Backgrounds: this can be a truly divisive feature option. Through our exposure to the industry, we have noticed a clear preference for the style of background depending on the demographic of the shopper. Lucky for Fotomerchant customers, the 36pix team has provided us with an extensive range of backgrounds to please the fussiest shoppers. I’m looking at you, Grandma.
Why Bother with Backgrounds?
If you have perused our recent national survey documentation, you may have seen some interesting findings about backgrounds. These are important to consider when you are kitting out your Fotomerchant background gallery options. So let’s start your introduction to Fotomerchant backgrounds here and get elbow deep in some data.
It is important to first lay down some demographic information from the 30K parents who completed our survey:
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99.7% were residing in the United States
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93.1% were Female identifying
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49.8% were 36-45 years old
Make of that demographic what you will, but keep this in mind when looking at the following stats. Half of these survey participants listed that 52.7% of their school photographers provide backgrounds.
Hold onto your seats. If you are a studio in the 47.3% percentile that doesn’t provide backgrounds, look at the graphic below. Yes, you are reading that correctly 81.1% of parents would like to see some backgrounds. I bet you are glad you clicked on this article now. First of all, you’re welcome; second of all, get some backgrounds!
Woah Woah! Easy there. Just because you have a bunch of backgrounds does not mean you should show them all. Have you ever stood in the supermarket, frozen by choice of cereal? Yeh, your shoppers have as well. Don’t freeze your customers with the paradox of choice. Show fewer backgrounds and make the shopper’s decision easy.
To help inform your decisions on which backgrounds to prioritize, we included a question about the type/style in our survey. As you can see below, basic colors were an obvious winner at 28.6% Textures closely followed this at 22.4%. What this data tells us is that sometimes less is more. Hence, simple, basic color backgrounds let the student be the star of the show. View the graphic below to see how other background options were scaled.
The demographic of the shopper can often influence the background they choose, which can vary from school to school. Why not do your very own split test with your backgrounds? Provide one school with some basic colored/textural backgrounds and another with more themed/school environment backgrounds. Using our handy reporting system, you can then analyze how often the backgrounds are added to the cart. Decipher the popular backgrounds depending on whether the shopper’s child is a senior vs. in a primary school. Let us know your findings; as you can probably tell by now, we are true data nerds!
36Pix
So, now you are as excited about green screen backgrounds as we are, let me introduce 36Pix. 36Pix has been providing us with new backgrounds so you can offer your customers some snazzy options. You can check out our webinar with 36Pix for more details about our partnership.
Here are some of the new premium backgrounds available to Fotomerchant customers:
How does this look within the shopping cart, I hear you ask? Click the video below to see these bad boys in action:
The video above gives you a quick run-through of where to set up and view your green screen backgrounds. First, go into your media library on the left panel. You will see a background folder with some standard backgrounds. If you click the folder below, CloudCT Premium Backgrounds, you can view our premium backgrounds. This folder is updated throughout the season, meaning you can spice up your backgrounds regularly. Never a dull background day with us here! Stay up to date with the freshest styles and designs.
Adding backgrounds gives your shoppers a dynamic and visual experience. It allows them to sprinkle some personality into their print and create the perfect piece to sit in their family home. That’s what is at the heart of backgrounds, and it’s the customization to make their print feel more like their own. So don’t deny your parents any longer. Instead, provide them with backgrounds that warm their heart and widen their smile.
That’s a Knockout!
Behind every good background is a good knockout. To create a seamless transition of a student onto a background, use our knockout feature in Studio.
No, Jessica isn’t having a photoshoot on a beautiful autumn day; she is actually sitting on a stool in rainy Buffalo. 
Behold the work of our magical AI knockout technology.
Click here to read a recent blog about how you can automate your background knockouts. Then, if you are still hungry for more, why not head over and watch our webinar about pre-order automation and the role knockouts play? Thanks for hearing me out about the importance of backgrounds; I promise you won’t regret adding some color and personality to your shopper’s carts.
