Motophoto Franchisees Focus On Sony's Picturestation Digital Photofinishing System To Help Drive Business

DAYTON, OHIO (Wednesday, October 23, 2002) - In an effort to expand printing options for its digital camera customers, four MotoPhoto franchisees in the Northeast have installed Sony's PictureStation(TM) digital photofinishing systems.
The stores -- in Hamden and Cheshire, Conn.; Brookline, Mass.; and Albany, N.Y. -- adopted the systems this summer to "very strong, very positive" customer reaction, said Daniel Green, MotoPhoto's franchise business consultant responsible for the Northeast region. The stores represent one-fifth of the 20 MotoPhoto franchisees in the region, which encompasses New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

"A new generation of picture-takers associate the Sony brand name with quality," Green said. "They appreciate the instant gratification aspect of walking into a store and getting high-quality prints in a matter of minutes from a name they trust."

Designed specifically for retail environments, the easy-to-use systems feature high-speed digital printers that can produce photo-like prints in seconds. Both flavors of the system -- a counter-top unit and a free-standing kiosk -- accept a wide range of digital media and can print in four borderless sizes, 3-1/2"x5, 4"x6" and 5"x7" and wallets.

Green first saw the PictureStation system at an annual gathering of photo professionals last spring and immediately began promoting it to his franchisees. He said the system's $8,000 price tag offers a low-cost and attractive option for franchisees to enter the digital photofinishing market. The system, he said, is a viable, low-risk alternative to more expensive digital mini-labs, which require sustained significant volume just to break even.

Snapshot of Week-Over-Week Sales

Since installing the systems earlier this summer, the four stores have seen measurable increases in week-over-week sales, Green said.

At each location, the systems appeal to a wide range of customers, from amateur and professional photographers to every-day picture-takers, such as parents and business professionals who use digital cameras in their line of work. For instance, he said professional photographers are relying on the units to create wedding and event proofs. Real-estate agents are shooting images of properties, and body-shop owners are taking pictures of damaged automobiles for insurance claims.

Benefits Come Into Focus

"Our customers have come to appreciate the speed with which the units can make prints, the high-quality nature of the prints, the fact that they can use it themselves, and their overall ease-of-use," Green said.

The system's graphical user interface has also scored points for its ability to walk customers through the process of making a print, and coach them along the way. The system will alert a customer if a file size is too small for the selected print size. It will also remind them to take their media card.

"The interactivity is teaching the customer as well as servicing them," he said. "It's a very well thought-out piece of equipment."

Key Marketing Tool

The stores are actively marketing the systems, promoting them through in-store signage and newspaper advertisements.

"The systems scream digital, and that's what we need to be doing to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace," Green said.

He also encourages other franchisees to adopt the systems as a marketing tool to distinguish them from competitors and to meet the growing number of digital camera users who are relying on retailers to make their digital prints.

Recognizing the opportunity to distinguish its stores from its competitors on a national level, MotoPhoto recently issued a corporate directive encouraging all of its franchisees to adopt digital printing solutions.

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