Covering All Bases

Covering All Bases

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Trying to zero in on only one segment of the imaging retail world today is akin to focusing on only one ingredient when cooking a gourmet meal. You’re selling those that will consume that meal short if you skrimp in any one area during the cooking process.

With that thought in mind, we think it’s time to add an ingredient or two to the meal that is Picture Business.

While our main focus on this publication will always be to help make our readers better prepared to serve their customers, we are planning to add some expanded coverage in the large-format/digital graphics market beginning next month.

The opportunities that are now presenting themselves in the large-format market due to the advances in digital technology have certainly caught our attention and we know they have undoubtedly caught yours as well.

We recently eyed an interesting piece of information from PMA indicating photo printing through retail and online sources was expected to remain flat this year, but growth prospects were expected to return in 2011. The main source of this growth, according to PMA, will be share gain against home printing methods as opposed to the total print market growing.

Looking at this a little closer, for those consumers who print at home, large-format prints have been a big deal as it’s the most economical option for larger-sized prints. PMA reports that they (premium-sized prints) are the source of production for about one-third of all prints made by digital camera owners on home printers. This number is double the share of premium-sized prints made at retail and about five times the share of premium-print formats ordered online. Those numbers are staggering.

Simply stated, that’s a ton of profit imaging retail is missing out on.

Any image the typical consumer sees of family memories has a strong emotional impact. When that same image is enlarged, that impact is increased substantially. In the customer’s mind the possibilities for that image begin to go far beyond simply sharing as it now becomes about making it a more meaningful part of their life.

As PMA stated in their study, imaging retailers must realize that times have changed and there is a growing number of photo enthusiasts today who are more likely to make large prints. With the cost of many large-format printers dropping wildly over the last five to seven years and the quality they produce having gone in the other direction, the large-format market has become very intriguing.

Beginning next month and throughout all of next year, we’ll be dropping in for a closer look at this category. Again, you can’t cover this industry by simply looking at new product announcements and traditional printing services. That’s simply not a very appetizing dish. Today’s imaging consumer is a moving target, and our editorial goal remains making sure you’ve got all the right ingredients to serve a meal that appeals to a wide variety of tastes.

The imaging industry evolves on what feels like a daily basis these days. We’ll simply continue to try to stay one step ahead of those changes and bring you a publication and web presence that helps you make sense of it all. Beginning next month you’ll have Picture Business & Digital Graphics as part of that effort. 
Bon appetit.

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