PMA calls for Industry Initiative to Provide Secure Imaging Services

“The recent breach brought the online photo business of some of North America’s top brands to complete halt,” said Georgia McCabe, CEO and Executive Directorof PMA. “As the only international photo association representing the creative and photo product industries, PMAI stands ready to lead and to facilitate the transition to more attractive business and technological solutions.

””When the mass adoption of digital cameras began in 2000, many mass retailers relied on specialty companies to start their online photo retailing activities quickly and without the need to deal with the actual transactions, merchandising models and hosting services”, said Georgia McCabe, CEO and Executive Director of PMA. ”As a result, there has been no mass retailer taking the lead to drive these services forward. This temporary issue should be taken as a wake-up call highlighting to the whole industry that a comprehensive business model is now long overdue. The rapidly evolving demand for providing relevant services to the exploding population of connected smartphone consumers is only a further call to action.”

At its upcoming  “InnovationNow” Photo Business and Technology Summit, September 27-28, 2015 at the Hilton Parc 55, San Francisco, California, PMA will provide a platform for top-executives from imaging and retailing companies, independent experts, photographers and Silicon Valley technology firms to discuss new business models for the industry as well as new and unique ways of serving consumers who experience their pictures on social and mobile networks. According to PMA, the event comes as the necessary first step on a journey to inform, to ideate and to implement the kind of products, services, mass-market awareness and ease of participation that was responsible for driving the analog photo business to historical levels of sales and profitability.