Six years ago only 20% of all brides hired a pro photographer for a “disk only” service.  Today 80% of all brides are contracting for “disk only”.    Our industry has changed forever and regrettably shows no signs of returning to the “old” business model.   And while some of the reasons are obvious (digital cameras have lowered the barrier to become a “pro”), we at Zookbinders spent some time talking to brides to find out exactly why this shift has occurred.

Since brides really drive this market, we asked them several questions.  We wanted to know what was important to them.  Was image quality more important than price?  Was having 2,000 images more beneficial than 1,000 images? Was getting an album important or did they just want the electronic files?  Here’s one response we expected: Unanimously, brides appreciate the higher quality of images that came from hiring an experienced pro. However, they were quick to point out a few things that were disappointing which we want to share with you:

1. Brides didn’t like how long it took to see their images for the first time (on average 3-4 weeks).  They were expecting to see them in days! On the day after her wedding she’ll see plenty of images…but they’ll be cell phone images from her friends! While having hundreds of images ready for her to view the next day might be tough, does it really have to take several weeks?
2. Brides didn’t like that the photographer presented so many images (on average 1,500) and didn’t offer to help select the photos for the album.  They were expecting two folders: a folder of “album favorites” and another folder of everything else.  Most brides wanted all of their images on a disk, but that doesn’t mean they want to sift through all of them to make their selections. They’re relying on your expertise, their professional photographer, in helping them through this process.  
3. Lastly, brides were upset by how painful it was to finally get their album.  They were expecting an online experience whereby they would simply delete some photos from the “favorites” folder and add a few from the remaining images.  Many brides planned their entire wedding online and were surprised by how many times they had to meet with their photographers to make decisions.

If the goal is to deliver a great experience to each client so that they refer you, we as an industry are doing a poor job.  While it would be easy to blame the growth of the “disk only” phenomenon on low-priced weekend warriors, it seems like delivering a bad experience is equally at fault.

The good news is… we can help. Introducing zookie pro, which launched January 16^th. While at the core, zookie pro is a design service (and a darn good one that is VERY reasonably priced); the real secret sauce is its ability to help you deliver a great experience to your customer.  With our customized shopping cart, here’s a short list of some of the benefits your client will enjoy online:

• Choose her album cover design
• Communicate revisions to you
• Upgrade to a larger album
• Order additional replica albums

THIS is the experience she is looking for – she can place her order online rather than having to meet with her photographer. If she decides a month later to order an album for her parents, it will take less than 90 seconds to place this order! 

So now that we’ve removed most of the pain from the “album ordering process”, here are some great ideas to help you satisfy today’s brides:

• Shoot less!  Brides were not shy about telling us they wanted to see fewer images and much quicker. If you really want your bride to have an experience she’ll never forget, select the images you recommend for her album on Sunday and upload those images to zookie pro by Monday.  A few days later, you’ll have your album design and the happy couple will be able to preview it on their honeymoon!  
• Give your clients the ability to shop online! The shopping cart will give her choices of different sizes available and show her exactly what the book would look like.  She’ll have the same experience she’s used to with any other first rate online shopping experience!
• Deliver her album 30 days after her wedding! Imagine how excited your client would be and the buzz this will create about your business! Delivering an album in 30 days is really impressive considering that the average album we ship is delivered nine months after the event.    

So while the majority of brides may continue contracting for “disk only” (and then getting frustrated because ordering an album online isn’t so easy), your job is to change your workflow so that you’re serving her the way she wants to be served.  Explain to each bride the choices of hiring a photographer for “disk only” and the challenges that await her.  Then explain why hiring you is a better choice and how you’ll get her an album in 30 days!

Here’s the last thing brides told us:  They Still Want Albums!   They just don’t want to have to work so hard to get one.  So let us help you give brides what they want with zookie pro. 

We’re here to help – Zucker

Click here attend a live webinar with Mark Zucker at 2PM on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

Drive the amazing shopping cart, visit: www.zookiepro.com/testdrive.

Click here to attend our “What Brides Want” seminar at Zookbinders in Chicago on either Tuesday, April 26^th or Wednesday, April 27^th from 7 to 9PM.