Proof positive: fresh life in photo printing

Supermarkets have lost some of their food trips to drug chains. Try getting them back with photofinishing services.

Like forests renew after a fire, the photo printing business is showing fresh signs of life after digital swept much of America onto screen-based viewing.
 
The photo printing initiatives by Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid signify demand exists for tangible prints people can hold in their hands, mount on their walls, and frame on their desks. There are also the endless mugs, banners, posters, photo books, and other physical forms that make the print business diverse and promising. Screen views don’t seem to be enough for everyone.
 
Photos aren’t always about posting on Facebook, though that’s an undeniable appeal for many. They’re also about memories, milestones—and the money supermarkets could make if, instead of abdicating the business, they find ways to marry up resilient photo print demand with its digital execution and future.
 
If supermarkets revisit the business with a smaller physical footprint and a bigger online presence, that would appear to blend with consumers’ digital comfort today. Also, marketing messages that strike an emotional connection will resonate with all kinds of photographers, we feel at The Lempert Report.  Naturally, prints have to meet quality standards, but technology and staff training will pretty much assure that. To attract customers, frame the photo business with emotion—show how you’ll help people remember a trip or graduation, or a puppy’s costume for Halloween, and how they could always have in front of them the wonderful smiles of their children or grandchildren.
 
It’s worth noting some ways that Walgreens uses apps to wed its photo print business with consumers’ digital lifestyles:
·        Print from Facebook.  This allows users to choose photos from Facebook albums to print, and pick up at a local store within an hour.
·        PrintWorthy.  Users can create and print a PrintWorthy card using a photo from Facebook albums with likes and dislikes.
·        QuickPrints.  IPad users can print photos directly from their devices and pick up at a store within an hour.