Polaroid Shoots Self in Other Foot!

[wogears]

<p>When I first heard about <a href="http://thenextweb.com/2013/01/02/polaroid-to-launch-fotobar-retail-stores-aimed-at-encouraging-smartphone-users-to-print-their-favourite-photos/">this development</a>, it sounded like a good idea. A storefront where you could get high-quality edited prints from digital files, with an on-site framing service that could match your decor. Not a world-beater, thought I, but it could certainly be profitable. Then I got to the kicker--printed, framed and <em>shipped </em>from their 'facility' in seventy-two hours. Why? What's wrong with having a color-managed output to an Epson or Canon printer. Mounting in stock sizes in an hour (I can do it, why can't they?). Review and reprint immediately, if the user was dissatisfied. Dang it, it would <em>work</em>!</p>

<p>Shoot, if I had the capital, I could do this. Hardware and software would be easy; hire some smart, fashion-aware 'kids', add some geeky types to work the software with the customer. Do some research on appropriate locations, and I think it would make money. But <em>seventy-two hours</em>? Plus shipping time? NGH.</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>Les -</p>

<p>The challenges I see with your suggestion to do the onsite work are:<br>

1) Training / Staffing - It takes a lot more to be trained in properly printing (color, w/b, etc...) photos than it does to be a "fototender"<br>

2) Time - what would the customer do for an hour or more (assuming backlog)? At Walmart, Target, etc... you have a built in time kill / money grabber... Here I'm not seeing one... Same thing that killed Pro-Ex, Ritz, etc... there's nothing to do for an hour while your prints are being made.<br>

3) perception of quality - the whole 1 hour thing has a certain degree of lack of quality to it. They are aiming for a more upscalle sell here - I don't think the 72 hour turnaround will hurt.<br>

<br />Dave</p>

 

[steve_t.1]

<p>If it's inkjet to be printed, in my business model I would be telling people that the print needs the recommended amount of time to off-gas ink solvents before framing, to avoid solvent accumulation on the inside surface of the glass. I think with Epson inkjet that means 24 hours minimum after printing. Off my own Epson printer, I wait 48-72 hours before framing- this is my personal safety factor. If this were my shop, it would be bring it in today, pick it up day after tomorrow. Patience being a virtue in this case would have to be part of the salesmanship. (Want it in an hour, go to a kiosk machine. Want it done professionally to proudly hang in your home, or even a gallery, you need a bit more time.)</p>

 

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<blockquote>

<p>...<strong>getting people to print and edit the photos saved on their smartphone</strong>, or uploaded to social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Picasa.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Think about that for a second.</p>

<p>I think you're misplacing the value portion which is the "edit" part and Polaroid banking on society's insatiable almost obsessive desire to tweak and create at the ease of a slider or button. I know I enjoy and get a thrill and satisfaction of seeing my initial impression of an image change into something else I had a hand in creating through immediate response edits. </p>

<p>72 hours to wait for the results considering the type of non-pro clientele doesn't seem like a problem.</p>

<p>I just hope Polaroid's realistically factored and considered all costs to pull this off and make a profit.</p>

<p>What I'ld suggest to Polaroid is for them to sell advertising space next to the editing software interface. All those obsessively driven minutes of tweaking the image to perfection are eyeballs advertisers drool over. </p>