Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cameo Style Menu

We Created a new Cameo Style menu that customers can take home after finding your store. It helps to remind them of a gift idea, and to share gift  ideas with others at home or at work.  The menu prints on 8.5x11 paper so you can print it yourself.  We left space right on the cover for each store to add its contact information.  Please contact us if you'd like to use the file.


Frame White Paper, frame sale success

What else are you going to sell when there isn't a specific "holiday?"  Well, collage frames of course. 

So we put the table frames on sale yesterday, marked down 30%

We disguised them to look like any other frame on display, not frames attached to a "process."  We even left some of them "naked," without pictures inserted.  We figured if people bought them we'll let them know they could return for a free print.

Customers responded strongly and 8 have been sold since yesterday, all with prints.  So we sold eight frames and we got eight new customers to fall in love with Cameo Style and the service.

Frame White Paper:

Frames are so profitable!

In theory frames are the easiest and most accessible way to introduce customers to Cameo Style.  This is because the public already gets frames: every one of your customers understands buying a frame. Can the same be said of photo books, for example? Of course not.   So its helpful to think of frames as an easy intro to a new process.

Moreover, a frame is an easy project to make, and to complete, (for both customer and shop), and so it's an experience that is likely to be repeated.  (Sort of like if someone offered me a painless 10 minute a day fitness exercise that was effective...I'd be an exercise nut).  Frames create an easy opportunity for repeat business.  A man who's ordering two frames as I'm writing this asked to hold the last 4 frames of a particular style, that's what I mean.

But in practice only some of our shops seem to leverage the frame opportunity.  We'd like to see more stores make the effort to present our frames as, well, just frames, and then add the personalization as a free extra.  will you let me know how it worked?

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Creating an experience customers love...and retailers too


The mother and daughter on right had about 50 pictures "shoebox" scanned and are now compiling a 16 page photo book, ($98.99 including scanning).
On the left someone is making a belated Valentine's three panel "Triptych" card that turned out great, ($8.99).


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Post Valentine's

Hi everyone,

Valentine's was good for Cameo Style, and for many lovers.  As expected Tag Along accordion style books led in sales.  But customers also ordered large books and collage frames.

The store did not meet it's goal of 500 free cards that were meant to spread the love...and to introduce customers to Cameo Style.  Much of our campaign was based on fliers to existing customers, but something went wrong with the printing and they arrived late.  Then the one-two punch  snow storms put us at about 100 free cards-still not shabby.



Feel-good moments:

  •   Family came to the store over the weekend looking for an enlargement for a memorial service.  When they saw the Tag Along on display they chose three of those instead.  Alas, they wanted exactly 9 images, (the templates are for either 8 or 10, not 9).  So a template was hacked whereby they ordered 10 and the staff deleted the extra image on PS elements just before printing.  Primitive, yes,  but good enough for an $80 order, ($18 cost).  Thank you Pete for making this order happen
  • Customer stopped me  at the Whole Foods checkout  to say the Cameo gifts she gave for the holidays were a huge hit..."she can't wait to come back" she said.  
  • a Mom was looking for a nice "Thank you" after a Christening party.  She  loved the 5x7 cards, designed one in a minute, and ordered several dozen, which the store delivered to her in the same afternoon, literally because she was putting the baby to bed and couldn't return.  
  • A guy in his sixties, back from a trip to Egypt declared..."I can't design a book..."  About an hour later he left the store, book in hand.

 My point-every Cameo order has a great story behind it.  And every day brings its own orders, even in this miserable weather we've been having in Philadelphia. About a dozen new customers a day walk in the store just to look at the new offerings.

If you don't have Cameo in your store you're missing out on these great customer interaction, and on important new revenues.

Shutterfly just released 2009 figures: net revenues from personalized products and services grew to $161.7 million, a 25% year-over-year increase.  What share of these lost profits would you like your store to reclaim?

Our new subscription and central printing options start at $100 per month, allowing any size store to profit.   Call us 215 501 7021 to join Cameo Style.