Among the many trends that have emerged so far this year is the fact that PMA’s Jennifer is a many-layered consumer. Gen X women, once known for their jaded worldviews and slacker boyfriends, are now the most sought-after demographic in digital imaging retail. These thirty-something professional women and mothers (nicknamed “Jennifer” by PMA, the Photo Marketing Association, a couple years back) are statistically the Americans most likely to turn their digital images into either a print or a high-margin specialty item. The trick for retailers, according to Kodak’s Brad Kruchten, is to get them past “likely” to actually spending time at a kiosk or online ordering site.
“We need to give them an exciting way to memorialize their lives beyond a 4×6,” said Kruchten at PMA ‘07. “We know there are 115 billion (world wide) valued and stored images on people’s computers right now…and 315 million more images each day. This market is full of potential.”
It is becoming blatantly obvious that technology is not high on Jennifer’s list of what’s important when it comes to her family photos. Not one of the women we recently interviewed uttered any of the industry’s favorite buzz words such as megapixels, JPEG’s, file size, or PDF, etc. It’s clear that the industry—— (and some retailers) is more preoccupied with—and enamored of—technology than the consumer, who is openly driven by emotion.
Speaking of technology, photo kiosks are, not surprisingly, a big hit with this market segment, especially with those who are not technically savvy. They find the new kiosks extremely easy to use when it comes to creating everything from cards to CDs to calendars to books—and fast—which was even more important. “With young children, time is my biggest issue,” the women we spoke with stated over and over again.
Turns out, for the most part Jennifer isn’t head-over-heels about printing at home or online. She wants professional quality images and she wants someone else to do the work. Who can’t relate to that (a recent survey states consumers are becoming more comfortable in a retail environment)? Additionally, many of the women we chatted with felt online services were too complicated. They also liked the instant gratification they got from in-store kiosks (it does the work and they go home with the product); there was no waiting for prints, etc., to arrive in the mail. Also, with items delivered via the post office, there was no recourse if they made a mistake. They were stuck with what they got. For Jennifer, the personal attention and help received in-store is greatly appreciated and well worth the time and money.
