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E-Business Enablement: The Future of Professional Photography

Publication Date: January 2008
Service: Market Research

Introduction

The electronic (“e”) enablement of business processes related to creating, marketing, selling, buying, and producing photographic services is changing the normal order of the professional photography value chain. Just as professional photographers modified their work processes around digital technologies, many are finding opportunities to re-orient their businesses around Web-based business services.

The market for these services, however, has moved sporadically over the past several years as professional photographers have been struggling to figure out how to e-enable their business. Pro photographers are asking many questions including:

• Will these services help grow my business?
• Does implementing them make sense financially?
• Which service provider(s) are right for my business?
• How can I leverage new technologies to outsell my competitors?
• What has been the experience of other photographers?

There are also many companies vying for the leadership position in the pro photography e-business services market. Each firm has a different value proposition, pricing model, and market focus. InfoTrends anticipates that there will be some consolidation over the next few years as companies seek to achieve economies of scale, round out their service offerings, and expand into other market segments.

As pro photography Web-based business services become mainstream, InfoTrends expects significant changes driven by market expansion, business development, product innovation, multimedia advances, and workflow integration. We believe it is time to perform an in-depth assessment of the changes that have taken place and the benefits that have resulted from those changes and, with the help of our clients, determine what course the industry will take in the future.

This new study, E-Business Enablement: The Future of Professional Photography, will provide a complete understanding of the impact that e-business is having on today’s market and the effects that it will have in the future. It will provide context and direction setting for a broad spectrum of market players, including pro photographers, service providers, equipment suppliers, and solution participants across the industry value chain.

Project Objectives

InfoTrends has been surveying the professional photography market for the last five years and plans to leverage information and insights from previous studies in the development of this new research project, in addition to gathering new content. The study will provide camera, printer, software, supplies, and service providers with critical information to support their marketing efforts, product planning, and distribution initiatives. Key information objectives of the study include:

• Profile pro photographers and their use of Web services
  • Type of photography, volume, demographics, business attributes
  • Use of cameras, client-based software
  • Awareness of providers and usage of services
  • Experiences and perceptions and loyalty to services
  • Concerns, questions, issues
  • Perceptions of pricing models
  • Percentage of prints ordered via the Web (proofs vs. final) vs. in-house, traditional lab, or at retail
  • Criteria for outsourcing prints
  • Variations in behavior based on sizes and types of prints
  • Other product offerings (albums, books, etc.)
• Unmet needs and areas of interest
  • Design, editing, and creative tools o Print ordering systems o Integration with other products (cameras, software)
  • Collaboration
  • Affiliates
  • Licensed content
  • Rights management
  • Digital asset management, archiving
  • Color correction
  • Prints and related products
  • Marketing, business development
  • Business management (scheduling, quoting, accounting, etc.)
• Identify and profile leading service providers
  • Target markets
  • Services
  • Partners
  • Business models
• Size and forecast the North American market for Web services
  • Number of photographers by category
  • Revenue by service area
  • Identify opportunities and strategies for technology vendors and service providers

Project Deliverables

We will conduct extensive analysis of the desk research, in-depth interviews, and structured surveys to develop a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and issues for technology vendors and service providers. Clients will receive a combination of reports, presentation material, and research data for senior management, product managers and planners, and sales and marketing executives. The materials will include:

• Executive summary (15-20 pages) that addresses key issues, findings, and overall recommendations.
• Presentation-style overheads with comments on research findings, market trends, and strategy recommendations.
• Data book of the survey tabulations for additional analysis of key questions and market segments. (optional)

Getting Started

For more information on the study or to sign up as a participant, contact Matt O'Keefe at +1 , ext. 115 or via e-mail at com. Early subscriber discounts are available until October 26, 2007. Clients that sign up early can also provide input and review of the structured surveys.