As the commotion surrounding the topic of image storage/organization continues we’re starting to see myriad solutions for consumers surface in the market with many aimed at the “on-the-go” lifestyle many people now lead. The message to the end-user from most manufacturers seems to have moved away from the “gloom-and-doom” message from a few years back that centered on the possibility that consumers could lose all their memories, to one that speaks more to a solution for the time-crunched, on-the-go users of today. However, the bottom line in this market remains: images that consumers can’t find are images they will never print.
We recently polled our readership on the aforementioned subject of image storage/organization to gauge how retailers feel about where the industry, and their customers stand with regard to this topic. The results of that poll appear below.
1 – With regard to image storage/organization, what is your customers’ number one complaint?
Two complaints are apparently quite common as approximately 90% of those that responded said that either ease-of-use or being unable to locate particular image files were the most common consumer complaints. That second response, being unable to locate image files, should be of particular concern to imaging retailers as images that can’t be found simply won’t be printed.
2 – Based on in-store conversations you are having with your customers, what percentage of them do you think are properly backing up their digital images?
Industry statistics seem to indicate that this number is on the rise and our survey seemed to indicate this as well. Only 25% of those that responded said that less than 10% of their customers were backing up their digital images while slightly over half of respondents said that 20% or more were doing so properly.
3 – Do you offer any kind of a service that helps your customers store/organize their digital image files?
A disappointing 56% said they did offer help to their customers in this area while a whopping 44% said they do not.
4 – If yes, can you briefly describe that service?
Of those that are offering help, about one-third said they offer online storage options while another third said the sale and promotion of a variety of storage devices provided some help. A disappointing 22% said they offer in-store education on the topic. Many more should.
5 – Are you currently selling any type of external, portable storage drives?
Only 38% responded yes to this one. Perhaps the fact that 62% are not selling these devices speaks volumes to the problems consumers are having in this area.
6 –What storage device/media are your customers using to bring their images into your location for printing?
Responses here seemed to span the gamut, from CDs to thumb drives, but digital media cards came through as the most frequent answer.
7 – Does your kiosk/print service offer the customer their images back on a CD/DVD in slideshow form?
Exactly half (50%) of those that participated responded they do offer this service. Let’s hope that number continues to rise as this service speaks quite nicely to the storage/retrieval issues we are examining in this survey.
8 –Do you offer your customers online storage?
Only 25% said they are offering this service – another number we hope will be on the rise in the coming years.
9 – Do you offer a file recovery service for customers who have had a hard drive crash or media card mishap?
We were surprised to see that 69% said they are indeed offering a file recovery service – something that should give those customers a piece of mind and some added confidence in those locations.
10 – Do you offer your customers any advice – verbally, printed material or classes – that is aimed at helping them better store/organize their digital memories?
A solid 75 percent said they are offering some form of education to their customers in this area but that “form” must be rather subtle as the responses to questions 3 and 4 seemed to suggest otherwise.
Congratulations to Paul Robinson of B&H Photo in New York, this month’s winner of a Kodak EasyShare C533 Digital Camera and G600 Printer Dock.
