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As Digital Camera Usage Skyrockets, Study Finds Email Fails to Satisfy Demand for Online Photo Sharing (10/28/03)
We recently attended an annual digital imaging seminar/conference in San Jose sponsored by digital imaging marketing consultants InfoTrends Research Group. A number of very interesting topics were presented on digital camera usage and trends such as sharing methods etc... however much of the data is proprietary and intended for the attendees only. Accordingly, our press or news coverage was limited more to informing readers of the event and some of the companies attending. Some of the major companies at the conference included Sony, and Picasa who were there showing their new Hello digital imaging sharing software. For those of you who missed our prior post, here is a link.
INFOTREND'S DIGITAL IMAGING CONFERENCE (10/10/03)
Recently InfoTrends and Homestead Technologies released a press release regarding their research on the issues of sharing photos via e-mail and the popularity of Online Photo Sharing vs Printing of pictures by Digital Camera Owners. The study indicated the ability to share images electronically is one of the most important reasons for owning a digital camera, and that e-mailing is the most popular method of doing so. InfoTrends projects that over 14 million digital cameras will be purchased in 2003 yet less then 25% of images taken and saved are ever printed out for sharing and those who do usually use a home or office printer. The good news is that the majority of new digital camera owners say they do take a lot more pictures compared to their film usage, with most taking over 40 digital images or more a month. However, the study also showed there are a lot of problems with e-mailing digital camera images that still need to be addressed, as 2 out of 3 who sent e-mails got complaints from their recipients. In addition, as higher megapixel cameras become more affordable, the problems are going to increase especially if new users do not learn how to use image resizing tools and photo editing software."Recipient complaints include the photo files being too big, trouble opening and viewing the photo file, photos taking too long to receive, and the photo appearing too large on the recipient's computer screen."
The results of the study were also used to stress the importance and need for new services including the one launched by Homestead Technologies called Photosite, allowing the easy creation of web-based photo albums which can shared with others.
We also saw at the conference Picasa's excellent new photo sharing Hello Service/Software which is FREE.
We have long been impressed with Novatix's Send Photos Gold software (see our sample demonstration post - NOVATIX HTML SAMPLE PAGE - YOSEMITE JUNE 2003/MINOLTA Xi) .
Also, see Simple Star's PhotoShow Deluxe (see our prior story Simple Star's Photo Show Deluxe Software Sample Gallery & Slideshow Posted 09/10/03).
Finally, for the past several years we have used quite extensively a FREE program to help us view, e-mail and edit images called Irfanview. In our opinion, Irfanview is a program all digital camera owners should be aware and many should be using. Among its many attributes, Irfanview can resize images for e-mailing in just seconds! We agree that digital camera owners should know of easy ways to share their digital images and we encourage readers to check out all of the resources we offer on these topics on a regular basis!
Here is the InfoTrends press release with some fairly interesting information.
InfoTrends Survey Shows Two of Three Who Email Digital Photos Receive Complaints From Their Recipients; Online Photo Sharing Outranks Printing for Digital Camera Owners
MENLO PARK, CA - Oct 20, 2003 -- Homestead Technologies, the leading provider of easy-to-use and powerful online communication services, today announced the results of a research study conducted for the company by InfoTrends Research Group, which examined digital camera usage and behavior. According to the study, the ability to share photos electronically is one of the most important reasons for owning a digital camera, and while email is the most common method of sharing digital photos, recipients must contend with a variety of problems accessing and viewing the photo files.
The survey found that the "ability to share photos electronically" ranked second in importance only after the "ability to view photos instantly." In addition, 82% of respondents rated "the ability to share photos electronically" as "important" or "very important." Moreover, 72% of respondents reported that they share photos over the Internet at least once a month, while 58% reported sharing more frequently.Of the 92% of digital camera owners who share their photos electronically, more than 75% of them do so by attaching the photos to an email. However, while email is the photo-sharing method used most frequently, the survey shows it is far from ideal. In fact, 65% of those who have used email to share photos acknowledge major problems that the recipients of their emails have experienced. Recipient complaints include the photo files being too big, trouble opening and viewing the photo file, photos taking too long to receive, and the photo appearing too large on the recipient's computer screen.
"Sharing is at the heart of the consumer's experience with digital photography," said Michelle Slaughter, director of InfoTrends Research Group's digital photography trends service. "While email is the method consumers use most often to share digital photos, it does not provide the best sharing experience. Additionally, more consumers are likely to experience difficulties emailing photos as they obtain three megapixel and higher resolution cameras and attempt to share multiple photos without using tools designed to improve electronic photo sharing."
InfoTrends forecasts digital camera unit sales to reach 14.3 million units this year and expects digital camera sales nearly to replace film camera sales by 2008. According to the Homestead study, 63% of digital camera users say they take more pictures since they purchased their digital camera, with the average respondent now taking more than 40 photos (the equivalent of two rolls of film) each month. In spite of the increase in picture taking and the popularity of sharing photos electronically, the limitations of email make it difficult to share more than a few, low-resolution pictures at a time. In fact, 67% of digital camera owners still attach only one to three photos per email.
Online Photo Sharing Outranks Printing for Digital Camera Owners
While digital camera owners are taking more pictures, they are being very selective about printing them. According to the study, 73% say one of the best things about having a digital camera is not having to store prints. Moreover, 83% rate "the ability to print only the photos they want to print" as "important" or "very important." In addition, the study shows that digital camera owners print only 24% of the photos they take and save. The study shows that when picture-takers do print digital photos, more than 85% usually print their photos on a printer at their home or office.
"Photo sharing is one of the most important reasons for buying a digital camera, yet neither email nor existing online photo services are optimized to address this need. While email is a natural tool for sending one or two photos, it is woefully inadequate to handle large numbers of photos and gives none of the convenience, creativity or permanence of online albums," said Justin Kitch, CEO of Homestead Technologies. "In addition, existing online photo services have focused on printing or storage solutions rather than on providing a sharing solution that is hassle-free and enjoyable for both photo-sender and receiver. Our research shows that consumers are eager for an easier, faster, and more creative way to share photos, and Homestead is excited to be launching a new service today that addresses exactly that need."
In a separate but related announcement today, Homestead also announced the unveiling of PhotoSite by Homestead, a new, online photo-sharing service that lets digital camera owners quickly and creatively build Web-based photos albums. (See separate release, "Homestead Unveils Fastest, Most Creative Way to Share Digital Photos".)
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