In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Snapfish by HP announced it will open its application programming interface (API) to allow creative individuals and businesses to be part of the evolution of its leading online personal publishing service.
The initiative – called Snapfish Publisher – will allow designers, developers and printing partners to reach more than 85 million registered users through the worldwide Snapfish network, while delighting new and existing consumers with a broader yet more specialized portfolio of customizable options that meet a myriad of creative needs and personal preferences.
When Snapfish Publisher officially launches this summer, it will serve as a platform for individuals and companies to market and sell their creative designs, merchandise and services. This enables content contributors as well as Snapfish to capture a greater share of the $1 billion market for online photo ordering projected this year, nearly 60 percent of which will consist of photo merchandise.(1)
“We’ve had an incredible 10 years building a global family that has chosen Snapfish to share, preserve and print their memories in fun, easy and imaginative ways,” said Ben Nelson, general manager, Snapfish by HP. “This year, we’re rewarding our customers and opening the doors to new audiences by empowering designers and developers to be part of the future of Snapfish. We are propelling personal publishing to new creative heights by making Snapfish the place that is both inspired and developed by its members.”
Snapfish, the No. 1 online personal publishing service, also announced:
• The service’s first licensed content relationship with iconic media brand LIFE, enabling consumers to order printable merchandise featuring images from the legendary LIFE photo archives.
• Ten days of celebratory sales and fun activities on www.snapfish.com/birthdaybash to thank people for choosing Snapfish.
HP claims the worldwide creative photo merchandise market – which the company defines as photo books, calendars, greeting cards, scrapbook pages and more – is expected to grow by a compound annual growth rate of nearly 40 percent from 2009 through 2013. Snapfish Publisher presents developers and designers with a tremendous opportunity to better meet widespread consumer demand and inspire people to do more in terms of personal expression and, ultimately, drive sales and revenue.
HP explains that Snapfish Publisher allows designers to tap into this market by accessing the technical specifications needed to upload and submit their creative concepts and to begin developing their own designs for sale via the Snapfish network. The open platform will roll out in phases and eventually evolve into three primary “store fronts” to meet the unique needs of designers, developers and printing partners.
To commemorate and celebrate its 10th anniversary, Snapfish is hosting a virtual birthday party at www.snapfish.com/birthdaybash with special anniversary discounts, promotions and giveaways to thank customers for sharing more than 10 billion of their most meaningful memories via the Snapfish network:
Promotions will run April 1-10, and will feature some of the most popular offerings from Snapfish, including custom photo books, personalized jewelry, collage mugs and 10-cent shipping.
Prizes will include digital picture frames, Snapfish gift certificates, the HP Mini 311 Series, and the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web, the world’s first web-connected home printer, which features a Snapfish app for accessing and printing photo albums.
