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Done deal: Lytro reportedly closing shop, selling assets to Google News Opinion 

Done deal: Lytro reportedly closing shop, selling assets to Google

GaryPageau
In one of the least-surprising developments in the hardware sector, light-field photography pioneer Lytro has apparently thrown in the towel after nearly $200 million in investment. According to an enigmatic post on the Lytro blog: (emphasis added) At Lytro, we believe that Light Field will continue to shape the course of Virtual and Augmented Reality, and we’re incredibly proud of... Read More
InfoTrends: Changing photographer types indicate future camera trends Market research Opinion 

InfoTrends: Changing photographer types indicate future camera trends

GaryPageau
Ed Lee over at InfoTrends posted an interesting blog post about how consumers are changing how they identify themselves, in terms of photographic skill and in terms of lifestage (presence of children, etc.). Lee writes: Since the introduction of smartphones, we have seen significant shifts in the mix of photographer types among camera owners. Between 2010 and 2017, there was... Read More
Rental market shift fits millennial trends Opinion 

Rental market shift fits millennial trends

GaryPageau , , , ,
Todays’ news the long-time photo-scanner marketer, E-Z Photo Scan, will pivot to a rental-only business model may surprise some – and certainly raises some questions about the future availability of Kodak Picture Saver Scanners – but it follows a growing trend among Millennials. This growing cohort is becoming more comfortable with renting – rather than owning – everything from cars,... Read More
Analysis: What is up with Snap? Opinion 

Analysis: What is up with Snap?

GaryPageau , , , , , , , , , ,
Snap, the company, is an enigma. The company’s AR-powered social network/camera app is a phenomenon, yet the company itself isn’t turning heads. According to CNBC, Snap is laying off 100 engineers, accounting for 10 percent of the team. Not a great sign for an innovation-driven company. Previously, Snap has had layoffs in marketing, recruitment and content divisions. The news comes... Read More
Analysis: The potential of AR for printed photo products Market research Opinion 

Analysis: The potential of AR for printed photo products

GaryPageau , ,
Hans Hartman at Suite 48 Analytics wrote an interesting analysis of the opportunity for printed products with augmented reality (AR) enhancements. “Fresh from our presentation at the photokina Business Forum Imaging conference in Cologne and discussions with quite a few of the assembled photo print product providers there, we see many opportunities for leveraging AR for printed photo products,” he writes. “In... Read More
Analysis: Are Costco photo lab closures an indicator of a wider trend? News Opinion 

Analysis: Are Costco photo lab closures an indicator of a wider trend?

GaryPageau , , , , , ,
Mass retailer participation in a category is considered a key indicator of the overall vitality of the category. Mass retailers have access to the best analytics, and make data-driven decisions. When a high-profile retailer decides to change space allocation or even exit a category, it sends ripples across the industry. For example, Best Buy recently announced the cessation of in-store... Read More
Winners and losers of the Shutterfly/Lifetouch combination News Opinion 

Winners and losers of the Shutterfly/Lifetouch combination

GaryPageau , , 2 Comments
The photo industry’s biggest merger in years has brought up rampant speculation among competitors, vendors and gadflies about the Shutterfly acquisition of Lifetouch. Details of the combination are still coming out, but it’s clear there is a short-term positive reception. Shutterfly’s stock rose to more than $70 a share, after being mired in the mid-$50 range for months. From a... Read More
Opinion: Xerox acquisition positions Fuji Xerox for not just survival, but growth Opinion 

Opinion: Xerox acquisition positions Fuji Xerox for not just survival, but growth

GaryPageau , , , , , , ,
The merger announcement between Xerox and Fuji Xerox last week started the next chapter of the nearly six decades-long joint venture between U.S.-based Xerox and Japan’s Fujifilm. The merger had been long expected, and had been accelerated with the insistence of shareholder activists Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason. The combination is expected to improve the profitability and competitiveness of Fuji... Read More
Lifetouch purchase brings immediate benefits to Shutterfly News Opinion 

Lifetouch purchase brings immediate benefits to Shutterfly

GaryPageau , , 1 Comment
Shutterfly shares jumped nearly 20% last night on the news the leading photo-personalization company was buying the billion-dollar company in the school photography space, Lifetouch National School Studios for $825 million, as well as the report the company beat its fourth-quarter forecasts. The deal includes Lifetouch’s school business, as well as it’s ancillary businesses of church directories, preschool photography, JC Penney retail... Read More
Snap to let users share Stories outside Snapchat app News Opinion 

Snap to let users share Stories outside Snapchat app

GaryPageau ,
MarketingLand reports Snap will soon let non-users view Snapchat Stories on the web. Users will be able to share a limited number oif links to view Snapchat Official Stories, Our Stories and Search Stories on Snapchat’s site, which is a rebuke to Snap’s app-first strategy. “The new Story-sharing feature will be limited to some of the public Stories appearing in Snapchat’s redesigned Discover... Read More
Hardware in crisis: Can camera companies compete? News Opinion 

Hardware in crisis: Can camera companies compete?

GaryPageau , , , , , , , 1 Comment
The hardgoods part of the photo industry has always been highly competitive and price sensitive. Accessory sales prop up profit margins, as dealers rely on photo printing, lenses, bags, tripods, filters and other add-ons to build comfortable margins. It’s not unusual for an independent dealer to make $50 or $60 on the sale of a $1,200 DSLR body. This is... Read More
Worker-owned businesses taking over for retiring baby boomers, says Fast Company News Opinion 

Worker-owned businesses taking over for retiring baby boomers, says Fast Company

GaryPageau , ,
A recent article in Fast Company will be of interest to baby-boomer business owners who are looking to pass on their operations. In the past year, we’ve had high-visibility photo retailers like University Camera and Chris’ Camera Center announced they will shut down their operations after efforts to turn up buyers were naught. In the article, “Can The Wave Of... Read More
Daily Beast looks inside Snapchat data and culture: It’s not pretty News Opinion 

Daily Beast looks inside Snapchat data and culture: It’s not pretty

GaryPageau , ,
Daily Beast writer Taylor Lorenz disclosed never-reported information about the culture of secrecy permeating Snap Inc. and the data regarding key features of its flagship app, Snapchat. Among the revelations: “The company operates in secret “need to know”-type bubbles, where many in sales, content, or non-engineering roles feel kept in the dark.” Employees routinely find out about Snap products and services in... Read More
Wall Street likes Kodak’s move into cryptocurrency News Opinion 

Wall Street likes Kodak’s move into cryptocurrency

GaryPageau , , ,
Shares of Eastman Kodak Co. nearly doubled yesterday when the Rochester, N.Y., company announced a cryptocurrency aimed at photographers, called KodakCoin. While some companies have added “blockchain” as a supposed gimmick to boost share price – like this Long Island Ice Tea brand – but the press coverage has been remarkably forgiving. Kodak is getting notice because digital rights management (DRM)... Read More