A case study in ecommerce consulting for an established Photobook brand's entry into overseas markets.

1. A Case Study in
Ecommerce Consulting
for an established photobook
brand's entry into overseas markets

2. Understanding the client's requisites; we devised a strategy to assess factors one by one; the ones
that determine the success of this business prototype. We gave a brief report with our concluding
statements about the findings. The key aspects of the report are highlighted in the pages that
follow.
Tools & Tactics
We used numerous methods- both traditional and nontraditional, like going through
online thesis documents for Indian perfume market & consumer behavior, personal
interviews, yearly trend results of popular portals, mystery shopping etc.
Research Data:
- ComScore
- Econsultancy
- Forrester
- Internet Retailers
Search Engine Statistics Portals (SEOMOZ, SemRush etc.)
- For keywords ranking, website visitors, paid marketing ads etc.
Competition Portals Statistics: (Simply measured, Markosweb etc.)
- Competition Analysis
- Number of Visitors , Avg. Time Spent, Geographies
- Demographic Statistics
- Gender Ratio of Buyers
- Technology Platforms
Market Trends: (Google, EBay, Amazon etc.)
- Market Segmentation
- Consumer Trends & Buying Behavior
- Demographic Statistics
- Product Research
Nontraditional Methods:
- Mystery Shopping
- Contacting logistic suppliers and checking their reliability with existing customers
02
Our Solution
Company Background
Photo Orange is a premium Digital Printing company that started in 2010 as a division of Shree
Printwell Offset Pvt. Ltd, an established brand with over two decades of printing experience. Their
key offerings are Photobooks, Brochures, Catalogues, Visual Ads, Posters, Calendars, Diaries, etc.
PhotoOrange has earned the loyalty of hundreds of photographers who are professionally
associated with the brand. The company is now concentrating on its core business proposition;
Wedding Photobooks.
PhotoOrange now aims to explore its scope in developed markets overseas.
The Challenge
PhotoOrange as a business has succeeded so far on a B2B Model in India. The client base it
thrives on are professional photographers.
To reach its true potential it would have to shift focus to the B2C market- the brides looking for a
beautiful photobook. They could find a mature and ready customer pool in the developed
countries where all brides are photobook savvy, and customized photobooks is a million dollar
business.
But, venturing into an established market (USA & UK) has various risks. Therefore, PhotoOrange
sought to comprehend the market scenario and compare its own offering with key players.
It is better to test unknown water before you dive in. We were asked to gather information on:
• Revenue models of successful photobook businesses
• Service catalogs of printing giants in the UK & USA
• Target audience demographics
• The e-consumer's behavior
• Technical capabilities of online photobook software
• Marketing tactics of competitors
• Major competitor Search Marketing Analysis
01

3. I. We gave the client an overview of
Photobooks are a great way to recall your most memorable moments and commemorate it. It
brings tears to some while others have a laugh riot.
Key indicators that emerged from our findings expelled all prejudices that
our client had about exploring a mature market dominated by established
players. Our client got a clear picture as to where to focus.
03
the online photobook industry in
the USA
II. Since the client has dealt with only
local photographers, international
e-Consumer's Behavior had to be
studied before setting sail
RIGHT
PRODUCT MIX
SIMPLE
INTERFACE
END USER
GIFTING
SEASON
SOCIAL MEDIA
CONNECT
DEVELOP
COMMUNITY
What made our research different from a common data compilation?
04
The e-Consumer's purchasing behavior varies
from country to country depending on
various factors. Our client; PhotoOrange
showed interest in learning about different
markets across the globe, understanding its
core competence and acceptance. To
interpret the fundamentals of this booming
Industry, we analyzed the influence of
various elements on the end users and their
purchasing habits.
Our insights came from various efforts. We carried out:
• Consumer profiling
• Conversion Rate Research
• Study of Recurring Shopping Patterns
• Analysis of Psychographics
• Monitoring of SEO Values
• Research on Company Policies
TARGET
AUDIENCE
Our in-depth research on all these elements exposed ground realities and
helped our client change his marketing tactics so that they could cause
maximum impact.
III. A quick glimpse at the media
planning and spend of competitors
provided very helpful tips
The consumer touch points in overseas markets are different from those in India.
• In–depth analysis of Google AdWords employed by Photobook businesses
• Technical Capabilities of each competitor
• Market Share of each competitor
• Marketing Strategies employed by each competitor
• Media Planning by competitors
We highlighted the most effective media for marketing Photobooks in the
U.S.A. that has generated the highest ROI for different competitors.

4. IV. Top ten player countdown formed a
crucial part of our report
Learning your competitor's tricks and techniques can highlight many aspects of the business that
may have gone unnoticed. In our research, we analyzed the top 10 players and their primary
customers.
· Shutterfly.com
· Lulu.com
· Blurb.com
· Cardstore.com
· Mixbook.com
· Tinyprints.com
Our analysis on competitors' core strengths drew a picture of their efficacy
and set up a benchmark for PhotoOrange to follow. Our comprehensive
study about their market share and dominance enabled PhotoOrange to
plan accordingly.
V. SEO Tactic Analysis of Competitor
Websites helped pave the way to a
digital marketing strategy
We researched the following criteria about the search marketing activity carried out by the major
competitor in 20 countries:
05
· Weddingpaperdivas.com
· Mypublisher.com
· Punchbowl.com
· Beeyondpaper.com
· Americangreetings.com
Many of the major competitors rise above each other in some or the other aspect of the business.
Their offerings are unique. Our research shows that their reach is vast and has well established
business layout to enhance customer experience and improve conversion rate.
• Common Keywords
• AdWords Keywords
• AdWords Traffic
• AdWords Cost
• Organic keywords
Initially, PhotoOrange was very certain to follow an identical SEM strategy
exercised by them in India. But, the report compelled them to retreat and
propose new strategies to get through to their target audience.
VI. And finally, we also did not forget to
06
look up the main thing that
mattered: Technical Aspects of the
Photobook Software
The credit for the success of online Photobooks goes to the idea of making them online by adding
photos, selecting themes, then template, customizing it a little and at last ordering it at the click
of a mouse!
While performing Software reviews, we took many elements into
consideration before suggesting it to our client. Our conscious effort to
minimize the software selection procedure and filtering them to serve the
purpose of the client helped PhotoOrange to drill down on one particular
software that excels in terms of performance but remains cost effective.
“The report helped me to get an overall view of the market. However we are still looking for
product differentiation or strategy differentiation that would help us in the new geographies. A key
insight I obtained from the research was how web marketing can work wonders for your business.”
Dwipal Patel
Marketing Director, Offset & Digital,
PhotoOrange
What does the client have to say about the research?

5. 1, Ground Floor, Shitiratna, Nr. Radisson Blu Hotel,
Panchvati Cross Road, Ahmedabad, India.
E-mail: info@ecumenconsultancy.com
Phone: +91 98240 88036
www.ecumenconsultancy.com
Talk to Ecumen today!