Expert Panel Jurie Gryffenberg, SeniorMarketingManager, Photomart
What do you see being the 'next big thing' in 2011?
Perhaps it may be 3D cameras or some other fancy gimmick but in reality the industry has grown weary of expensive gadgets as the required risk & investment in stock are often prohibitive and viable returns on gimmicky new products are uncertain at the best of times. Instead, photo retailers are trying
to avoid mistakes made prior to the recession and therefore, quite sensibly are looking at ways to introduce new revenue streams with the objective of creating long term growth (in addition to generating quick returns) and areas of diversification in order to provide a safety blanket for troubled economic times. This is why so many photo retailers have taken the plunge into Quick Printing and Copy Shop services and in 2011, many are sure to follow. The Quick Printing and Copy Shop segments have seen steady but substantial growth over the previous decade with outlets popping up all over the UK and Ireland. This is due to a persistent increase in demand for various printing and copy shop services including plan copying, document scanning and small run printing. Many of these services appear to have seen an increase in demand, not despite the recession, but as a result of it! Moreover, photo retailers have found it easier to incorporate Quick Printing and Copy Shop into existing workflows due to a number of similarities with many of the products and services they already offer and it gets even easier as the two industries grow closer each year. Sure there will be a few ‘big things’ in 2011, the manufacturing component of the industry will
always see to that, but the next ‘really’ big thing will be plan copiers, A0 scanners and wide format printers with associated services offered at a photo lab near you!
In this issue we focus on event photography. How important is it to forge relationships with prevalent photographers in your opinion?
Unlike school photographers, event photographers generally print the bulk of their own work for the simple reason their business model often relies almost entirely on the ability to produce prints instantly and on the day of an event. Having said that however, most event photographers also upload their images to online galleries enabling their clients to order prints (or re-prints) and enlargements after an event. In addition to prints, event photography further lends itself ideally to photo gift products like canvasses, acrylics, ceramic mugs, keyrings, calendars, photo books etc (the sky is practically the limit) and this is also where an ideal opportunity exists for retail labs to capture more business. Photographers are rarely interested in fulfilling print orders themselves and, in the case of event photographers, this can also be said for their online printing & photo merchandise business. Photomart will soon be launching a revolutionary fulfilment solution that will empower participating labs to literally “suck up” print orders from these online galleries and even other upload sites like Flickr and Picassa so be sure to watch this space for more info. In the meantime, in the interest of print sales and simply to answer the question, if you are looking to
target the pro segment then obviously the forging of relationships with event and other professional photographers can only be a good thing!
How would you recommend going about this?
The best way of forging any professional relationship for that matter is to learn and understand the business of your professional customers and then catering for their specific demands and requirements in ways that your competitors cannot. Offer products and services that event photographers offer to their own customers. In addition to professional & online print services this would include services for photo merchandise, as discussed in the previous answer. If you are not initially set up to fulfil such orders yourself, consider linking to a network of fulfilment partners. Connect to pro photographer networks with online solutions like ExanGalleryPro which will be launched early in 2011 and in time for the lucrative school prom season. Update your lab colour profiles regularly. Upload them to your website and also make them available on disk so professional photographers can accurately proof their images. Consider offering other professional services like sensor cleaning, equipment hire, etc. Professional photography is a business and therefore requires printed literature for promotion and advertising so be sure to offer Quick Print and Copy Shop services as well. For more information about event photography or event photographers in your area, contact the Event Photographer Society (EPS).
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20