The secret for luring customers into photo specialty shops this year? “It’s all about being instant,” says Kalle Marsal, director of marketing, retail and photo solutions for HP. Marsal’s comment met with nods of recognition from panelists at a forum with the bullish title “Photography Strikes Back!” at CES this year. Manufacturer reps from the Eastman Kodak Company, Sony, Tamrac and CEIVA Logic all chipped in with their own ideas for increasing profit margins on products other than the typical 4×6-inch print. Among the concepts: photo posters, kiosks that work with cell phones, digital frames that are constantly updated by your computer, and direct downloading services for customers. Kodak’s Rowan Lawson says their new “Picture Movie DVD” kiosks will allow customers to quickly make and burn a video slideshow (with licensed, popular music running in the background). “Whatever you (the retailer) do this year,” said Lawson, “you have to make it ‘express lane!’ The consumer is in control here, and they want convenience.”
