Something we’ve heard in conversations lately that we feel is worth bringing more attention to is the shift back to print products. Have you been hearing this?
Fatigue with screens and technology is real, and it seems to be showing up in buying decisions. More of the hiring managers and product leaders I talk to are describing a quiet shift back toward print, whether that’s classroom materials, early literacy products, or supplemental resources parents are choosing on purpose over another app, website, or product.
We feel we can all agree that EdTech isn’t going anywhere, but the definition of balance is shifting. That feels worth sitting with, not because anyone has figured it out yet, but because it’s the kind of shift that’s easier to plan for early than to react to late.
What does it mean for your sales conversations when the pitch that worked eighteen months ago assumed digital-first was the whole story? What does it mean for your product roadmap if the next feature parents and educators actually want isn’t a feature at all, but a physical companion to what you’ve already built? What does it mean for marketing and communication when the language of “innovation” has been synonymous with “screen” for years, and that might not hold the same weight it used to?
None of these have clean answers yet but the teams who start having these conversations now, even without the full picture, are the ones who won’t be caught in reactive mode if this keeps moving the way it looks like it’s moving.
We don’t think this is a story about digital losing. We think it’s a story about balance getting redefined, and about which companies are willing to ask the harder questions before the market forces the answer.
Is this showing up in your world too, or is it just the conversations landing on our desks?