Why are Custom Frame Shops Failing

Internet since its advent has been a disruptive force. We are currently in the middle of an unfolding era of disruption, driven by digital technology, which rivals the level of systemic change experienced during the industrial age. It is now as it was then; established business models and work practices that enjoyed success for decades are being challenged or are no longer viable. Picture framing industry has not been untouched of this revolution and has suffered its share of disruption.

Now is the time to gain an overview and deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which this disruption happens so you can identify the opportunities and defend against the threats.

Online disruptor more often than or not do not own the physical assets that deliver the primary service; they are disruptive and successful because they reorganize the allocation of supply and demand through the gathering and exploitation of information, often aided by sophisticated analytics. In this way they can achieve scale, and cause disruption, extremely quickly.

In light of this, traditional frame shop owners have often denounced the internet for the staggering decline in their business. The status of framing industry today can be compared with the era when mp3 first emerged, and even still, when Apple launched the iPod, the technology was dismissed by many as inferior to CD in terms of sound quality. Yet, over time, mp3 compression improved, but more importantly, new portable devices changed the role of music in society and what is regarded as important about the service (e.g. portability, mobility and connectivity of devices, instant gratification and enjoying music everywhere). As a result the technology became mainstream and disrupted the industry to the extent that a computer company became the largest seller of music world-wide.

In same manner framing industry is started being disrupted by online framers. However few things need to be noticed when comparing online shops to traditional brick and mortar shops.

Making an assumption that buying frame online is the best way and often the most preferred way is a wrong assumption. Nothing can replace the experience of face to face interaction with an experienced framer, rather than comparing product on a laptop screen. Buying a frame is more complex than buying a predefined product. Frames have various components that needs careful consideration and often require proper guidance to choose the right material. So bottom line is that while customer can get heavy discount online but they do not receive the same service as their local custom frame shop.

Yet, still custom frame shops sales are falling and main reason for it lies somewhere else. Popularization of the digital camera has essentially given the ability to click unlimited photos. This has increased the average number of photo in a household. Digital cameras allows pictures to be easily viewed, manipulated, printed and stored for later. Also with advent of mass produced cheap readymade frame which are inexpensive to manufacture has flooded the market. This gave easy access to frames and helped consumers easily and quickly satiate there hunger of framing there pictures.

What is the future of custom frame shop, it is not 100% clear but they sure still enjoy their unique selling point among few. However , only time will tell whether consumer shifts back to the custom frames, or online shops, digital cameras and ready-made frames will completely kill an industry which thrived on skills, face to face interaction and great craftsmanship.