Walmart & HP Deliver In-Store "Prints in Minutes" Service Nationwide

In the world of retail, it's the nature of the beast that stores must routinely undergo a facelift to keep up with the times to maintain a modern look and appeal with its customer base. In an ever-changing world of disposable technologies, this is even more true with technology displays and in store consumer usable technologies.

Earlier this Spring, HP announced a strategic partnership with Walmart in rolling out a "Prints in Minutes" Service and "Advanced Creative Tools for Customers" in its Photo Departments on a nationwide scale. The retail publishing service which was announced this past May is scheduled to be completed and in the departments of the world's largest retailer's 3,600 of its stores by the end of summer. Wal-Mart chose HP as its in-store solutions provider after a pilot program improved overall customer satisfaction and the ability to efficiently address high-volume photo orders.

Declared and promoted to be a better, faster self-serve photo experience, the "Prints in Minutes" service will allow Walmart Photo Department customers to order 4 x 6, 5 x 7, and 8 x 10 inch photo prints, collage prints, calendar pages, and greeting cards. A part of the service also allows customers to order photo prints in a variety of sizes, and photo cards from the convenience of home - and for pickup at participating Walmart stores, by using Snapfish, an online personal publishing service offered by HP.

The "Prints in Minutes" in-store service will feature a self-serve HP Instant Print Solution. This is a front-of-counter system that will let consumers pick up orders for prints and creative products within minutes after ordering. Customers may also choose to pick up the prints at a later time by using what HP is calling a secure order storage and release feature. Of great benefit, the system is unattended and will allow Walmart to increase its photo center traffic and without the overhead of labor costs. As far as print technology and quality is concerned, the printing system will be powered by the compact and efficient HP Photosmart PM2000e Microlab printer which reportedly offers lab-quality photo output.

According to HP's press release, the system is also green. Components such as dry-assembly photo books are reusable and use no harmful glues in the binding system. Printing supplies can be recycled easily via the HP Planet Partners Return and Recycling program. Additionally, 100 percent of the consumer photo paper is from suppliers that are certified for sustainable forestry

Sources/Resources:

HP Official Press Release