April 5, 2006 – Even at a time when home printing systems are on the rise, the retail printing segment continues to experience growth. According to an InfoTrends study released today, 40 percent of U.S. digital camera owners used a retail printing service last year. Of that percentage, more than half of the consumers surveyed used retail printing most often.
In 2004, only 13 percent of digital camera owners used retail printing services most often. That percentage increased to 23 percent in 2005. This is good news for the booming photo kiosk industry, which has feared a takeover by home printers. While InfoTrends acknowledges that consumers use multiple printing services – home and retail – the marketing research firm claims retail is on the rise because of a few key factors.
According to the survey, “digital camera owners believe that printing at retail generates high-quality prints and is also a good way to obtain large orders,” today’s press release stated. The study also cites the increasing availability of photo kiosks.
“The profile of the digital camera owner/printer has shifted from the tech-savvy early adopter to the mainstream family memory keeper, whose primary goal is to preserve images,” said Ann Morris, a research analyst at InfoTrends, in today’s statement. “Retailers should keep this in mind when introducing potential customers to printing digital photos at retail.”
