Going Mobile: Photo Kiosks Shift Focus from Digital Cameras to Smart and Social Media

February 2013 By Kim Brady

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It was only about two years ago when the editors at PIR poised the question: Will smartphone pictures ever be printed? Digital cameras were already being replaced by iPhones and Androids, and shutterbugs were more likely to upload their favorite snapshots to Facebook than to share them as prints. Photo retailers were once more challenged to find new profit channels.

Frank Simon, president and CEO of Ecce Terram Internet Services, says you have to go after the sale as soon as the consumer snaps the picture. In other words, you have to go mobile.

Here’s how some photo kiosk manufacturers are finding ways to recapture sales through social media.

Dakis Inc., developer of the Cloud Photo Kiosk for the web, is launching the Full HD Cloud Photo Kiosk, a hardware/software solution designed to take full advantage of current trends in photo printing and photo gift fulfillment. The HD Cloud connects with mobile phones and tablets for download of images, and it provides access to Facebook albums. The system runs locally with web capabilities, storing job files on the store’s local network, and managing multiple kiosks through a single account. The upgraded printing workflow software connects to virtually every type of lab and printer and automatically routes orders to multiple suppliers.

Customers can place their orders through the retailer’s in-store photo kiosk or the company’s website with a fully integrated, customized home page—both have similar interfaces for easier transition. Photo Factory 3, Dakis’s online software, will be shown with its recent enhancements, including mass pricing options, theme tags and a dynamic parametric search. Customers can choose from hundreds of product templates to create their personalized gift. The order process requires no customer log in or online photo album—resulting in more completed orders. Labs can even develop their own unique photo products without any knowledge of computer programming. dakis.com

Eastman Kodak Company is offering several new kiosk products that promise to expand creative printing services offered by photo retailers worldwide. One of the most notable ventures is a partnership between Eastman Kodak and On Demand Books, an on-site, digital-to-print book publisher. The two companies have integrated Kodak Picture Kiosks with On Demand Books Espresso Book Machine (EBM)—combining their capabilities to give consumers access to an in-store full-service digital-to-print media center.

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