Imprinting photos - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, August 21, 2000

It's an old product with a new high-tech twist. Consumers who were fans of imprinting photographs onto T-shirts, coffee mugs and even birthday cakes can now to obtain these customized products more easily and affordably thanks, of course, to digital imaging and the Internet. New Web sites and services now offer consumers unique gifts, corporate giveaways and party favors without the need to seek out and visit specialized retail outlets.

Companies such as Clubphoto.com, now allow consumers to scan or send in images and have those images reproduced on candy, cookies, jewelry, coffee mugs and even a slab of granite. Photo-sharing services have been exploding, and this new aspect of the business is now carving out its own niche. "On-line photo sharing is going to be huge over time," according to Ed Lee, director of digital photography services at Lyra market research. "In the past year, it has really started booming." Lyra has tracked more than 100 new Web sites catering to this market during this time. Although these printing applications are relatively new, they do open up additional revenue streams attributable to digital imagery The ability to get consumers to utilize such services is potentially profitable beyond simply ordering reprints. Said Lee, "Once you get somebody to hit the print button, that's when the cash register really starts ringing."