Print Meets Mobile

Mobile Phones are Everywhere!

By Barb Pellow, InfoTrends

Mobile phones are the one electronic device that most of us carry at all times. These devices are with their owners for more hours of the day than personal computers, TV sets, magazines, or radios. More than 90% of us keep our cell phones within arm’s reach 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. More than 70% of people actually take their cell phones to bed with them and use them as alarm clocks. A study by Unisys revealed that if we lose our wallet, we report it missing in 26 hours. If we lose our cell phone, we report it in 68 minutes. It takes people a day to notice that they're misplaced their wallet, but just over an hour to notice that they're without their cell phone.

In addition, today’s cell phones are becoming increasingly smart, to the point that many can serve as miniature computers. RBC Analyst Mike Abramsky expects worldwide smartphone sales to surpass worldwide PC sales by the end of 2011. By that time, annual shipments of smartphones will exceed 400 million units.

Figure 1: Smartphone Sales to Beat PC Sales by 2011

Projections from the Pew Internet and American Life Project are that mobile phones—many of which now feature significant computing power—will be the primary or only Internet connection for the majority of the people across the world by 2020. Telephony is expected to be offered under a set of universal standards and protocols that are accepted by most operators on an international basis, enabling reasonably effortless movement from one part of the world to another.

PixyMe and shootit!... From Web-to-Print to Mobile-to-Print

For years, the graphic communications industry has been talking about Web-to-print. If handheld mobile phones are eventually going to become the primary Internet device for many people, now is the time to adjust and re-evaluate strategies. Print service providers must reassess how to capture the energy that is currently surrounding smartphones.

Tukaiz, a Chicago-based marketing communications services provider, launched PixyMe in January 2010. This iPhone and iPod touch application is the first of its kind using image personalization technology to create and send personalized postcards via e-mail, text message, or Facebook. Consumers can even use PixyMe to send actual printed postcards through the mail. PixyMe’s fast popularity to the Top 100 Paid Social Networking Apps stems from the fact it connects people to their families, friends, or other social networks by artistically placing the recipient’s name into an image to appear as if it were photographed that way. For example, the name could be spelled out across the horizon over a lake at sunset or written on the snowy windshield of a car. This one-of-kind creative approach to picture personalization is designed to elicit both emotion and smiles.

Some of the key features of the PixyMe application are:

·         Over 100 images broken down by categories such as travel, holiday, and kids

·         The ability to key in the recipient’s name and watch a picture transform instantly with amazing realism

·         Simple interface that enables users to take a photo or select one from their camera

·         Provides several custom frames that wrap the personalization around the user’s own photo

·         The ability to add a personal message before completing the order

·         Fast production of image-personalized printed postcards

·         Fast delivery anywhere in the world via First Class mail

Having tried the application, I can attest that this process is quick and effortless. Users simply visit the App Store from their mobile device or on iTunes and purchase PixyMe for $1.99. The postcards, which are 4.25” x 5.625”, are printed on high-quality card stock and can mailed anywhere in the world--the stamp is included in the price. There is a charge of $1.99 per printed postcard mailed in the U.S., and $2.99 for postcards mailed to all other destinations.

I also had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion at PODi on January 26, 2010, where Tom McDermott, Founder and President of shoot it! was a participant. shoot it! is a postcard messaging application for the iPhone and the BlackBerry. It is available as a download at shootit.com as well as from the iPhone and BlackBerry App Stores. The shoot it! application enables users to take a picture, create a personal message, and have it mailed as a real postcard. The U.S., Western Europe, and Japan are currently open for this application.

shoot it! postcards are approximately 4” x 6”. They feature the sender’s custom photo on the front side and his/her personal message on the back side. The postcards are printed in 4-color output on heavy paper stock. The shoot it! application is designed to support either portrait or landscape photos. The system knows the difference and will orient the photo properly on the card. According to McDermott, “Good reproduction values are achieved with photos from 2 megapixel cameras or better or photos from 500 kb or better. Most phones can provide a high enough resolution for a nice reproduction.” For actual print production, McDermott has established partnerships with HP Indigo users around the globe.

Some of the key features of the shoot it! application include:

·         A simple user interface that utilizes photos from the user’s camera or photo library

·         Easy to add recipient addresses or the ability to choose them from a contact list

·         The ability to type a personal message right from the device keyboard. The postcards are similar in size and intent to traditional postcards, making them ideal for short notes. Consequently, 3-4 short sentences will typically fit nicely between a greeting and a valediction (sign off) line. Having said that, the postcards are designed to accommodate about 300 characters (depending on language) including spaces. The software is designed to print in a very readable 10-14 point typeface.

·         Fast production and delivery, with postcards printed and mailed the next business day

The application is free with one free shoot it! postcard included. Additional credits start at 99 cents for U.S. addresses, $1.25 for U.K. addresses, and $1.50 for other Western European addresses. Whether you are on a cruise ship, at a beach in Florida, enjoying fall color in Vermont, attending a wedding, or in the bleachers of the stadium, shoot it! enables users to share the moment with a personal note from their mobile device.

McDermott believes that shoot it! is much more than a business-to-consumer (B2C) application. Its applicability transcends into the business-to-business (B2B) as well as the small and medium-sized business (SMB) markets. If you’ve visited a car showroom, the sales rep can snap a photo of you in the car of your dreams and send a postcard to thank you for your visit. A veterinary doctor can take a photo of your pet and easily include it on your next postcard reminder notice. A salesperson that took a client on a golf outing could send that client a postcard follow-up to thank him for their business relationship. A local retail store owner could select merchandise linked very specifically to a customer's past purchases and send that person a special postcard invitation to the store.

Personalization, Triggered by Mobile Applications

During a 60 Minutes episode several months ago, someone asked Andy Rooney to take on the U.S. Postal service. Rooney’s comments were profound in a world where everyone is logged on and digitally connected. He stated, “The best mail is a letter from a friend or relative, but it’s sad to say that very little of what most of us get these days is that kind of mail. There’s something special about letters… we all like to receive them. On the other hand, an e-mail message has all the charm of a freight train.”

It is my belief that Tukaiz and shootit! have the right business models. These companies have considered the future, and it is mobile. In a world where smartphones will soon surpass personal computers in unit sales, print service providers must understand and build out mobile-to-print applications. While some service providers have been slow to adopt Web-to-print applications, market leaders will start working on mobile-to-print solutions today.