Kodak teams with LifePics to streamline online photo merchandizing for retailers

The new services allow photo retailers to leverage their existing fleets of Kodak photofinishing equipment to quickly and cost effectively enter the net-to-retail fulfillment business, and offer consumers the convenience of ordering photos online, and picking them up the same day at the retail location. The first two services, private-labeled net-to-retail photo order fulfillment and in-store photo specialty gift catalog ordering, are available now to all U.S. retailers.

The net-to-retail order fulfillment path for photo merchandise is growing steadily in the U.S. According to InfoTrends, more than 21 percent of printed photo merchandise products (photo books, cards, calendars, and specialty prints) that are ordered online in 2011 will be fulfilled in a retail store. That percentage is expected to approach 28 percent by 2015. The Kodak and LifePics partnership allows retailers who have made an investment in Kodak in-store equipment to participate in this market, adding value to their existing Kodak Product fleet, and enhancing their portfolios of premium photo products that can be fulfilled in-store or offsite.

Retailers seeking to implement online photo services can take advantage of a pre-integrated net-to-retail order fulfillment solution. The new service uses LifePics-enabled private label photo merchandizing web sites and Kodak’s net-to-retail connectivity installed on a Kodak Picture Kiosk or Kodak Adaptive Picture Exchange (APEX) minilab (running V5.0 software or higher) to fulfill online orders in-store for products such as photo books, greeting cards, calendars collages, and photos.

Kodak and LifePics are also offering a new photo gift ordering service. The pre-integrated service leverages LifePics’ comprehensive specialty photo gift catalog to allow retailers to offer their customers a variety of specialty photo gifts that can be ordered from a Kodak Picture Kiosk in-store, and fulfilled by a LifePics central lab partner. Gift items include mouse pads, mugs, sweatshirts, T-shirts, photo buttons, playing cards, puzzles, pillow cases, blankets, and ornaments. Consumers can also order canvas prints and have their photos restored and colorized.