Over the past few years, Snapfish has become arguably the most popular photo sharing and photo book creating site online and enjoys a larger share of the online market as compared to its rival Shutterfly. Though, traffic to both the photo servicing sites, Snapfish and Shutterfly, have risen of late, the rise in Snapfish’s traffic has been much higher.
The higher popularity however does not necessarily mean that Snapfish offers greater quality of services. Rather, it is a reflection of the number of referring sites present with respect to both Shutterfly and Snapfish. When it comes to referring sites letting users link back to Shutterfly or Snapfish, Snapfish has a clear advantage with as many as 9 of the 15 top referring sites providing more referrals to Snapfish than Shutterfly. Snapfish particularly benefitted from Oprah.com where users received an 8×11 page custom photo book free of charge through Snapfish by making use of an online coupon.
When it comes to actual photo editing, some may say that Shutterfly offers certain advantages as compared to Snapfish. Take the following example. Cameras have a dynamic range that views any scene differently and this makes it quite difficult to print 4×6’s. A majority of cameras offer an aspect ratio of 4:3. Hence, a printed 4×6 photo needs cropping. To solve this problem, Snapfish provides a 4×5.3 option called ‘True Digital’ that prints the photo without cropping it. However, 4×6 frames will not work through this selection. Shutterfly on the other hand lets you choose your own crop. Hence, when you choose the 4×6 photo option, a preview screen is shown where you can drag your photo and indicate where you want to crop it. Thus, Shutterfly can be said to provide better photo editing services.
The above notwithstanding, personal preferences must be taken into account. Snapfish would probably be preferred by people who like simple yet sophisticated designs. Shutterfly is more tailored towards those who enjoy classic designs. Besides services, customer experience is also an important part of the comparison. Snapfish, in addition to having efficient customer services, also provides beginners with easy how-to steps and advice to get started with their photo needs.
December 12, 2011
News