Your commitment to education and promotion can turn imaging software into print sales. Really.
Last year, in a Retailer Roundtable story on the value to dealers of educational classes, I wrote: “Your best customer is the one who wants to know more, do more and take more and better pictures.”
Software can play a part in making that customer want prints of those photos—the ones that are better; the images that are adjusted, tweaked, manipulated, improved, personalized. Moreover, that customer doesn’t have to take a deep dive into post-processing in order to achieve those images.
The Imaging Software Paradigm
While working on the story, I came to understand that software is probably not a subject or a product most dealers want to deal with. They don’t sell it; these days, programs are rented by the month or year via Internet subscription. As a result, there’s no box or disc to sell and, therefore, no profit to make. Only one retailer I spoke to for that story offered a class in image manipulation. It focused on Adobe Lightroom; the dealer held the class mostly for the “interest, traffic and loyalty” it brought to his store.
However, that dealer’s commitment made me wonder if there is a profit potential for retailers offering classes in the use of imaging programs that are alternatives to the likes of Photoshop and Lightroom; programs that enthusiastic amateurs could download and own.
Backed by promotion on the part of the dealer, the result of those classes could be sales of prints of those improved, corrected, personalized photographs. Furthermore, those prints could manifest as framed prints, prints in photo books, prints on metal, glass, canvas, plates, mugs, flags or whatever else prints can be made on.
A bit of a stretch? Maybe, but it’s a realistic stretch, because there is software available that your customers can own and update, software that will provide the hands-on opportunity for them to improve their images.
So, I got in touch with the executives of two companies who provide such software. They were both quick to not only support the idea but also offer their own take on its possibilities.
The Retailer’s Role
Finley Lee is the CEO of Exposure Software (formerly known as Alien Skin); the own-and-operate idea wasn’t news to him. “We do hear from people who are reacting to the business model that Adobe has put out,” he says, “and they’re looking for a product they can buy and use in perpetuity.” 
“Perpetuity” means the software program updates annually to stay current with the latest features and support the latest cameras. Exposure Software charges for those updates. However, Lee says the company is happy to help people who just buy it once. “If they need support, they can get it from us.”
Lee also says his software can be corrective—handling the changes that make photos better. However, its main purpose is represented in the program’s creative aspects. This is where the role of the retailer in the educational effort comes into play.
Imaging software can seem daunting; but retailers can cut to the chase by showing their customers how to improve their photos with a minimum of fuss. From there, it’s a short step to pointing out how good those photos would look as prints.
What’s more, Exposure Software’s program began as a film simulator when the advent of digital photography brought with it enthusiasts who wanted their images to have the creative look of particular film types. The program grew into one that provides a variety of manipulations, beginning with the ones that improve exposure, contrast and color.
The company’s history also includes working with retailers. Consequently, today Exposure Software offers dealers an affiliate program, the details of which are at exposure.software/affiliate.
Past and Present Perfect
In addition, at Vivid-Pix there are two own-it-outright imaging software programs. There’s Land & Sea Scuba; it takes a quick-and-easy approach to improving underwater and topside photos with the automatic touch-up of color, brightness and contrast. Then there’s Restore; it offers a variety of automatic fixes that rescue as well as improve photos and documents, both old and new. 
Obviously, if you do restoration services, Restore won’t be one of your classes; however, if you don’t, it’s likely to be a session with wide appeal. With a tie-in promotion, that class could lead to sales of prints of restored, treasured family photos.
“There’s a huge market out there of photographs from the past that need to be restored and reprinted and brought back to life,” says Vivid-Pix CEO Rick Voight. “It’s an immense opportunity for retailers who understand this.”
Restore, which includes in its price free updates, uses artificial intelligence to analyze an image and adjust color, contrast, sharpness as well as brightness. For information about Vivid-Pix’s affiliate program, visit vivid-pix.com; click on “News” and scroll to the affiliate title box.
Finally, I want you to know when I started working on this story, America was fully open for business. Please consider what you’ve just read as something to think about when the turnaround comes and the recovery begins. But offering virtual imaging classes during these times is a great way to stay connected with your customers and keep their passion alive. Stay safe.
