WEYMOUTH, Mass. — According to a new consumer survey from InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, 37 percent of digital camera owners who print photos said they had tried retail services in 2004. Retail services include ordering prints at a photo kiosk, ordering over-the-counter at a retail store, or ordering through a retailer's online site for pickup in the store. This percentage is up from 14 percent in 2003, demonstrating the growing popularity of printing digital photos in retail stores.
While more digital camera owners are trying retail services, the home continues to be the leading location for producing prints. During 2004, 94 percent of digital camera owners who print photos made at least some of their prints at home, up from 90 percent in 2003. Digital camera owners who print at home create "throwaway" prints on plain paper as well as archival prints on special photo paper.
"Digital camera owners are using a combination of printing services to meet their needs," said Kerry Flatley, a consultant at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. "Digital camera owners who print at home and at retail prefer a retail environment for enlargements and for printing more than 10 photos. Printing at home is considered a convenient option and the best choice when producing fewer than 10 photos. These locations are not mutually exclusive, as this research shows that the two will continue to co-exist."
The survey results also indicate that the number of digital camera owners who print at retail will continue to grow. Only 13 percent of digital camera owners who currently print say they print at retail most often. At the same time, however, 33 percent of future digital camera owners (consumers who plan to purchase a digital camera in a year) expect to print primarily at retail.
InfoTrends/CAP Ventures' report entitled 2004 Photo Kiosk and Retail Digital Photofinishing End User Study Analysis is now available. The analysis reveals detailed trends about where consumers print their photos and why they do or don't print at retail stores or use photo kiosks. It also looks at print sizes ordered at retail, prints per order at retail, consumer awareness issues, and much more. The expected print behavior of future digital camera owners is also examined. The analysis is 72 pages long, and it contains 60 figures and 4 tables. The analysis is accompanied by two sets of 190-plus-page data tabulations, which are broken out into demographics and printing behavior.
