PMA releases survey results: report reveals how consumers use custom-framing services - Photo Marketing Association

Art Business News, Oct, 2002

JACKSON, Miss. -- Results from a recent consumer survey by the Photo Marketing Association are in. The survey revealed that about 32 percent of U.S. households have used a professional custom-framing service at one time, and 10 percent of households had an item custom framed in 2001. Also, most of the respondents said they were "very satisfied" with the framing services they used.

The "2002 PPFA Custom Picture Framing Report" is based on data collected from the "PMA 2002 Professional Portrait/Custom Framing Survey." NFO Research, a U.S. research firm, mailed the survey to 40,000 U.S. households this January and received a response rate of 69 percent or 27,671 households.

The survey reveals a wide variety of information about consumer use of custom-framing services, broken down by geographic area, residential locations, age brackets, household income, family status and more.

The survey also identifies a wide variety of consumer behaviors as they relate to custom-framing services, including what kinds of items they most often frame, why they choose custom framing and how they feel about the experiences they have with custom framers.

The survey results show that family households in general, and especially those headed by persons under age 35 and those with incomes of more than $75,000, are the ones most likely to have used custom-framing services.

Those customers who live in large metropolitan areas (populations of 500,000 to 2 million people) have used custom framers an average of 5.9 times in the past, according to the survey. That is slightly higher than the national average of 5.6 times. The survey also shows, however, that those in rural or smaller metro areas (100,000 or less) have used custom-framing services almost as often, an average of 5.1 times.

Of those who report having used custom-framing services, 32 percent framed original artwork. In terms of volume, however, photographs accounted for the greatest share of custom-framing orders in 2001, making up 22 percent of the market. Customers also had framed posters, needlework and memorabilia.

Households with children behaved somewhat differently than those without. Respondents with young children were more likely than the average to have had photos flamed in 2001, while being less likely than average to have had original artwork or limited-edition prints framed.

The reason for using custom-framing services was most often "to personalize the piece," which was named by 42 percent of the respondents. Following very closely, however, was a need to preserve value, cited by 41 percent, and a desire to have a unique treatment of pieces, important to 40 percent of the respondents.

Not surprisingly, those who were having original artwork or limited-edition prints framed were most likely to say preservation was their motive for using custom framing. Those framing photos, memorabilia or needlework were more likely to say personalization was most important to them.

The use of professional custom framing services in 2001 varied geographically, ranging from 12 percent of households in East South Central states (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi) to less than 10 percent in the West South Central, Middle Atlantic and Pacific states. However, there was more variance geographically in the number of times those customers had used framing services. At the low end, customers in the East North Central states (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin) have used framing services 4.7 times, while East South Central customers averaged 7 times. [Note: Regions are divided according to U.S. Bureau of Census divisions.]

Framers reportedly often satisfied their customers, as 90 percent reported being "very satisfied" to "extremely satisfied" with custom framing services they received in 200l.

For more information about the survey, contact the PPFA at 800-762-9287.