts.
CASE 2 – MANAGING MULTIPLE IMAGES PER PRODUCT
Another challenge arises with grouped products with multiple images. Here, the goal is to make images as big and visible as possible while maintaining visual balance in the weekly ad. Think of products with several sizes, colors, or flavors, each needing its own image. The layout must take into consideration the possibility of having multiple or single images.
In the first phase, the algorithm calculates the image orientation (portrait or landscape) and arranges them on the selected grid module accordingly, either side by side or one below the other. Then, it adjusts image sizes automatically based on their number, making the best use of the available space. So for example, if there are 2 images they will be bigger and with more space between them, if there are 5 they will be smaller and closer together.
This approach is functional from the developer side because one module can be used for a variety of cases (one or multiple images), and the long-term maintenance of the project is easier and less prone to errors; it also works very well on the client side, as they simply have to choose the layout of the module to apply, not necessarily knowing the type of images available.
In both cases, Pagination’s strength lies in its ability to make the most out of grid-based layouts.
But these are only two of the endless scenarios where Pagination’s algorithms can come in handy to overcome the rigidity of grid page design. Pagination is up to the challenge of discussing and developing algorithms that fit custom layouts. By adapting the layout to the content’s needs, Pagination’s solutions combine technology and design, resulting in appealing weekly ads and flyers.
Conclusion
In a world of automation reshaping industries, retail and wholesale advertising is no different. Challenges once posed by grid-based layouts now find innovative solutions in Pagination’s algorithms. These algorithms elegantly balance text and images, adapting layouts to suit content.
This evolution brings not just time efficiency, but freedom for customers, no longer constrained by design complexities. Both professionals and newcomers can craft captivating weekly ad circulars and flyers, seamlessly blending technology and design to give life to their ideas.