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Click & connect - part 3 of 1 2 3

Published 02/02/2015

20 years in business, helping the business

Looking back 20 years, Charlie Kaufman sees plenty of pinch-yourself moments but says that, fittingly, the highlight had to be Click winning Best Professional Service in 2012 and coming runner up in 2013, and gaining the Honorary Fellowship of The Societies. "These are the pinnacles, and all this has meant that our support for The Societies has never been as strong as it is now. At the same time we have very similar visions of what we want to do for the industry going forward. I'm talking at most of their smaller Digital Imaging Roadshows - I did talks at 20 of the shows last year. And this year, if they'll have me back, I'll have a whole new talk to unleash on their members. And people do come again!"

Props where props are due. And speaking of which, to the above news we add details of The Click Group's new photographic backgrounds, demand for which Charlie says has "exploded, and we're well up on the year before." This could be partly down to the fact that Click exhibits at around 40 days' worth of shows in the UK over the course of the year. "One might think that sales would go down but they have kept on going up with plenty of repeat business from delighted customers, which is unbelievable." The company's MD puts this down to a diverse range of props, its innovative designed backgrounds and a high level of customer service, which he describes as 'second to none'. In addition he will often reply immediately to emails sent in even as late as 11pm at night, or over the weekend. "They don't get that with any other retailer, which is what sets us apart and always will do." There are also now distributors for Click Props in Ireland, Portugal and South Africa, so the business has literally gone worldwide.

All this industriousness ties in with over 50 new backgrounds being launched at the time of writing, which were unveiled at The Societies Convention in January. In terms of unique selling points, Click's backgrounds recently won a Five Star Gold Award in Digital Camera magazine, with the quality and build often described by photographers as being 'in a different league' to anything they have bought or imported. They've also been made by photographers for photographers, feature eyelets across the top for easy hanging and come in high-quality acrylic tubes for a slick presentation. "Prices start at just £69.50 including VAT; it's mini money for what they are," says Charlie.

Spoiling its members...

Also worth mentioning here is that The Click Group's 'ClickBook' booking system is now fully operational and integrated into all 105 of its members' studios via The Photographic Organiser studio management system. Booking opening hours have also been increased, with the Click customer service team now making bookings from 9am to 8pm weekdays and on Saturdays too. Currently members of Click and Fresh share the 100+ bookings made on a daily basis. "With our new booking system, photographers get physical bookings straight into their diaries so there's no wastage of leads. We take the booking deposits from customers this end and member studios off-set it or refund it during the viewing, so there are no booking fees as such - we do near enough everything for them. They're very spoilt our members, and we don't mind that!"

If having read this article you want to join up with The Click Group or Fresh pronto, be aware that the only available areas it currently has in the whole of the UK are Hereford, Inverness, Sunderland and Peterborough, for which yearly membership is £250, with a 'marketing contribution' of £750 per year, paid in half-yearly instalments.

Currently the groups comprise The Click Group for family portraiture, Fresh for model makeovers, Boudoir By Fresh for boudoir photography, plus the just launched 'Dudoir By Fresh,' which is being described as the next big thing and, as it sounds, involves shooting the guys in either shirtless fitness style or the GQ suited and booted look. "We've brought that in because we believe the marketplace at the moment doesn't really have anything geared up for male subjects," Charlie believes. "It's very 'metrosexual' in the way it's done and taps into the fact that male grooming is up 35-40%. The new Dudoir By Fresh packages go on sale properly this Christmas and will hopefully appeal to highcalibre customers. We believe it will mainly be the women buying it for the boyfriend or the husband." So if you want to freshen up your own photographic offerings, get in touch with Charlie Kaufman and the team by visiting the URLs below.

www.cccuk.co
www.clickprops.co.uk

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1st Published 02/02/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:52:31

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