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Showing posts with label photobookbiz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photobookbiz. Show all posts
Feb 19, 2010
Sep 23, 2009
Start a Photobook Business Today!
As I look towards my own personal business shift in December with the discontinuation of the ScrapBiz Member Support Program, I am also opening a new chapter. Well, okay, it's not really new. It's been an option at ScrapBiz for nearly a year. But it's grown up into it's own website.
If you have thought about starting your own photobook business - we've got the solution. We aren't an "affiliate" program where you place a link on your site and make a small perk whenever someone makes a photobook through your link. And, we aren't a multi-level direct sales company with high prices and recruiting. Just like ScrapBiz, PhotoBookBiz sort of stands alone in it's own category.
This is a completely independent option that gives you more control than any other option out there.
Check out PhotoBookBiz for details on how, for just $49, you can set up an business as fast as you can fill out a form!
Aug 29, 2009
Get FREE Digital Scrapbook Software!
I LOVE Digital Scrapbook Artist by Serif. They sent me a copy to try and I totally fell in love with it. Every time I try it, I learn something new! It's got some FANTASTIC features and I love it because, unlike other programs, this one is designed for the digital scrapper. The new version is AWESOME because I can arrange the products I already have into digi-kits using the program. That is a really cool feature to help me organize my stash!
The software would make some GREAT classes at a traditional scrapbook store. You could do a series with it with the aim of doing hybrid projects or using it to help customers make pages they could then upload to your PhotoBook site and print books. You would make money on the class, the software, and the photo books. It's a great trio of ideas to profit from digital scrapbooking in a traditional scrapbook store setting. A Walk Down Memory Lane in Iowa is gearing up to do just that! Stores that figure out how to add digital scrapbooking profitably are smart!
I'm thrilled that Serif introduced a totally FREE compact or light version of the full Digital Scrapbook Artist software! You can see a video about it and download it HERE. Of course, using the compact version will leave you wanting the full version! But, it's a good way to try it before you buy it!
Serif is also having a world-wide contest for digi scrappers who use their software. You can see the contest page HERE at their Daisy Trail site.
Check out the free compact version of their software if you are wanting to try digital scrapbooking or if you are a traditional store owner wondering what it's all about!
The software would make some GREAT classes at a traditional scrapbook store. You could do a series with it with the aim of doing hybrid projects or using it to help customers make pages they could then upload to your PhotoBook site and print books. You would make money on the class, the software, and the photo books. It's a great trio of ideas to profit from digital scrapbooking in a traditional scrapbook store setting. A Walk Down Memory Lane in Iowa is gearing up to do just that! Stores that figure out how to add digital scrapbooking profitably are smart!
I'm thrilled that Serif introduced a totally FREE compact or light version of the full Digital Scrapbook Artist software! You can see a video about it and download it HERE. Of course, using the compact version will leave you wanting the full version! But, it's a good way to try it before you buy it!
Serif is also having a world-wide contest for digi scrappers who use their software. You can see the contest page HERE at their Daisy Trail site.
Check out the free compact version of their software if you are wanting to try digital scrapbooking or if you are a traditional store owner wondering what it's all about!
Aug 3, 2009
The Custom Photo Book Solution for your Scrapbook Store!
My newsletter for people interested in the PhotoBookBiz part of ScrapBiz went out today. I thought I'd share it here, too. There are five ways you can turn our PhotoBookBiz program into a custom digital scrapbook business for your site or store. It's really one of the best programs out there!
Click HERE to see the newsletter
Click HERE to see the newsletter
Jul 8, 2009
Scrapbook Fever - A 21st Century Scrapbook Retailer
I told Shelly Izen, the owner of Scrapbook Fever in Salem, OR that I was going to blog about how smart she and her husband, Bud, are.
They are a scrapbook retailer who "gets it" when it comes to thinking outside the box and looking for opportunities outside the normal "make and take" or technique classes for their store.
Scrapbooking without photos is really just a paper craft. And, GREAT photos inspire us to scrap. I can't tell you how many "so-so" photos don't get scrapped at my house. It's only the great ones that make me feel like scrapping.
Could scrapbookers use digital photography tips? You bet they could! And Scrapbook Fever has responded to that need and is now offering digital photography classes in their store.
Read their class description - makes me want to drive to Salem:
They are a scrapbook retailer who "gets it" when it comes to thinking outside the box and looking for opportunities outside the normal "make and take" or technique classes for their store.
Scrapbooking without photos is really just a paper craft. And, GREAT photos inspire us to scrap. I can't tell you how many "so-so" photos don't get scrapped at my house. It's only the great ones that make me feel like scrapping.
Could scrapbookers use digital photography tips? You bet they could! And Scrapbook Fever has responded to that need and is now offering digital photography classes in their store.
Read their class description - makes me want to drive to Salem:
Digital Photography Class 101 series with Canon Rep – Our fabulously successful Digital Photography 101 series is brought to you by Canon! This is a course for beginners who need some assistance in understanding their digital camera and its functions! If you take the majority of your pictures using the Auto function on your camera, this course is for you!
This is a series of four (4) two-hour classes designed to help you understand the functions on your digital camera, show you some cool Canon products to print your pictures on, and finish up completing a project using the pictures taken and printed during these classes! Everyone will complete a very cool 8x8 mini album (designed by us of course)
Now, if they added custom photo books and gifts (also a great series of classes to offer) with something like our PhotoBookBiz option, they will have propelled themselves completely into the 21st Century of Scrapbooking.
I applaud their willingness to offer a class like this and think they are very smart scrapbook retailers!
I applaud their willingness to offer a class like this and think they are very smart scrapbook retailers!
May 18, 2009
Get a FREE PHOTO BOOK from my photobook site!
I want you to try my photobook program (also the platform for PhotoBookBiz) because I am sure that you'll love it as much as I do! So, here's the deal: Get a FREE personal soft cover photo book ($12 value) FREE (+$4.95 shipping).
Go to www.Photobookoffer.com and put in the code PBE509. Then, enter your name and email address and you'll receive your special offer code via email.
When you get it, go to PhotoBooks{etc} and make your FREE BOOK! Use the code you got via email at check-out.
The free book has 20 pages but you can pay for additional pages as well as additional books. While you're there, you can make other products from layouts in your book - key tags, mugs, puzzles, etc. with just a click of your mouse.
But, your personal soft cover book is FREE!!!
This is a GREAT WAY to try out the program if you're thinking about PhotoBookBiz!
May 8, 2009
What the Kindle DX Can Teach Scrapbook Retailers
A couple of months ago, I bought my husband the Kindle 2. We love that thing! It's so convenient! The other day, Amazon announced the coming of the Kindle DX - with a screen 2.5 times larger than the Kindle 2.
Welcome to the future of reading. My kids will probably have all their text books on a Kindle-type device at college. No more standing in line to purchase $200 text books you have to lug around and no more standing in a longer line at the end of the semester to sell back your $200 book for $25.
Already, several text book publishers are working with Amazon to digitize their books for the Kindle. Other book publishers should be taking notice. This IS the future of reading. Will regular books ever completely go away? I don't think so. But, the Kindle and the devices that will follow it will do to books what the iPod did to music. It will change the way many of us read and change the way book publishers make their money. My husband has essentially stopped buying physical books. He is now buying his business and political books for his Kindle. We are STILL Amazon customers (okay, we are Amazon junkies), but we are just getting our books differently from them now.
How many book publishers will now just throw in the towel and say, "We're dead"? Probably a few. But, most will look at digitizing their books to work on these devices. A few will ignore the technology believing that there will always be people who buy real books and will slowly, over time, give in to the trend. While others will stick their heads in the sand and say, "we'll never digitize" and then moan and groan about their drop-off in sales.
Kudos to the early adopters of Kindle technology. They aren't acting threatened by it - they are embracing it and figuring out how they can get on board with it.
There is a lesson here for scrapbook stores. Our industry has experienced a large shift to digital scrapbooking. We now have digital photos, custom photo books, digital scrapbook paper and embellishments and large format home printers. The digital age has done to our industry what the Kindle is doing to the book publishing industry.
Most of us have acted threatened by the technology and chosen to ignore it rather than embracing and adapting to it. Many retailers pretend that digital scrapbooking has had NOTHING to do with our decline in sales. We blame drop-outs. We blame the economy. We blame our competitors. Fact of the matter is that many, many traditional scrapbookers are now digital scrapbookers and we didn't even TRY to keep them from leaving us. In fact, most of us were so busy actively ignoring digital scrapbooking that we didn't even see them leave.
A few retailers have jumped on board with digital scrapbooking and have looked for ways to keep those people who have converted to digital coming back into their stores. They are offering custom photo book classes. They are teaching photography classes. They are selling digital scrapbook software and scanning photos or printing out digital pages. They have set up special sections in their store where they offer "Digital Scrapbook Products". They have basically said, "We're not giving you up just because you went digital."
Kudos to those scrapbook retailers who embraced digital in some small way. I believe they will be among the survivors.
Welcome to the future of reading. My kids will probably have all their text books on a Kindle-type device at college. No more standing in line to purchase $200 text books you have to lug around and no more standing in a longer line at the end of the semester to sell back your $200 book for $25.
Already, several text book publishers are working with Amazon to digitize their books for the Kindle. Other book publishers should be taking notice. This IS the future of reading. Will regular books ever completely go away? I don't think so. But, the Kindle and the devices that will follow it will do to books what the iPod did to music. It will change the way many of us read and change the way book publishers make their money. My husband has essentially stopped buying physical books. He is now buying his business and political books for his Kindle. We are STILL Amazon customers (okay, we are Amazon junkies), but we are just getting our books differently from them now.
How many book publishers will now just throw in the towel and say, "We're dead"? Probably a few. But, most will look at digitizing their books to work on these devices. A few will ignore the technology believing that there will always be people who buy real books and will slowly, over time, give in to the trend. While others will stick their heads in the sand and say, "we'll never digitize" and then moan and groan about their drop-off in sales.
Kudos to the early adopters of Kindle technology. They aren't acting threatened by it - they are embracing it and figuring out how they can get on board with it.
There is a lesson here for scrapbook stores. Our industry has experienced a large shift to digital scrapbooking. We now have digital photos, custom photo books, digital scrapbook paper and embellishments and large format home printers. The digital age has done to our industry what the Kindle is doing to the book publishing industry.
Most of us have acted threatened by the technology and chosen to ignore it rather than embracing and adapting to it. Many retailers pretend that digital scrapbooking has had NOTHING to do with our decline in sales. We blame drop-outs. We blame the economy. We blame our competitors. Fact of the matter is that many, many traditional scrapbookers are now digital scrapbookers and we didn't even TRY to keep them from leaving us. In fact, most of us were so busy actively ignoring digital scrapbooking that we didn't even see them leave.
A few retailers have jumped on board with digital scrapbooking and have looked for ways to keep those people who have converted to digital coming back into their stores. They are offering custom photo book classes. They are teaching photography classes. They are selling digital scrapbook software and scanning photos or printing out digital pages. They have set up special sections in their store where they offer "Digital Scrapbook Products". They have basically said, "We're not giving you up just because you went digital."
Kudos to those scrapbook retailers who embraced digital in some small way. I believe they will be among the survivors.
Apr 8, 2009
How Much Moola {$} Can I Make with PhotoBookBiz?
One of the top questions I get about PhotoBookBiz is "How much will I make?" Well, that's not an easy question because the products all have different profit margins. But, above is a chart (click to enlarge) with a few of the most popular products from prints to lay-flat photo books. The average profit margin on this products is 23% but that can be more or less depending on where you set your prices. These prices are assuming MSRP, but, as I said, you have the ability to set your OWN prices.
Things to remember about this fantastic program:
- It's only $49 a year to join
- You don't ship anything to anyone
- You don't stock any products
- You don't have to process credit cards
- Customer service questions and technical issues are handled by Rocket Life
- You can set your own prices
- You can offer your own unique sales
- The feature-rich software is customer-approved and award winning for it's innovation and ease-of-use
PhotoBookBiz is a GREAT way to tap into digital scrapbooking without risk or investment. As fast as you can sign up, you can be in business. CLICK HERE for information or to sign up!
Mar 23, 2009
Looking at PhotoBookBiz?
Check out the video tour of our newly relaunched Rocket Life program. If you've been thinking about starting your own PhotoBookBiz with us, now is a great time!!!! It's just $49 a year!!!
Dec 16, 2008
Wars are not won by evacuations
I love this - Winston Churchill said it. He also said, "Never, never, never give up!".
I see lots of evacuations going on in the scrapbook industry right now. Some are necessary because, I assume, the war is un-winnable for that business. But, I fear many are just taking their scissors and going home because they think it will never get better.
Earlier this week at ScrapBiz, one of our members posted a great article from her local paper about busting the recession. One of the great points was that while everyone else is pulling back, it's a good time to surge forward with your marketing activities. That doesn't mean you have to go crazy, but it means you need to step it up.
BECAUSE, if you can even hold steady and, with luck, increase your market share even slightly during the tough times, everyone else will have to play "catch up" to you when things get better. You'll have some momentum (and new customers) to work with while others are trying to re-start their engines.
If you've felt like a little fish in a big pond, now can be your time to be the big fish. For instance, many magazines are slashing their ad rates because there are fewer subscribers and fewer advertisers. Now might be a good time to invest in an ad. The subscribers still hanging around are going to be the ones who have money to spend AND are hard-core scrappers. You're going to get greater bang for your buck.
Now is also a great time to slash your expenses to the bare minimum. Focus your funds on activities that create revenue and slash the ones that don't. For instance, going to a trade show may be a good thing, but taking another employee with you may not. Don't skip it just because you don't want to go alone. It may be necessary for your business to be there. It's okay to go by yourself - I often do. If you don't want to be lonely, then join ScrapBiz before you go and you can come to our dinner, meet other members and not feel alone at the show.
Look at attending PSRO - there are going to be some FANTASTIC classes there that will help you be a better, more savvy business owner. One of the challenges of our industry is that it's changed over the last few years and we didn't pay a lot of attention to the shift. We were experiencing some issues before the economy did. Learn about the changes and how to tackle them at PSRO and discover new products and services at PMA to reflect the recent photo-centric shift of the scrapbook industry. Due to the economy, hotels in Las Vegas have slashed their prices for PMA - I've never seen that done. Usually prices shoot way up during a large trade show. Expect air fare to drop also. That makes the show an even greater value!
Another way to add to your revenue stream without a lot of cash is to sign up for PhotoBookBiz. It's just $49 to sign up! All you need to do is add the unique Rocket Life platform link to your current website and you've just increased your potential revenues without having to buy or stock any additional inventory! When customers make photo books or photo products at your site, you make money! It's simple and easy for you.
So, don't evacuate, keep fighting! You might have to change strategies or attack from a different front, but fight on if you can! Scrapbooking and memory preservation are not just frivolous hobbies. They are meaningful hobbies that most people will continue on with despite the economy. Be there for them!
I see lots of evacuations going on in the scrapbook industry right now. Some are necessary because, I assume, the war is un-winnable for that business. But, I fear many are just taking their scissors and going home because they think it will never get better.
Earlier this week at ScrapBiz, one of our members posted a great article from her local paper about busting the recession. One of the great points was that while everyone else is pulling back, it's a good time to surge forward with your marketing activities. That doesn't mean you have to go crazy, but it means you need to step it up.
BECAUSE, if you can even hold steady and, with luck, increase your market share even slightly during the tough times, everyone else will have to play "catch up" to you when things get better. You'll have some momentum (and new customers) to work with while others are trying to re-start their engines.
If you've felt like a little fish in a big pond, now can be your time to be the big fish. For instance, many magazines are slashing their ad rates because there are fewer subscribers and fewer advertisers. Now might be a good time to invest in an ad. The subscribers still hanging around are going to be the ones who have money to spend AND are hard-core scrappers. You're going to get greater bang for your buck.
Now is also a great time to slash your expenses to the bare minimum. Focus your funds on activities that create revenue and slash the ones that don't. For instance, going to a trade show may be a good thing, but taking another employee with you may not. Don't skip it just because you don't want to go alone. It may be necessary for your business to be there. It's okay to go by yourself - I often do. If you don't want to be lonely, then join ScrapBiz before you go and you can come to our dinner, meet other members and not feel alone at the show.
Look at attending PSRO - there are going to be some FANTASTIC classes there that will help you be a better, more savvy business owner. One of the challenges of our industry is that it's changed over the last few years and we didn't pay a lot of attention to the shift. We were experiencing some issues before the economy did. Learn about the changes and how to tackle them at PSRO and discover new products and services at PMA to reflect the recent photo-centric shift of the scrapbook industry. Due to the economy, hotels in Las Vegas have slashed their prices for PMA - I've never seen that done. Usually prices shoot way up during a large trade show. Expect air fare to drop also. That makes the show an even greater value!
Another way to add to your revenue stream without a lot of cash is to sign up for PhotoBookBiz. It's just $49 to sign up! All you need to do is add the unique Rocket Life platform link to your current website and you've just increased your potential revenues without having to buy or stock any additional inventory! When customers make photo books or photo products at your site, you make money! It's simple and easy for you.
So, don't evacuate, keep fighting! You might have to change strategies or attack from a different front, but fight on if you can! Scrapbooking and memory preservation are not just frivolous hobbies. They are meaningful hobbies that most people will continue on with despite the economy. Be there for them!
Nov 10, 2008
Got Five Minutes? Start a Business!
Want to be a business owner 5 minutes from now? How about a PhotoBookBiz? As fast as you can fill out the form and pay, you can have your own photo book and gift business.
The coolest part is what you DON'T have to do:
Of course, you'll have to round up customers but you're already way ahead of the game in the first 5 minutes!
If you've got 5 minutes, grab your business and get going on your way to success!
The coolest part is what you DON'T have to do:
- You DON'T have to buy any inventory
- You DON'T have to ship any products
- You DON'T have to process any credit cards
Of course, you'll have to round up customers but you're already way ahead of the game in the first 5 minutes!
If you've got 5 minutes, grab your business and get going on your way to success!
Nov 3, 2008
Why PhotoBookBiz Works
The last (boo-hoo) edition of Scrapbook Retailer Magazine has or is about to hit your mail box. Check out our full page ad in the middle part of the magazine (look for the ROCKET!). In talking with my oh-so-smart husband the other day, I came up with all the reasons I love the choice I made of working with Rocket Life! It's a GREAT program unlike any other I have seen out there and fits PERFECTLY with my philosophy that independence is the best road to success!
Here are my Top Ten reasons I think PhotoBookBiz is a GREAT opportunity for retailers in our industry:
Here are my Top Ten reasons I think PhotoBookBiz is a GREAT opportunity for retailers in our industry:
- Works with all types of businesses - it doesn't matter if you want to just have a business out of your home helping friends make books or if you are a bricks and mortar store. It works with online stores, home-based businesses and stores!
- Competitive Prices - you get to set your own price above your wholesale cost! This was EXTREMELY important to me. And, the fact that you can compete with other companies was important. I didn't want anyone to have to sell their books so high that their own customers wouldn't use them.
- Creativity Platform - the Rocket Life Smart Arrangement Technology means that you can make a REALLY FAST book. But, you can also do all the work yourself. AND, it was also important to me that digital scrapbookers could upload their OWN digital products and easily use them. This software works for everyone from the beginner to the advanced photo book maker/digital scrapper
- Class Opportunity - the creativity platform, while pretty easy - has a learning curve just like any piece of new software. But, once you learn the tips and tricks - you have an "aHA!" moment. With an LCD projector and an internet connection, you could easily teach your customers how to use the program in a classroom setting. Then, the ability to offer discount codes for attendees is like icing on the cake for those who pay to attend the class.
- Quality - the product quality is top-notch! I've ordered a lot of books from a lot of different companies and the PhotoBookBiz/Rocket Life books and products are some of the best in terms of quality.
- Private Label - nearly everything that comes to your customer after they place an order has your brand on it. From the confirmation emails generated by the system after the order is placed to the envelope that the product comes in to the products themselves, it's all YOUR brand and YOUR name.
- Cost of the program - it's $98 to sign up. Other companies are charging FAR MORE for a private label option like this
- Margins - the profit margins vary by product but so far, PhotoBookBiz businesses are averaging between 20 and 25% profit on their total sales - which is HUGE given the next point.
- No shipping or inventory or credit card processing - all that's handled by Rocket Life! Wouldn't it be nice if it worked that way with traditional scrapbook products?!
- Digital scrapbooking with a profit! The traditional industry has struggled to figure out how to monetize digital scrapbooking. It hasn't made sense to teach classes or sell CD's and we've lost a lot of our traditional customers to digital. This gives retailers a profitable way to tap into the growing popularity of custom photo books and digital scrapbooking.
Oct 31, 2008
Happy Halloween Photo Book
By PhotoBooks{etc}Don't forget you can get 10% off your order of $50 or more until December 15 when you use the word HOLIDAY in the coupon box at check-out!
Oct 30, 2008
Start a PhotoBookBiz (or add one to your current Biz)
Did you know that by the end of this year nearly 10% of U.S. households will have made a photo book? Digital scrapbooking is growing in popularity as are photo books and custom photo products like puzzles, mugs, mouse pads, T-shirts, key tags, luggage tags, etc.
My webmistress posted a great quote on her Facebook page the other day - she said, "You can't walk backwards into the future". That's sort of where we are in the scrapbook industry. Traditional scrapbooking with the card stock, embellishments and beautiful papers that we all love, will never go away. But, digital scrapbooking and photo books have certainly become part of our future that we can't ignore.
So, ScrapBiz has now partnered with Rocket Life to offer a new PhotoBookBiz option to our program. You can now sign up to start your own business in this very fast growing segment of our industry.
This new option works great for:
You can utilize your current customer base to introduce this new service to them. You might even be able to lure back former customers who have moved into digital scrapbooking.
Check out our FAQ's if you have questions about the new PhotoBookBiz program (scroll to the bottom). Then email (Kim at ScrapBiz.com) me if you have additional questions!
We are REALLY excited to offer this opportunity to you! It fits perfectly within our core philosophy which is to offer our members a program that allows them to be completely independent!
My webmistress posted a great quote on her Facebook page the other day - she said, "You can't walk backwards into the future". That's sort of where we are in the scrapbook industry. Traditional scrapbooking with the card stock, embellishments and beautiful papers that we all love, will never go away. But, digital scrapbooking and photo books have certainly become part of our future that we can't ignore.
So, ScrapBiz has now partnered with Rocket Life to offer a new PhotoBookBiz option to our program. You can now sign up to start your own business in this very fast growing segment of our industry.
This new option works great for:
- Digital scrapbook product designers
- Online traditional retailers
- Bricks and Mortar stores
- Custom scrapbookers
- Photographers (great for a home-studio!)
- Direct sales consultants
You can utilize your current customer base to introduce this new service to them. You might even be able to lure back former customers who have moved into digital scrapbooking.
Check out our FAQ's if you have questions about the new PhotoBookBiz program (scroll to the bottom). Then email (Kim at ScrapBiz.com) me if you have additional questions!
We are REALLY excited to offer this opportunity to you! It fits perfectly within our core philosophy which is to offer our members a program that allows them to be completely independent!
Oct 28, 2008
Check out the new ScrapBiz Website!!!
I'm so excited - we finally revamped our site. I liked the old one, but it was made by some programmers in a far off land and it had many "funky" parts to it that drove my webmistress nuts at times.
So, we decided to remodel the place! It looks pretty darn good! TAKE A LOOK!
Information about ScrapBiz is easier than ever to find! And, our members can finally stop searching for that itty-bitty "member log-in" link that was clear at the bottom of the home page on the old site. Now, it's front and center!
And, you'll notice that we added ANOTHER option - the PhotoBookBiz option. We now have 4 products to help you start or run your business:
So, we decided to remodel the place! It looks pretty darn good! TAKE A LOOK!
Information about ScrapBiz is easier than ever to find! And, our members can finally stop searching for that itty-bitty "member log-in" link that was clear at the bottom of the home page on the old site. Now, it's front and center!
And, you'll notice that we added ANOTHER option - the PhotoBookBiz option. We now have 4 products to help you start or run your business:
- Start a Biz - everything you need to learn about and start a business in the scrapbook industry including the very important support you need to keep it fresh.
- Just the Start Up Guide for those just looking for information but not really ready to start a business in the near future
- Support for existing businesses - if you're already in business but looking for like-minded people to hang out and share with, then this is the option for you!
- And our new PhotoBookBiz option! We're SO EXCITED about this! You can literally start your own branded private label photo book and product site! Check out what I've done with my site HERE. This is great for digital scrapbook designers, custom scrappers, retail stores, online stores - pretty much anyone who wants to add custom photo books to their traditional offerings!
Oct 20, 2008
SALE on Photo Books and Gifts!
Check out my Photobooks{etc} Blog for information on a great holiday gift giving sale!
There's plenty of time to make a very personal gift that's sure to be a hit!
Oct 6, 2008
Unfinished Business
This is interesting since photo books shouldn't take that much time to finish. Perhaps there is a good case here for scrapbook retailers to offer products through their stores and help digital scrappers finish their books. What's the point of starting one if you don't finish it? It's not like a half-finished scrapbook that people can STILL enjoy. Don't let your photo books get stuck on your hard drive somewhere. Get them done so you can enjoy them!
One interesting point is that interest in photobooks continues to climb. Nearly 10% of U.S. households have made a photo book. Contrast that with about 4% that have made a traditional scrapbook. Traditional retailers should figure out how to embrace BOTH types of memory keeping. Our PhotobookBiz program offers that option. Stay tuned, our new site should be launched in the coming week and information on how to join PhotoBookBiz will be there!
According to the 2008 PMA Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 8.8 percent of U.S. households made photo books in 2007, up from 7.3 percent in the previous year. Seventy-one percent of households that made photo books in 2007 completed all of the books they started, while 29 percent did not complete all of the books started. PMA Marketing Research estimates the average number of unfinished books is two. If looking at the population as a whole, it is likely that there are many more unfinished books.
The top reason cited for not completing a photo book that was started was the intention to finish at a later time, given by 53 percent of households. Perhaps some of these books will eventually become finished products. Twenty-nine percent of households said the process takes too long. This is an indicator that the most important improvement in the photo book market is in the software. Fifteen percent of those who started but did not finish a photo book did not have enough pictures to finish and 12 percent who just got bored with it. Some consumers simply may not be aware of all that is available to them. Other reasons for starting but not finishing a book were they did not have the pictures they wanted, it cost too much, and the process was too difficult to understand.
Photo books may have started out not varying much from a basic album, but recently not only has printing quality improved, but cover and embellishment options are anything but boring. Photo books can be a time consuming project and in order for the market to grow, it has to reach out to those who have little time and those who are not highly skilled in the area, but would like to have custom books with their pictures. These consumers who started making the books are especially interested in what photo books have to offer and if the manufacturers and retailers are sensitive to their needs, they may see an increase in finished products.
-- By Kristy Clairmont
PMA Marketing Research Analyst
One interesting point is that interest in photobooks continues to climb. Nearly 10% of U.S. households have made a photo book. Contrast that with about 4% that have made a traditional scrapbook. Traditional retailers should figure out how to embrace BOTH types of memory keeping. Our PhotobookBiz program offers that option. Stay tuned, our new site should be launched in the coming week and information on how to join PhotoBookBiz will be there!
According to the 2008 PMA Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 8.8 percent of U.S. households made photo books in 2007, up from 7.3 percent in the previous year. Seventy-one percent of households that made photo books in 2007 completed all of the books they started, while 29 percent did not complete all of the books started. PMA Marketing Research estimates the average number of unfinished books is two. If looking at the population as a whole, it is likely that there are many more unfinished books.
The top reason cited for not completing a photo book that was started was the intention to finish at a later time, given by 53 percent of households. Perhaps some of these books will eventually become finished products. Twenty-nine percent of households said the process takes too long. This is an indicator that the most important improvement in the photo book market is in the software. Fifteen percent of those who started but did not finish a photo book did not have enough pictures to finish and 12 percent who just got bored with it. Some consumers simply may not be aware of all that is available to them. Other reasons for starting but not finishing a book were they did not have the pictures they wanted, it cost too much, and the process was too difficult to understand.
Photo books may have started out not varying much from a basic album, but recently not only has printing quality improved, but cover and embellishment options are anything but boring. Photo books can be a time consuming project and in order for the market to grow, it has to reach out to those who have little time and those who are not highly skilled in the area, but would like to have custom books with their pictures. These consumers who started making the books are especially interested in what photo books have to offer and if the manufacturers and retailers are sensitive to their needs, they may see an increase in finished products.
-- By Kristy Clairmont
PMA Marketing Research Analyst
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