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Summary of our market study
The global online photo album market has experienced significant growth, especially since 2020, due in part to the increased use of smartphones with high-quality cameras and consumers' desire for personalized photo products. The market, which is a sub-segment of the broader photo printing market, was valued at $14.76 billion, with a forecasted growth at a CAGR of 8.3% reaching $27.33 billion by 2027. The market is relatively fragmented with specialized players like Photobox and larger companies such as Amazon and Google entering the space. North America holds a large market share, but Asia-Pacific is expected to see substantial growth driven by innovation in digital cameras and thriving e-commerce. The convenience of online platforms coupled with the pandemic has accelerated the transition from physical to online photo printing services. Moreover, social media platforms like Instagram provide a threat as well as an opportunity for backup and sharing of digital images. The competitive market landscape has been shaped by mergers and acquisitions, differentiation in services, and companies like Shutterfly and Snapfish leading through innovation and customer service.
Online Photo Album Market Trends in the UK: A Snapshot of Consumer Preferences and Technological Advancements
In the dynamic landscape of the UK's online photo album market, the increasing prominence of smartphones and their advanced photographic capabilities has had a significant impact. With approximately 95% of British people owning smartphones and smartphone penetration rates soaring from around 29% in 2011 to 78%, the integration of high-definition cameras into these devices plays an integral role in market trends. The UK market has seen a modest growth in the value of photographic services, with figures only marginally increasing since 2010. Meanwhile, traditional photo equipment revenue appears to be on a downward trajectory, indicating a potential shift in consumer investment towards smartphones for photography needs, supported by campaigns such as Apple’s “Shot on iPhone.” The predilection for capturing and sharing moments via smartphones has not translated into a boom in photo printing or album creation, despite the staggering potential market size. For instance, Western Europe documented over 700 million daily snapshots taken on smartphones. In stark contrast, Cewe, Europe's leading photo printing company, only produced 60 million prints annually. This paradox extends to the consumer demographic as well, with younger age groups (between 16 and 24 years) reporting nearly ubiquitous smartphone usage rates, while those aged 55-64 presented a less impressive 71% utilization rate.
These figures point towards a demographic divide in the use of smartphones for online photo album services, with younger audiences being the more receptive market segment. Despite the proliferation of digital photography, many individuals in the UK still express an inclination towards preserving memories physically. A significant number of Britons (around 25%) hold aspirations of printing photos from their phones but face obstacles such as time constraints. This highlights an untapped demand for accessible online photo album services that simplify the preservation of cherished moments. Furthermore, the online photo album market experiences pronounced cyclicality, with the UK witnessing peaks in search interest for photo albums during December, aligning with the Christmas and New Year's holidays. This pattern underscores the seasonal nature of demand, hinting at potential strategic marketing opportunities for industry players. Overall, the UK's online photo album market navigates a rich tapestry of technological advancements and changing consumer behaviors, anchored by the ubiquity of smartphones and the enduring appeal of tangible mementos. Despite a sizable potential audience and the convenience of online platforms, there remains an untapped market for digital-to-physical photo conversions, ripe for.
Market Leaders in the Online Photo Album Arena
The online photo album market boasts a competitive landscape with players ranging from specialized entities to large-scale corporations venturing into the photographic domain. Each of these companies brings its own unique offerings and strategic approaches to capture market share. Here is a closer look at some of the key players that are shaping the industry's landscape:
- Shutterfly: Personalized Photo Printing Powerhouse Shutterfly stands tall among its competitors as a premier online photo service company. They've successfully carved out a niche in providing high-quality, customizable photo products such as photo books, holiday cards, and personalized gifts. Shutterfly differentiates itself by offering a wide array of photo gift options, including unique items like pet bowls and flowerpots, catering to customers seeking premium products.
- Snapfish: Budget-Friendly Photo Services for the Masses Snapfish operates as a user-friendly and economical photo printing solution. The company is known for its competitive pricing, especially for traditional print sizes, and often runs promotional deals, appealing to budget-conscious consumers. Despite its low-cost approach, Snapfish doesn't compromise on service diversity, offering everything from photo books to personalized gifts.
- Photobox: Custom Creativity in the UK Market With its stronghold in the UK market, Photobox specializes in personalized photo albums and an array of creative print mediums. Their platform allows customers to design and personalize photo albums with ease. They represent the innovative spirit of specialized online photo book services that cater to personal memories and gifting occasions.
- Amazon Prints: E-commerce Giant's Foray into Photo Services Amazon Prints, a service offered by the e-commerce behemoth, emerged in the photo printing market providing an array of print services, including photo books and gifts. Capitalizing on Amazon's vast user base and infrastructure, Amazon Prints offers the convenience and reliability associated with the brand, along with competitive pricing and quick delivery options.
- Google Photos: Digital Giant’s Step into Tangible Memories Google Photos expanded its services from digital photo storage to physical photo printing, enabling users to create photo albums directly from their stored images. This integration offers a seamless transition from virtual galleries to tangible keepsakes, further capitalizing on Google's technological prowess and extensive user base.
- Fujifilm and Fnac: Traditional Photography Brands Adapting to the Digital Age Fujifilm and Fnac, both having legacy in the world of photography, have transitioned into the online photo book realm, merging time-tested photographic excellence with digital convenience.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and Introduction
Creating your own photo album online has gained popularity in 2020 with the rise of online photo book sites. The photo book is the perfect gift to remind family, spouse or friends of personal memories. The online photo book market is a dynamic sub-segment of the photo printing market.
Photo printing is increasingly done from online photos. The appeal of creating online photo albums can be explained in part by the concern to save certain pictures that may be lost as a result of a technical problem or a computer crash, and also by the desire to create a personalized album.
Driven by the increased use of smartphones with ever higher quality cameras, the market for online photo albums is booming. The UK market is relatively fragmented and has intense competition given the large number of players in the market. It is made up of players specialising in this sector (such as Photobox) but has also been recipient of investment by larger players such as Amazon, Google, or even historical players in the photography market such as Fujifilm or Fnac. As a result of this competition, the offer is continously diversifying, from the creation of a simple personalized photo album to printing on other media (magnets, t-shirts, calendars, etc.).
1.2 The global market's rapid growth
The graph below shows the global market size for photo printing and provides a forecast for the foreseeable future. In ****, the market was worth US$**.** billion and it was expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% until **** when it would reach US$**.** billion.
The global photo printing market World, ****-****, USD ...
1.3 The domestic market signals strength
The UK online photo album sector is very fragmented and includes a large number of companies, some of which are active in the creation of customisable media where one can print pictures (***). Even though the market is growing, it is difficult to have an overview of the companies in this sector, ...
2 Demand Analysis
2.1 Demand overview and determining factors
A market dependant on smartphones
Every year smartphones gain in prominence and usage rates. They are equipped with cutting edge technology, notably phone cameras capable of taking high definition pictures ensuring that consumers don't need to buy a camera to obtain a good standard of imagery. Throughout the last decade, smartphones ...
2.2 Cyclicality in industry revenue
The graph below represents the proportion of searches for a given term at a given region for a certain period of time, compared to when it was the most searched (***). Thus, a value of ** means that the keyword has been used less often in the region concerned, and a value of ...
2.3 COVID-19's impact on the industry
The measures of social distancing and lockdowns imposed in the UK and other countries have also impacted the photo printing market. Since consumers have faced constraints on movement, they have failed to leave their house in order to print their photos, and instead relied solely on e-commerce. This extraordinary shift from ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Organization and dynamics of the market
Disruption on the distribution of photo printing
In the overall photo printing market, there are several established channels, such as kiosks and the OTC (***) stores in order to print your photos.
However, the channel with highest potential going forward is online (***). The websites providing photo printing services are increasingly involved in ...
3.2 The first mile
The first mile includes all the stages from the reception of the order on an online website (***). First mile management for online sales players is becoming a major growth lever for small and medium-sized businesses that do not yet have the logistics resources or shipping volumes necessary to benefit from solutions ...
4 Analysis of the offer
4.1 A diversified offer
The overall photo printing market is segmented into Prints, Wall Art, Cards, Photo Gifts, Photo Books, Calendars, among others. Moreover, throughout the years, many players have been positioning themselves in the segment of photo albums that are customisable and ordered online. Nowadays, there are hundreds of options for these services which ...
4.2 Price Analysis
Some services such as Amazon Prints and Snapfish produce *-by-*-inch prints for just £*.* a piece. Local pickup options tend to cost more given the convenience they bring. When consumers demand a better image and paper quality, customers should expect a *-by-* price to rise up to something around £*.* apiece. Many ...
5 Regulation
5.1 Regulatory framework for online photo printing
The British law governing the conduct of online business is defined in a number of different regulatory texts. Some of them are specific to online business, while others apply to all commercial activities. The main regulations are as follows:
Consumer Rights Act ****: implements the EU's Directive ****/**/EU into UK law, consolidating ...
6 Positioning of the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Snapfish
- Bonusprint
- Cewe
- Photobox
- Photomaton
- Pixum
List of charts presented in this market study
- The global photo printing market
- Taux de pénétration des smartphones
- Valeur ajoutée brute des services de photographie
- Revenus des équipements photographiques
- Qu'êtes-vous le plus susceptible de faire avec les photos que vous prenez ?
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the online photo album market | UK
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