Industry balances needs of repeat buyers and first timers

DSN Retailing Today,  Feb 27, 2006  by Laura Heller

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"There is room for a more competitive mix than there has been," said Westfall. "It won't cut back on profit as much as it will grow attention to the market--and every one stands to gain."

PRINTING TRENDS

Printing of digital images is finally picking up, particularly at retail locations. "Retail is really seeing the strongest growth right now," said Robert Palmer, director of photo printing trends for The NPD Group. In 2004, 66% of the total print volume was done at home and just 19% at retail. Palmer expects to confirm that in 2005, printing at retail rose to 26% of the market.

Manufacturer and retail efforts to promote kiosks and in-store services have been crucial in driving business. A recent NPD consumer survey revealed that the No. 1 influence on the consumer's choice of print method was an in-store display, exclusive of price and convenience. "POS displays were very important to get people to print at a kiosk," said Cutting. "Basically, it's up to the retailers to encourage the consumer to print at the store."

And two converging trends are likely to benefit on-site print services even more in the coming year: According to the Photo Marketing Association, DSLR owners are more likely to print their images.

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