We're set to unveil Taopix Version 5, including our new, improved HTML5 online designer platform, at Duplo’s London Calling event in East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf this week (15th – 16th October). In a second interview with us, the eve before the show, Dianne Moralee, Taopix Sales Director, gave us a taste of what’s to come with the new platform and it’s impact on the print and photo gift worlds.
So Di, what’s different about the new version of Taopix Online?
‘Taopix Version 5 represents a completely new generation of photo personalisation software and includes the brand new Taopix Mobile, our mobile-optimised web app and an updated version of Taopix Online, our HTML5 based designer. This year we’ve concentrated on designing new interfaces and seamless user journeys.
As our CEO, James Gray, mentioned when we announced we’d be launching Taopix Mobile recently, the aim has always been to ensure that the consumer creates what they want, how they want and can go through the design and order process in as few clicks as possible.
Our customers consist of businesses who want to brand and customise the Taopix platform and use it to sell personalised photo gifts and books. We’ve concentrated on adding and refining features to the user journey that encourage consumers to spend more online and therefore make a real difference to our customer’s bottom line. These include optimised workflows for single prints, wall art, calendars, cards, themed books, quick books and ready books which allow consumers to order from their mobile or their tablet device in just a few clicks.’
What was the aim of the new Taopix Version 5 development?
‘The aim of evolving Taopix into a device-agnostic platform was a simple one: to open it up to a much wider audience; giving our customers the ability to offer a wider range of products and services to a broader spectrum of users, locations and situations.’
How important is it for Taopix customers to capture the mobile and tablet market?
‘It’s highly important that those who want to capture the ecommerce market provide an offering which appeals to mobile and tablet users too. Industry data continues to tell us that increasingly online shoppers are turning to tablet and mobile to make online purchases. In a survey by UPS from 2013,* 60% of respondents owned a smartphone and 32% own a tablet. Smartphone and tablet penetration is particularly high in France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Among those who own a tablet, 62% make purchases on the tablet in a typical three-month period compared to 49% of smartphone owners. Given the relatively high buying penetration within these channels – particularly as adoption of devices continues to increase – it has never been more important for retailers to ensure they are at the forefront of mobile commerce strategies. And industry statistics show us that this figure is only set to increase further.’
Why was it important to have seamless user journeys for mobile and tablet?
‘In our market, the key to making high volumes of sales on mobile devices is to offer the right types of products and to create a buying experience that is fast and easy. Sounds obvious, but when the product traditionally involves spending time on creative and personalisation tasks, that can become a challenge if the user is provided with multiple personalisation options and so we concentrated on creating a series of product specific user journeys.
The right type of personalised photo product is one where minimal creative input is required from the consumer – we find that the more opportunity you give a user to get creative with a product the more this increases the time they spend on it (even if they didn’t intend to or aren’t creative), and the more time a mobile user spends on creating a product increases the likelihood that they will abandon it before completing the purchase. Taopix Mobile is therefore designed for products such as canvases, posters, calendars, pre-designed books and Single Prints. To ensure those users don’t get sucked into lots of decisions about the appearance of their product, the Taopix mobile and tablet user interfaces are designed to give the user only what they need at a particular point in the process, and only the features that we think are critical for them to create a product they are happy with.'
Why is the addition of a seamless user journey for single prints important?
According to Futuresource,** photo prints generate a large amount of revenue, accounting for around 57% of combined consumer photo prints, photobook and photo-merchandise retail revenue in Europe in 2013 and, we anticipate, 53% in 2014. That being said, the way in which consumers want to order single prints, particular on their mobile and tablet, is different from how they might want to create and customise a personalised photo gift. We’ve designed and created a workflow that allows consumers to order multiple sets of prints at different sizes in just a few clicks, whilst on their mobile or tablet device.’
What else can visitors expect to see from Taopix at the London Calling show?
As this is a print related show, we will be showing examples of how businesses can use the Taopix platform to explore new revenues. One of the ideas we will be showcasing is the idea of print and photo manufacturers pairing up with partners to produce B2B gifts and drive customer acquisition.
Thanks Di, enjoy the London Calling show!
If you'd like to talk to us about our new V5 platform, please get in touch, we'd be happy to chat! To find out more about London Calling and to register for the event, please visit: www.duplolondoncalling.com
* © 2013 United Parcel Service of America, Inc., Pulse of the Online Shopper, September 2013, The study analyses data from a survey of more than 5,500 online shoppers in 6 European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK). ** Futuresource consulting, June 2014.