Driving Global Performance: The Evolution of Canon

To kickstart Canon’s global digital community, graphiPLAZA serves as the ultimate resource for large-format graphics professionals to discover, inspire, and support one another.

Our work with Canon Production Printing has focused on making this innovative platform the go-to destination for technical insights and creative print applications.

Let’s take a closer look at our partnership by speaking with Founder and Managing Director Rob about the initial vision, our Development team about the project execution, and our Performance and Marketing team on ongoing management and results.

Canon x Reech Collaboration

Canon has a multi-year relationship with us, dating back to the initial development of graphiPLAZA.

Talking about the origins of the project, Rob Hughes said: “As an industry built upon creativity, ambition and innovation, I was passionate about being able to holistically support the development of this knowledge-sharing platform”. For a small, Shropshire-based agency, this project was a huge win. Competing against the leading marketing agencies in Germany and the Netherlands really proved to us that when it comes to tech-savvy projects and innovative new platforms, we know our stuff.

Teamwork Makes Canon’s Dream Work

Our teams have worked closely with the guys at Canon to deliver a bespoke platform that can bring together a community of tech-buffs.

It’s safe to say the team at Canon Production Printing was pleased with the work. When reflecting on our partnership, Mathieu Peeters, Senior Director Strategic Marketing and Application Support at Canon Production Printing, said: “The collaboration and cooperation between the teams at Reech and Canon Production Printing have allowed us to work as colleagues. Reech really understands our vision and high-level requirements and can implement this in the best possible future-proof way.”

The World of Tech

Our Development team has been working closely with them to figure out what worked, where we can go next, and what that looks like for graphiPLAZA. Jake Bown, Head of Technology and Innovation, said: “Originally launched in 2020, graphiPLAZA is the number one resource for Canon Production Printing experts. Created with Print Service Providers and Sales Partners in mind, it is an online community for individuals to connect and collaborate – whether to compare best practices, uncover latest market trends, or download relevant resources.”

Since then, it has evolved into v2 of the platform, where we gave it a serious upgrade, for performance, efficiency and that overall Reech pizzazz.

To make finding the needle in the haystack effortless, we implemented a Smart Search that tracks down bulletins, resources, and software in a flash, alongside a vast media library covering every printer configuration imaginable.

To keep things social, we built community-driven forums where users can upvote, subscribe, and geek out over their Arizona and Colorado setups. We also created “MyPlaza”, the ultimate personal cockpit for managing preferences and subscriptions, and “MyORDER,” a bespoke solution we developed from the ground up that allows users to add products to a basket and even add personalisation.

Best of all? GP2 is built to communicate directly with Canon’s own platforms, ensuring that critical, up-to-date information is always readily available.

How are the Performance Team Printing Results?

The Performance and Marketing team got involved in the project to better understand how the site was being used and to guide future website changes to improve performance. In other words, the voice of reason behind v2.

Using the website’s Google Analytics setup, we could gain a better understanding of how users were interacting with the site, from clicks and navigation to downloads and orders. Each insight allowed us to understand not only the user but the website’s natural flow, so that when v2 came around, we could suggest genuine improvements for the user journey and web intelligence.

As with every website, we don’t just design good-looking homepages; we develop an insightful platform that delivers results. Since our original work with Canon Production Printing to v2, there has been an 86% increase in engagement, a 20% growth in organic clicks year-on-year, and a global community built with over 2,500 active users. Pretty impressive if you ask us.

Partnership Full of Potential

If you’re in the world of tech and are looking to upgrade your platform, revamp your designs or create a whole new website from scratch, you know where to go. There’s nothing we love more than a creative-tech-heavy-360 project, where all our teams can get stuck in.

Fancy a chat about your next big digital project? Book a chemistry call, grab a cuppa, and we’ll talk web.