What do consumers value? According to the folks at InfoTrends, this recession has made the answer to that question very clear; they value sharing their memories with friends and families. And they want to capture and share their memories in an easy, convenient, and affordable manner.
"When reality bites," says InfoTrends’ Ed Lee, "bite back, and help consumers realize the value of their photos." Now, when your competitors are weak, adds Lee, is also the time to move forward. Those with financial resources should spend and begin building better relationships with their customers.
What should you spend your money on? Consider investing in products that help consumers connect to others; products that, again, help them share their memories. Photo books, which not only can be sold as an alternative album—but also as a way to archive photos—have helped numerous vendors significantly boost profits. Because the majority of the population still hasn’t made a photo book, this category is expected to continue to have strong growth in the coming years. For those that have, 80 percent said they’d make more books. Besides displaying plenty of book samples, InfoTrends suggest retailers make one as a gift for their customers, and include a coupon for another book. Who could resist?
Belinda Bosell, Brooke International, adds, "People have a lot more time now to sit at home and work on projects on their computers as opposed to going out and spending money. [Books are] an economical, inexpensive way for them to salvage memories and still leave something as a legacy for their family. They also have time to digitize all their boxes of pictures." For those who think the tough economy is going to hurt business, Bosell says the trick to surviving is to diversify and have more product offerings and product variety to give consumers. "That’s what Brooke International has come up with. We have solutions for [consumers] to do more things with their pictures, and we have more ways for them to salvage their memories, such as scanning old photos and turning them into creative picture stories."
The show also showcased a few innovative pieces of equipment such as Noritsu’s new double-sided printer—the D502 Duplex Inkjet Photo Printer—which prints on both sides, enabling retailers to create a complete range of photo products including calendars, signs, scrapbooks, photo books, greeting cards, posters and yes, even 4"x6" prints. Had to cut your staff thanks to the economic downturn? Then the Noritsu CT-RS kiosk, which is optimized for self-service use, can help. According to the company, the unit has a media reader that can handle a wide range of input media, and prints up to three times faster than previous models. It’s available in a counter-top configuration or as s stand-alone system that supports multiple internal photo printers.
Products to Prosper With
Yes, all the big names were at PMA—Kodak, Canon, Nikon, Sony, HP, Panasonic, etc., but the aisles were also brimming with small tables armed by small businesses stocked with fun, unique, imaginative products that could really excite the average consumer. Accessories such as the Gorillapod, which sports machined aluminum sockets for maximum flexibility (for pro and consumer cameras), and Lite Panels, a camera light that’s not a flash, made quite the splash, but so did product that "displayed" photos. They included everything from books to jewelry boxes to trivets to handbags and throw rugs. Some of these items require digital files for press, while others make great use of that perennial favorite, the 4×6" print.
For instance, Braggables’ line of handbags, totes, wallets, key chains, and compact camera holders, among other items, have clear acrylic windows where 4"x6" and wallet-sized images can be slipped in place to create a memorable gift.
Another great little inexpensive item that utilizes 4"x6" photos (vertical or horizontal) is the PhotoLight Frame & Night Light. Because it’s backlit, the unit adds depth and dimension to any image, but will not fade or "heat" the photo. It’s a fun night-light or accent light for any space. Take Your Pix Photo Albums are chunky, board-book style photo albums that can be used by adults, but are ideal for children, who can decorate the books with stickers, stamps and/or markers. Again, photos are inserted into the album via openings at the top of the pages.
At UK-based DeVere 3D, company spokesperson John Boyce showcased 3-D images that are produced with software and not with fancy cameras or viewing glasses. Retailers simply e-mail images to DeVere where the magic is performed and the print shipped back (framed with back light or just the print) in about 3 weeks. If it takes off, we’ll see a lab here in the states, says Boyce. In a sea of digital frames that offers mostly a variety of woods and plastics to choose from, FaceCake Marketing Technologies (818-444-3265) introduced The Frame Wizard, which allows users to program parts of the photo—eyes, lips, and even waves in the ocean—to actually move. So next time you think the eyes of the person in the photo are following you, they very well might be! The Frame Wizard also has personalized digital matte software that allows users to choose from a virtually unlimited color/design palette.
When money’s tight, no one wants to spend it replacing a lost camera or cell phone. At LeashTec, says, Jadon Calayo, "the main thing we’re focusing is helping consumers protect their investments—to take care of what they already have so they don’t have to spend more money buying new things." LeashTec makes "leashes" for compact cameras, camcorders, binoculars, cell phones, PDAs, Nintendo Wii remotes, and waterproof/underwater cameras, and more. The company also makes the Camsleeve, neoprene covers for point-and-shoot cameras, and the TecCase, a hard shell case with built-in touch-through screen for the iPhone 3G. For more information visit www.leashtec.com.
Products for artists and professional photographers were also in abundance—wedding albums, camera bags, lighting equipment, and specialty lenses such as Lensbaby’s selective focus lenses for pros and Jackar Optical’s fisheye lens for compact cameras. Art prints (geclees) could also be seen slowly pouring out of a small sea of printers around the show floor—a product that photographers and consumers enjoy and retailers of all kinds can offer. In fact, the art market is one that Tucson, Arizona’s Photographic Works has successfully targeted—to professionals and amateurs—for almost a decade now.
There were lots of great printers on hand from a wide variety of manufacturers to help retailers break into this market, while Hahnemuhle, known for its exquisite photographic papers, demonstrated its easy-to-use Gallerie Wrap system to retailers. There was some odd product at the show too, such as the texture machine. Run a print through it and it’s textured (like matt paper) . . . or, as was my thought, just print the image on matt paper to begin with. But this is the U.S., where all inventors, big and small, are entitled to give their product a go. We wish them luck.
In the end, the secret to success, concludes InfoTrend’s Lee, is carrying products that help consumers connect to others and allow them to share their memories. And so, to help them pry open their wallets once again, now more than ever, it’s important to know your customer so you can offer products that meet their needs—and then some.
