News

Photo kiosks hurt film processing sales

March 30, 2005

The Daytona Beach News-Journal: In 2004, prints made from digital cameras at self-service kiosks increased 376 percent from the previous year, according to a survey released by Photo Marketing Association International, an industry trade group. Prints made at home increased just 37 percent. "There's a clear shift in the industry toward kiosks," said Dimitrios Delis, director of marketing research for the Michigan-based association. Convenience is the biggest reason, Delis said in a telephone interview. A kiosk is basically an easy-to-use computer that's connected to a dedicated printer. If it runs out of paper or ink or needs to be maintained, "it's the store's problem, not yours," he said. Kiosks are also typically equipped with scanners that allow customers to make prints from other prints. The Photo Marketing Association projects that by the end of this year 52 percent of U.S. households will have digital cameras, which isn't great news for some traditional photo shops that have relied on film processing. "This business has been declining constantly since the end of the '90s," said Steve Notaras, who's owned A1A 1/2-HR Photo in Daytona Beach since 1989. He'll soon be closing, Notaras said, partly because of the proliferation of kiosks. The digital revolution has done his business in. Click here to read the full story.