FotoFuse, an online photo gifting provider for retailers, catalogs and Web-based businesses, recently introduced its personalization technology and drop shipping services to retailers with help from OverCoffee Productions. FotoFuse worked with OverCoffee Productions, a leading Web design and integration firm serving the gift, home accents and toy industries, to develop the technology. Fotofuse provides retailers with a ‘ready-to-go’ system via its online technology. Everything is automated and fulfilled on behalf of the retailer. There is minimal software investment, no stock investment, no product returns, automated sales reporting systems, and virtually no risk on behalf of the retailer.
“Photo gifting is a relatively new phenomenon that is the ultimate in personalization. It involves applying personal digital photographic images to merchandise such as mugs, mouse pads, and t-shirts. We handle everything once an order is placed online,” explains Ruairi Curtin, founder of FotoFuse.
“The sole task of the retailer is to promote the photo gift service to their customers,” states Curtin. Retailers simply make their customers aware of the photo gifting option through store signage, catalog, or online offerings. The customer then visits the retailers’ website where they can upload their digital images and order their photo gifts. FotoFuse takes it from there, handling the automation, financial transactions, production, shipping and handling directly from its offices. “Offering drop shipping in addition to the personalization technology allows us to offer our retailers a true turnkey solution with minimal risk and no inventory to warehouse, states Curtin.”
Thanks to technological advances, personalization is now big business raking in about $27 billion annually. According to Curtin, since photo gifting is an exciting new phenomenon within the personalization industry, it too has experienced strong growth in recent years. “The whole experience is a win-win-win solution,” adds Curtin. “We can provide a level of service to our retailers that they’ve never had before, our retailers can offer a level of fulfillment to their customers that they’ve never had before, and their customers are happy to receive their orders as quickly as possible. We’re delighted to offer this program to our retailers.” Interested retailers can visit the website to see a demonstration of the web technology.
