Industry notes for the week of Nov. 7

November 7, 2020 GaryPageau Digital Imaging Reporter, Shutterfly, smartphoto

Retail news

Digital Imaging Reporter’s 2020 State of the Industry

Digital Imaging Reporter has published its annual state of the industry compendium of opinions and prognostications from manufacturers, retailers and distributors, with a special focus on how to cope with COVID-19.

NRF chief economist says strong retail sales growth ‘points to the resiliency of consumers’

Retail sales have largely recovered from the pandemic heading into the holiday season but the growing number of coronavirus cases remains a threat and additional federal stimulus could help keep the economy on track.

Adweek: Pandemic purchase patterns shake up holiday performance marketing campaigns

It was challenging enough for performance marketers to plan Black Friday, Cyber Monday and annual holiday campaigns pre-pandemic, writes Heather Fletcher at Adweek. For 2020, they have to factor in seriously changing consumer habits to reach or exceed 2019’s $730.2 billion in holiday retail sales.

Pro Photography

The Verge: AI camera operator repeatedly confuses bald head for soccer ball during live stream

AI is great but it won’t replace humans just yet. When the Scottish soccer team Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC chose to stream its games, due to COVID-19, using an automatic camera system with “in-built, AI, ball-tracking technology.” The Verge reports, however, the AI often confused the ball with the bald pate of a line judge.

Events and Contests

SPAC 2021 registration now open

Registration for the virtual SPAC 2021 Sports and Schools Annual Conference, Jan. 27-30, 2021, is now open.

APTech opens registration for Nov. 12 “The Learning Experience” virtual conference

The Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech) announced registration is now open for the “The Learning Experience” virtual conference from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 12.

Printing and personalization news

Holiday Photo Gift Buying Trends via Digital Imaging Reporter

Kim Brady writes at Digital Imaging Reporter about how holiday photo gift buying trends are being shaped by COVID-19 and a renewed appreciation for small business.

Financial Reports

GoPro doubles third-quarter revenue

GoPro reports third-quarter 2020 revenue was $281 million, a 109% sequential improvement from $134 million, driven by the HERO9 and a boost in GoPro subscriptions

Quad/Graphics third-quarter sales down 28% from 2019

Quad/Graphics reported third-quarter net sales were $679 million in 2020, down 28% from 2019. Net earnings from continuing operations increased $50 million from the third quarter of 2019, from a net loss of $47 million in 2019 to net earnings of $3 million in 2020.

People on the Move

Shutterfly CEO Hilary Schneider named to DigitalOcean board

DigitalOcean, the cloud for developing modern apps, announced Hilary Schneider, CEO of Shutterfly, Inc., and Warren Adelman, the former CEO of GoDaddy Inc., joined its board of directors Nov. 1.

Open Positions

Featured positions: PicturePeople GmbH

German portrait company PicturePeople GmbH & Co. KG notified us the company is looking for a new chief operating officer (COO). The ideal candidate will be a native German sales and operations specialist. The company is also looking for a social media manager and a marketing manager in the Netherlands.