New study indicates pro photographers should get their work on-line

According to a highly informative new multi-client study from InfoTrends entitled, E-Business Enablement: The Future of Professional Photography, the percentage of professional photography jobs that flow through a Web site is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 25% through 2012.

InfoTrends’ research confirms that consumers are embracing the Internet as a means for obtaining photos, and many professional photographers see this as a way to maintain and grow their businesses. The Web is becoming an essential tool for displaying images and generating business. While the use of e-commerce among professional photographers was in its infancy during 2007, InfoTrends is forecasting rapid growth in both commerce and collaboration-enabled Web sites in the next three to five years.

InfoTrends believes that the Web is becoming increasingly critical to pro photography businesses. “Online photo services in particular have the ability to remove many marketing, workflow, and print production burdens, enabling photographers to focus their efforts on taking photos,” stated Mette Eriksen, a Director at InfoTrends. “In addition, the development of sophisticated software and more intuitive user interfaces could help drive consumers’ interest in working with photographers to edit images and create lasting mementos and keepsakes beyond prints.”

The InfoTrends study shows that spending on prints and photo merchandise through online providers will grow across all segments (portrait, wedding, sports, events, school) through the forecast period. The sale of digital files is also likely to become more commonplace, although research suggests that this will depend in part upon the type of photograph that is taken.

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact that e-business is having on today’s market and the effects that it will have in the future. It offers context and direction setting for a broad spectrum of market players, including service providers, equipment suppliers, and solution participants across the industry value chain. Research for the study consisted of in-depth interviews with executives from leading vendors, interviews with professional photographers across several targeted industry segments, and structured surveys with approximately 900 professional photographers and 1,700 consumers.

The study focused in on four major segments – portrait, wedding, event/sports, and school. It profiled pros in each segment and explored their use of Web services. The resulting market forecast provides details by segment on the number of photography establishments (by type of Web site), the amount of revenue by service category and lead source, the number of jobs by online service, and the photo print spending by type of print service provider or supplier.

Infotrrends
www.infotrends.com