Surfing through category demographics, we were surprised to see the significantly higher level of education among consumers who purchased a photo book in 2011, compared to the lower average for technology as a whole.
While consumers who purchased 4×6-inch prints were slightly more educated than average, those who made photo books had strikingly greater education levels than even interchangeable-lens camera buyers. Granted, a large portion of consumers are making and purchasing photo books online, yet today the Internet should pose no barrier for the masses to be making their first books: A) most people do actually have access to the Internet; and B) creating photo books at retail, without the use of personal online resources, should be a snap and offer a value option.
Let this serve as a call to action to those marketers and retailers who would like to see a growing and balanced population of photo book enthusiasts.—Liz Cutting, Executive Director and Senor Imaging Analyst, The NPD Group
