3.5 Photo Retail and Minilabs
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Photo Retail and Minilabs
Photo Retail encompasses camera and film retailers who may be part of a chain of stores, franchises or independent operators. Some outlets may have in-house film and digital processing and printing facilities, whilst others will sub-contract this work to a D&P lab.
Also included are dedicated Minilab operators, which offer the general public services similar to those provided by professional laboratories, but from high street locations.
These operations tend to use PCs rather than Macs, and offer scanning, basic image manipulation and printing services. The main job roles are those of Manager, Minilab Operator and Minilab Assistant. Some large retail outlets separate retail/camera sales from lab work but many do not.
Industry Issues
The arrival of the camera phone has resulted in camera retailers facing both competition from mobile phone vendors, and a decline in sales of single-use cameras. This situation is compounded by fears that, as the quality of camera phones increases, they will soon become a more attractive proposition than digital compact cameras27 , thus further eroding camera retailers' sales. In response, many retailers have started stocking camera phones in an attempt to get involved before other retailers - particularly mobile phone specialists - corner the market.
Another cause for concern is that analogue equipment sales were traditionally the preserve of specialist camera retailers, but digital cameras and accessories are now widely available in general consumer-electronics stores, which are often volume driven and hence more able to compete on cost.
Digital photography, home printing and the sharing of images electronically via the web and email, has resulted in reduced demand for high street Minilab services as consumers choose to purchase fewer, or no, prints. Film processing is reported to be down thirty percent last year, and predicted to fall by the same amount this year28 . It is possible that this problem will become even more significant in future as camera and phone technologies merge, and other digital technologies encourage people to share images via screen rather than print them.
However, significant marketing efforts are being made by companies such as Kodak, to encourage consumers to use in-store kiosks to print their images, rather than do so at home, and figures suggest these are having some effect29 .
The sudden growth in kiosks and the debate on how best to exploit them is resulting in a polarisation of opinions about the relative merits of stand-alone, customer-operated self-service kiosks versus staff-assisted ones30 . Self-service kiosks may be more appealing to consumers requiring instant gratification, are potentially more economical in that they require less staff time, and offer the potential for remote location and after-hours service. Indeed, customer familiarity with self-service kiosks is increasing as they become more widely available in public places, such as airports, and many larger retailers are investing heavily in kiosks as the way of the future. On the other hand, kiosks can remove crucial opportunities for staff to develop and maintain customer relationships; there are also fears that by removing staff from the printing process in this way is contributing to a de-skilling of the workforce. There remains a need for knowledgeable staff to be available to answer technical questions - for example about resolution, compression or camera-specific issues.
27 Ringing The Changes, Photographic Industry News, April 2005
28 PIXEL, April 18th 2005
29 Figures from Fuji, reported in A Civil War, OneStop Magazine, April 2005
30 A Civil War, OneStop Magazine, April 2005
Photo Retail and Minilabs
Photo Retail encompasses camera and film retailers who may be part of a chain of stores, franchises or independent operators. Some outlets may have in-house film and digital processing and printing facilities, whilst others will sub-contract this work to a D&P lab.
Also included are dedicated Minilab operators, which offer the general public services similar to those provided by professional laboratories, but from high street locations.
These operations tend to use PCs rather than Macs, and offer scanning, basic image manipulation and printing services. The main job roles are those of Manager, Minilab Operator and Minilab Assistant. Some large retail outlets separate retail/camera sales from lab work but many do not.
Industry Issues
The arrival of the camera phone has resulted in camera retailers facing both competition from mobile phone vendors, and a decline in sales of single-use cameras. This situation is compounded by fears that, as the quality of camera phones increases, they will soon become a more attractive proposition than digital compact cameras27 , thus further eroding camera retailers' sales. In response, many retailers have started stocking camera phones in an attempt to get involved before other retailers - particularly mobile phone specialists - corner the market.
Another cause for concern is that analogue equipment sales were traditionally the preserve of specialist camera retailers, but digital cameras and accessories are now widely available in general consumer-electronics stores, which are often volume driven and hence more able to compete on cost.
Digital photography, home printing and the sharing of images electronically via the web and email, has resulted in reduced demand for high street Minilab services as consumers choose to purchase fewer, or no, prints. Film processing is reported to be down thirty percent last year, and predicted to fall by the same amount this year28 . It is possible that this problem will become even more significant in future as camera and phone technologies merge, and other digital technologies encourage people to share images via screen rather than print them.
However, significant marketing efforts are being made by companies such as Kodak, to encourage consumers to use in-store kiosks to print their images, rather than do so at home, and figures suggest these are having some effect29 .
The sudden growth in kiosks and the debate on how best to exploit them is resulting in a polarisation of opinions about the relative merits of stand-alone, customer-operated self-service kiosks versus staff-assisted ones30 . Self-service kiosks may be more appealing to consumers requiring instant gratification, are potentially more economical in that they require less staff time, and offer the potential for remote location and after-hours service. Indeed, customer familiarity with self-service kiosks is increasing as they become more widely available in public places, such as airports, and many larger retailers are investing heavily in kiosks as the way of the future. On the other hand, kiosks can remove crucial opportunities for staff to develop and maintain customer relationships; there are also fears that by removing staff from the printing process in this way is contributing to a de-skilling of the workforce. There remains a need for knowledgeable staff to be available to answer technical questions - for example about resolution, compression or camera-specific issues.
27 Ringing The Changes, Photographic Industry News, April 2005
28 PIXEL, April 18th 2005
29 Figures from Fuji, reported in A Civil War, OneStop Magazine, April 2005
30 A Civil War, OneStop Magazine, April 2005
