Discount for multiples of a single print?

[tirediron]

For those of you who offer (or try to offer) prints vice digital files as their primary product, do you offer a discount if someone buys multiple prints of a single image, and if so, how much? I have been offering 15%, which makes this a potentially excellent revenue stream, but typically I don't sell more than 2-3 copies of a single print from any given session.

This year I'm trying to get the concept of senior portraits going in my area (it's non-existent in Canada) and it seems to me that a greater discount for multiples might be a good hook, but I see it as a double-edged sword as it could lead to people just ordering 10 copies of "DSC_1234.jpg" vice 2 of five different images. Thoughts? Experiences?

 

[jeffW]

No experience with your question but do you really care if it encourages people to buy a couple extra copies. Your equation assumes they are going to buy 10 prints of either wouldn't it be more likely they are going to buy 10 prints with the discount or lets say seven of the variety pack? Again I have no experience with their mindset.

I will say this for the power of the senior portrait print, I went home and visited the family this summer and Mom still had my senior portrait print in a frame. (I use to have hair who would of thunk it)

 

[tirediron]

That's sort of the quandary. I would expect that print sales in the small range (5x7, 8x10) will do well, with Mom wanting one each for the various relatives. If I offer a reduced rate on multiples of one print, that may encourage them just to buy ten of DSC_XXXX vice one each of XXXX, YYYY, and ZZZZ, et cetera, thus saving them money, but losing it for me. At the same time, I don't really feel that it is ethical to charge the same per print price if someone orders ten copies of the same print, since it's no additional work....

 

[Dave442]

The multiple print discount is a good promotion. That 15% is probably good up to about 5 prints, you could probably go with a bigger discount for 10 or more. I can get an extra discount for 10 or more 8x10 prints (can be a mix of images) from my local printer.

 

[KenC]

Speaking strictly as a consumer, I don't think the discount would decrease sales. If someone wants multiple relatives to have a print, they're most likely to pick their favorite and get X copies. They may also get some other prints that they like (if pics of themselves or their kids). If anything, the discount might encourage someone to buy a larger number of multiple prints and copies of some others.

 

[table1349]

Simple solution. Will the printer give you a discount on multiple prints? If so pass it on to the customer. You don't loose and they are happy with a discount.

 

[tirediron]

Simple solution. Will the printer give you a discount on multiple prints? If so pass it on to the customer. You don't loose and they are happy with a discount.

Good point, but my price for a single print is based on the work required to produce it... given that there's less work required (as in virtually "none") for me to produce multiples.... ethically it does not seem right to charge full price. For the lab, there's the same work and materials to produce one or 100.

 

[table1349]

Simple solution. Will the printer give you a discount on multiple prints? If so pass it on to the customer. You don't loose and they are happy with a discount.

Good point, but my price for a single print is based on the work required to produce it... given that there's less work required (as in virtually "none") for me to produce multiples.... ethically it does not seem right to charge full price. For the lab, there's the same work and materials to produce one or 100.

There is still the cost of the printing. Many places in many lines of work give quantity discounts. There is less work for the printer to change that 1 to 10 in the number of prints than there is to print 10 separate images.

It's like it was in the old days with school photos. They offered discount packages because they could fit X amount of 1 image in various sizes on one sheet of paper. Less man hours allows for a discount. Prices went up when you didn't pick the offered predetermined sheet layouts.

 

[randymckown]

No I've never discounted multiple prints of single poses and here's why. So you're essentially targeting mom with your senior pic session. Mom has a list of people that she is going to send wallets to, who gets the 5x7's, who gets an 8x10, etc. These are prints purchased with the primary purpose of giving them away. Mom doesn't get to keep them. She makes a list before coming into the sales appointment of this is what I "need" to buy .. if she needs 20 giveaway prints she's going to buy 20 prints regardless of the price. She needs them in order to check everyone off her list. So, there's no point in offering a discount as it only hurts your profit.

What "you need" is focus on "her wants". That's where you're going to up-sell and increase profits from that client. Let's say you are trying to setup print packages and you base your up-sell method on additional gift prints (which are defined as wallets, 4x6, 5x7 & 8x10s). Nobody cares and you will start noticing clients down-selling themselves because they don't "need" that many 5x7's or 8x10's. Mom doesn't want a dozen 8x10s leftover for herself .. what would she do with those? What she really wants is that huge canvas on the wall in her family room or the designer layflat book to add to her senior shrine on the living room coffee table. These are the items she "wants" so those are what you need to use in your sales strategy.

Design your packages with an average "but slightly limited" selection of gift prints and this is key .... every single package contains the exact same number of gift prints. None of your packages are based on gift prints at all. If they need more gift prints they are going to buy them no matter what .. it's a need .. so now we are up-selling a higher percentage of our packages with a la carte items. Thinking like the client >> Well I just went over my original budget by $200 but I needed those gift prints to hand out so it had to be done .... but my wants have not been fulfilled yet sooooooo it looks like I'm increasing my budget LOL

Now you focus on those wants and start to up-sell the packages based on designer products. This package gives you a discount on wall portraits (anything larger than 16x20) .. This packages focuses on the designer layflat book and so on.

A good trick on up-selling packages .. Let's say you offer Packages A, B, C & D each increasing in price. You want to sell Package D since you make more money on it right? In that case, you need to create Package E. Package E is the big daddy package that includes everything you offer and costs more than 99% of what your clients will ever spend. Package E has one sole purpose ... to make the price of Package D look awesome! You always start the sales appointment by going over Package E while pointing out that even if they are not interested in the largest package .. it contains all of your designer products so its a great way for them to see everything you have to offer and you can answer any questions on specific products. What you are really doing is A) letting them touch everything you sell because when people touch things they are more likely to want them and B) once they are finished looking at Package E, the price of Package D starts looking a whole lot better.

 

[tirediron]

Good points, and I appreciate the great info, however I'm strictly an a-la-carte person as far as sales go. Most of my customers are older; senior citizens and they tend to be very definite about what they want.

 

[PersistentNomad]

Most of my customers are older; senior citizens and they tend to be very definite about what they want.

But if you are trying to expand your business, this isn't necessarily going to be true anymore. Now you're dealing with moms. Moms are a whole different breed, and they are known to splurge on things that exemplify how amazingly wonderful they think their kids are.
Personally, as a consumer, I prefer a la carte options. I don't think I've ever looked at any photography package and been like "This! It has everything I need and nothing I don't!" I also would be more inclined to take advantage of a discount option that was "If you order $X in prints, you'll get 10% off your order." That way, if you are offering me whatever quantities of whatever size I want, I'm not buying three extra prints I'm not going to use just to save some bucks, mostly because it won't end up saving me that much. A discount like that would also get me to buy an extra of one or two of them "just in case" because it would be more justified (to me).

 

[snowbear]

As a consumer, I always like a mix-and-match option: "I'll take two of this one, five of this other one and three of that." Maybe set the discount on total number or certain sizes, regardless of how many for a particular pose.

 

[tirediron]

As a consumer, I always like a mix-and-match option: "I'll take two of this one, five of this other one and three of that." Maybe set the discount on total number or certain sizes, regardless of how many for a particular pose.

An approach I hadn't considered; the problem I see is that if they order a number of different prints, and 1-2 of each, that requires significantly more work than 20 of one print.