Kodak Alaris today unveiled the KODAK Photo Service, which opens the company's worldwide installed base of KODAK Picture Kiosks and printers to content providers, creating new revenue streams for both them and retailers. More and more, consumers capture, edit and share their images in a digital environment. At the same time, consumers have limited options for quick, easy pathways to create physical output from this valuable content. This program removes barriers to printing by giving consumers an easy-to-use, proven way to print their favorite content from their favorite mobile, desktop and web applications. They simply choose what they wish to print, pick the most convenient retail location at which to pick-up products, and place their order, all from their favorite devices at home and on the road. Kodak Alaris formally introduced the program at the inaugural Mobile Photo Connect Conference in San Francisco.
"With a global brand, photo expertise and more than 100,000 touch points at retail locations, Kodak Alaris is in the unique position to create this new marketplace for content owners and retailers," said Darren Johnson, vice president and chief growth officer, Kodak Alaris' Personalized Imaging. "We bridge the gap between digital creativity and physical product and collectively bring exciting new offerings to the end-consumer. By combining their individual value propositions with our retail solutions into a comprehensive program, we will be able to create one-stop shop for consumers' personalized content needs."
Content Providers Gain Global Reach Through Proven Channel
By opening its KODAK Network Services APIs, Kodak Alaris gives content providers who join the KODAK Photo Service program immediate access to its global retail network. By providing this access, content providers can create a simple print-to-store option for their consumers to turn digital content into treasured physical content. Applications and content providers certified for the program include: CameraAce (TecAce); Chappters (iEvoke); Chip Photobook (Onpics); Comic Touch (Plasq); Perfect365 (ArcSoft); PicMix (Inovidea Magna Global); pixmix (Pixmix Ltd); PixStack Photo Editor (Recursify); Postify Print (Postify); Watch The Birdie (Albert Frischmann Consulting); and WedPics (Deja Mi).
New Offerings for Retailers Maximize Current Investments
For retail partners, the KODAK Photo Service program creates immediate opportunities to increase utilization of their installed base of KODAK Printers through Kodak Alaris' net-to-retail system. Retailers can accept and print a wide variety of content from mobile, desktop and web-based applications, dramatically increasing the utilization of their printers without additional investment. Retailers participating in this program include Target and Bartell Drugs in the US. Also, dm-drogerie markt in Germany intends to join the program in time for the holidays, with more expected to join globally in the coming months.
