One of the most popular face masks currently on the market isn’t from an apparel or accessories brand. It’s from Vistaprint, a more than 20-year-old company known for its printing services on products like business cards, mugs and postcards. Initially as a part of a program to meet the needs of the small businesses it works with, Vistaprint rolled out an adjustable face mask product in April, shortly after the pandemic had forced many consumers into lockdown. The company also sells full face shields. A portion of the proceeds are donated to small businesses in need.
“We realized a large portion of small businesses, but also everyone in the world, was going to have a pretty big need for things like shields and masks, and they needed them at scale and to be a product they wanted to be part of their lives,” says Ricky Engelberg, a former Nike executive who joined Vistaprint as chief marketing officer last year. “We looked at our overall footprint and realized we can make [masks] at scale.”
Engelberg says his time at Nike, where he worked on experience innovation, helped inform the process of designing a mask best-suited for consumer needs. The Vistaprint masks, which at $13 for kids and $18 for adults are slightly more expensive than models from competitors, have an articulated chin, adjustable nose wire and adjustable ear loops.