Market of Professional Photo Service - Research Paper Example

Quantitative market research report: professional photo service Introduction It is apparent that photography plays a critical role in making memories of people alive. Every individual, organization and groups of people want to keep memory of certain events and occurrences for future reference. In this regard, there is a need to have quality and long lasting photos. Nevertheless, with the speedy growth of the technology, many people can be able to take and print photos without the need to use the services of a professional photographer. However, it will be acknowledged that not everybody can take and produce high quality photos thus the need for a professional photographer and other photo services. In addition, although the main aim of taking photos is for memory purposes, many people have gone beyond this tradition belief, and incorporated other aspects such as taking photos for fun, marketing strategies for business among other aspects (Davis 11). In this regard, most people in the UK have decided to seek professional help in matters pertaining to photography services. This is because professional photographer may have a variety of services such as editing photos, adding literature in them and even blending them to bring out the desired purpose of the customer (Allen 7). On the other hand, it is apparent that there a great need to have professional photo services for such purposes. 2. Literature review Importance of using professional photo services for business Due to high competition in the current markets, businesses have decided to spice their marketing strategies in order to develop and maintain competitive advantage that would enable them thrive in a highly competitive market. In this regard, professional photo services play a critical role in informing customers of new and exciting products (Adrian 49). For instance, a hotel may decide to use professional photo services to display some of their new foods. A clear and quality dish would entice customers and want to have it as their meal for that day. Professional photo services ensure that photography goes beyond just taking and producing photos. For example, professional photographers can advise the business owner of the best place to place their pictures depending on the nature of the business (Jacobs 15). In hotel business, entrances and table menus acts as the best places to place advertisement pictures. In addition, they are in a better position to advise the business owner of additional materials to incorporate on the picture (Obermeier and Padova 74). For businesses advertising on the internet and especially via their websites, professional photo services could decide of the best photos to be placed on the website in line with the target market and the line of business (Folsom and Goodridge 12). A good example of a professional photo services is McDonalds. Although there has been heated debate on the dietary and unhealthy effects of fast foods, McDonalds has managed to maintain a considerable number of customers due to its use of professional photo services, which are well displayed on its website and its outlets across the globe. Company vehicles are well branded with photos of different fast foods such as styled hamburger, which entices people even those that clearly know about the effects of fast foods. Studies have documented that quality photos can be used to sell a product or hurt the business greatly. A poor photo can display a negative image of business products thus affecting business performance. For instance, a poorly taken or displayed photo can translate to poor quality products, and this can shun away customers (Johnson 298). A good and quality photo can attract new customers as well as maintain the already existing ones (Malhotra and Birks 24). In this regard, professional photo services can determine the best photos to entice customers, and which; can impress them on their first encounter with them. Studies have also documented that photos can be used to put across several meanings and are used to communicate effectively to customers. The first impression of photos, customers get interested in knowing the product and the kind of services offered by the company (Tuck 5). Importance of using professional photo services for Family photos Many families have the urge to retain some memories of their own, for instance, baby photos are known to be a norm for many families. Parents like retaining baby photos for the memory of their children when they were babies. They act as a reminder of the way things were when the baby was born. As such, it is critical to have professional photo services that would produce photos of high quality and which would last for long (Hawkins 9). In addition, functions such as weddings, burials and other social functions are highly regarded. Therefore, there is a need for such families to consult from professional photo services for quality photography and other related services (Dorr 8). Importance of using professional photo services for fun With the new technology taking over the traditional photography, there is a need to have professional photo services by many people. In the contemporary world and with increased technology and innovations, many people do not find the need to hire professional photographers since they can take photos even with phones. However, such photos are considered for fun and cannot be of high quality because everybody can take photos anytime they like as long as they have the necessary equipments to do so. As such, people have considered it ideal to seek professional photo services in order to diverge from the usual photo services available in many devices (Lilley 9). However, with new software that can integrate many things in a photo, many people have decided to consult professional photo services in order to incorporate a few things in photos that are used to blend in new stuffs that enhance the memories and message contained in the photo (Nickell 12). However, there has been a heated debate on the need to use professional photo services that are considered expensive while one can use available devices to take photos on their own at no cost. Nevertheless, different people have different opinions on the reason as to why professional photo services are expensive. Many believe that they are expensive because they produce quality photo services while others believe that it is a waste of money. In order to ascertain about the need for professional photo services in UK, the current study opted for clear articulation of the subject matter by conducting a research on the same. However, in order to have a comprehensive and elucidate on the same, the study investigated on the subject matter by a way of collecting fact hand data from participants in the UK market. 3. Methodology Firsthand data is critical in ascertaining or when investigating a matter that requires proof (Fink 60). In this regard, the current study investigated the issue of the use of professional photo services by utilizing cross-sectional survey design. This involved cross examining respondents that were purposively selected to represent professional photographers and professional photo services customers. Data collection tools The study utilized both questionnaire and interviews to gather in formation of the preference of professional photo services. Questionnaire was used to gather information from professional photographers while interview guide was used to gather data from professional photo services customers. The two instruments were considered ideal for they are efficient in such kind of study (Crowther and Lancaster 77). Target population The population used in the current study comprised of UK citizens and professional photographers. Sampling design and size It was crucial to use sampling design instead of census because the size of the population was large hence covering the whole population was considered impractical (Kothari 2). 50 people were considered representatives of the UK citizens that use professional photo services. 3 interviewees were selected to represent professional photographers. Data analysis and presentation The collected data was analysed using inferential statistics. The data was then presented in graphs and charts. Ethical issues It is critical for ant researcher to consider ethical issues when conducting research. For instance, the current research found it critical to seek permission from relevant authorities (Polonsky and Waller 67) before commencing on data collection from employees employed as professional photo services. In addition, respondents were assured of anonymity and secrecy of their participation by the researcher (Kimmel 26). It was also essential to enlighten the participants of their right to withdraw from the study any time they felt necessary to do so. Any embarrassing questions or assertions were avoided in order to avoid causing psychological and physical harm to the respondents (Miller 2). 4. Data analysis and presentation A 100% rate of response was obtained from the study. Nevertheless, 10 questionnaires were regarded as invalided because they were poorly filled. Therefore, they were not included in the analysis. 4.1 Gender The majority of responded 21 (52%) were female while 19 (48%) represented male respondents. Source: Researcher (Analyzed data) 4.2 Types of photos equipments used Findings of the study indicated that a majority of the respondents 26 (65%) use professional photo services. In addition, 8 (20%) of the respondents use phone while 6 (15%) used I Pad. No other response was obtained for these variables. Source: Researcher (Analyzed data) 4.3 Types of services interested in The majority of respondents 22 (54%) pointed out that they were interested in editing and printing. In addition 14 (36%) of respondents indicated that they preferred hiring equipment while only 4 (10%) pointed out that they preferred lesson. These results indicate that many people are using their equipments in taking photos, and that is why a majority of them seek professional printing and editing. However, most of them think that taking lessons could be a waste of time. Source: Researcher (Analyzed data) 4.4 Challenges hindering the use of professional photo services The majority of respondents 34 i.e. (85%) indicated that there were problems hindering the use of professional photo services. However, 6 (15%) of respondents could not make up on their minds on whether or not there were any problems hindering the use of professional photo services. Source: Researcher (Analyzed data) 4.5 importances of professional photo services According to the research, 30 (75%) of respondents indicated that the use of professional photo services was extremely important to them. In addition, 10 (25%) indicated that the use of professional photo services was important to them. This is a clear indication that most people recognised the importance of professional photo services and that is why they considered it of most importance. Source: Researcher (Analyzed data) 4.6: Events for choosing professional photo services The majority of respondents 22 (56%) indicated that they chose professional photo services for family purposes. In addition, 14 (34%) of respondents went for professional photo services for businesses. Only 4 (10%) of respondents indicated that they chose professional photo services for fun. No other response was obtained for this variable. Source: Researcher (Analyzed data) Interviews First interviewee The first interviewee noted that they offered all types of photo services. “We offer all types of photo services including hiring of equipments, editing and printing, photography and lessons. When asked whether they receive the desired number of customers for each service, the interviewee noted that “I cannot complain about that. However, we get very few clients to take lessons in different fields of photography. I think, they think that taking lessons in photography only goes to people that want to be professional photographer as their career.” When asked about the challenges they face in their business, the interviewee noted that “Sometimes some customers destroy our equipments, and we have mostly had trouble requesting them to service them. Some are not professional photographers and that is why they end up destroying the equipments.” Second interviewee When asked about the type of photo services they offer, she said: “we offer all of them, but the frequency of use is different. There are those that are used more often than others. For instance, very few people come for photography lessons yet they want to hire our equipments even when they do not know how to use them. When asked whether they receive the desired number of customers for each of the services, she noted that editing and printing are the most used services seconded by equipment hiring. On the issue of challenges they face in the course of their business, the respondent noted that they are many. For instance, she said, “Some customers want to pay less than we charge because they believe photography is not an important service since technology has improved and that one can even use a phone to take photos. In fact, I remember a certain customer that wanted to print her photos, but when we told her how much we charge, she said that she could not pay that much, and that she would rather go and buy printing machine because she already have a phone that she take photos with.” You see, such customers are very stubborn and do not respect photography as a business or a professional. Third interviewee When asked about the types of professional photo services they offer, he said that they offered all of them apart from lessons. When asked about whether they received the desired number of customers for each of the services, he said “I think people have started to realize the importance of using professional photo services. In the yester years when the technology of phone was coming up, our businesses reduced because many people rushed to using their phones and other gadgets in taking photos. However, I think after using them for a while, many people have realised that there is a need to use professional photo services because of the quality. When asked about the challenges they faced in their business, he said that many challenges revolved around mistreatment by customers who think that their services can be offered by anybody as long as they have the equipments. Conclusion According to the findings of the study, it is apparent that many people have realised the need of using professional photo services. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that many people do not take photography lessons. This ends up affecting the quality of photos they produce especially when not under the guidance of a professional photographer. In essence, that is why they end up destroying the equipments they hire because they lack the expertise to use them. However, for those that use professional photo services effectively, they enjoy quality photos and for those that use them for advertisement purposes, their businesses boom. In light of these deliberations, it is evident that the use of professional photo services is critical to people in UK although they have alternative ways of taking and printing photos. Works cited: Malhotra, Naresh and Birks, David. Marketing research: an applied approach. Harlow, England; New York, N.Y.: Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. Adrian, Bonnie. Framing the bride: globalizing beauty and romance in Taiwan's bridal industry. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2003. Print. Folsom, William and Goodridge, James. 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Commercial photography handbook: business techniques for professional digital photographers. Buffalo, N.Y.: Amherst Media Inc., 2010. Print. Appendix1: Questionnaire This questionnaire aims to document the influence of UK people in choosing professional photo services. i) Gender Gender Male () Female ( ) ii) Type of photo services used a) Phone b) iPad c) Professional photo services d) My personal camera e) Friends camera 1. What interests you in professional photo services? (Tick all that apply) a) lesson b) Hiring equipment c) Editing and printing 4. In your opinion, are there any problems hindering the use of professional photo services? a) Yes b) No c) Can’t tell 5. According to you, how important is the use of professional photo services? a) Extremely Important b) Important c) Not important d) Can’t tell 6. In what events do you choose professional photo services? a) Family purposes b) Fun c) Business d) Other____________________________________ Appendix 2: Interview guide 1. What kind of photo services do you offer? 2. Do you receive the desired number of customers for each service? 3. What challenges do you have in your business? Read More