The lockdown has proved to be the right time for a traditional printing press in the city to experiment with a novelty gift that has garnered over 6,000 followers on its Instagram page within weeks of its launch in May.
The ‘Prink Bomb’, a personalised pop-up cube that literally bursts out of a box filled with confetti and assumes its shape with the help of strategically placed rubber bands, has become a surprise best-seller for Thirumalai Printers, a 20-year-old firm based on Pugalia Pillai Street in Tiruchi.
“I took over the press from my father in the 1990s, but as technology and automation made inroads, it was a struggle to stay relevant in a crowded market,” Amudha Siva, proprieter, Thirumalai Printers, told The Hindu.
While the press continued to maintain its regular product base of diaries, calendars and wedding invitations, Ms. Amudha felt the need for an unusual item that would serve as stylish keepsake for its recipients.
“The Prink Bomb is aimed at young people, and for those who want to celebrate a relationship. It is meant for friends, relatives, co-workers ... anyone who wants to show love,” said Ms. Amudha.
Made by assembling two halves of printed cardboard sheets cut to a specific size, the Prink Bomb came about after several months of online research. “We had finalised the product pattern, the machines to produce the perforated high-grade cardboard, and every other detail, down to sourcing the double-sided sticky tape and imported rubber bands, when the lockdown was announced on March 25. Instead of thinking about the problem, we focused on finding the solution.”
Ms. Amudha was helped by her elder son and her husband to reinvent the idea for e-commerce.
“Prink Bomb has gained more than 6,000 followers on our Instagram page since the May 3 launch. We even had a celebrity endorsement from [actress] Anu Haasan,” said Ms. Amudha.
Customers can opt for single or triple pop-up cube combinations through the product website, and upload their pictures while placing orders. The printed cardboard sheets are tagged with buyers’ information to prevent errors in the final orders. “I have personally assembled 500 cubes since we went online. Now, as demand grows, I have decided to train a few of our women staff to help out with the basic steps,” said Ms. Amudha.
The top half of the cube has four pre-punched holes that transform it into a desktop pen-stand, making the Prink Bomb a reusable gift. Shipping is available throughout India. In keeping with the new norms, the novelty item is completely sanitised before it is packed.
“Many people find it hard to believe that a company in Tiruchi can deliver a quality product like the Prink Bomb. For me, this quarantine period has been transformed into a golden opportunity because of Prink Bomb, and I hope our success will encourage other businesses to come up during these uncertain times,” said Ms. Amudha.