ThisPlays International, a leading provider of photo booth products, has shared how the landscape of photo booths has changed in the last few years.
The firm has made an impact in the sector with its straightforward business model. ThisPlays invests, designs and builds its fully customised photo booths for free in high-traffic locations like zoos, attractions and museums. The revenue is shared with these locations which means zero risk for the venues. They only have to provide a few square metres of space and electricity, and ThisPlays does the rest.
Raising the standard
ThisPlays is known for its excellent custom photo cabin products, but its services do not stop there. By providing relevant content, the company boosts sales, activates social sharing, and enhances overall product satisfaction.
The firm updates its content 10 to 12 times per year, which is unusual for photo booth suppliers as most offer small photo strips and general content. Apart from providing a fun experience, ThisPlays wants to create real souvenirs that are far beyond a gimmick that ends up in the drawer. For this reason, it works with over 250 premium attractions, zoos and leisure locations which understand the value of this offering.
Mark van der Weide, ThisPlays owner and founder, says that a good photo booth contains three things, “a wow experience, a high quality digital and physical product and relevant content at all times.”
Whilst AI is a useful tool to achieve these objectives, it is all about how you use it, says Van der Weide. “We use AI more and more in theme parks and shopping malls, for example, but for zoos, the wow comes from another angle which is “being as authentic as possible”.
For example, at its zoo locations, ThisPlays will only use photographs of that zoo’s own animals.
“This is highly valued, especially by annual passholders as they often recognise each individual animal. Or when there is a newborn, we create a new overlay overnight, which is perceived as high value and always the bestseller,” he explains. “More generally speaking, every month we add new animals so there is always something new to choose from.”
The firm reports that with this approach, 29% of customers buy a photo again that same year on that same machine. Van der Weide says: “Our aim is to build a reputation that there is always something new in the booth. We even have a few collectors which is the biggest compliment we can get.”
A changing environment
However, ThisPlays also reflects that the landscape within parks and attractions is changing. Events which used to be supplementary are getting bigger and bolder. A key example of this is the growth of Halloween events, both in the Zoo segment and more widely. Seasonal events such as Dino-Weeks, Spring Weeks or IceAge Month are also becoming more impactful.
This offers an opportunity for creating bespoke content. “No one will be disappointed if it is not in,” says Van der Weide, “but guests are visibly delighted when they see content they can directly relate to which they just experienced.”
The company reports that it sees the biggest impact from new content during Halloween when 92% of all visitors choose a seasonal-themed overlay instead of the regular overlays.
Rens Willemsen, general director of Libéma’s Beekse Bergen safari park in the Netherlands, has been working with ThisPlays for more than three years and says:
“Both the look and the service are truly unique. The appearance fits perfectly within our park. At our request, the look and custom-made expressions are adjusted several times a year when we run other concepts in the park.
“Communication with ThisPlays is smooth; they think constructively with us throughout, the billing process is flawless, and the operation is always running. We have now realized two ThisPlays photo booths, and after 3 years the turnover is still increasing every month. This is due to the continuous renewal of the photos, the content and the look and feel of the booth. It is a very well-reviewed addition for guests, and we are currently orienting ourselves to a third photo booth.”
Hassle-free service
In addition, ThisPlays finds that unique overlays are shared on social media channels three times more than regular than regular overlays. “We also see a boost in sales when we respond to this proactively,” shares Van der Weide. “But content does not stop there; many parks also use photo emails to promote their upcoming events or annual passes while 92% of all users open their email. All these little content-related elements mean we stay proactive in supporting our partners.”
Offering custom content is a significant activity for the firm, particularly as its client portfolio grows and attractions are typically expanding their event programmes.
Van der Weide concludes: “That is what we stand for, and it simply makes a real difference in sales, more social sharing, rebuys, and, most importantly, overall guest satisfaction, so it is everyone’s benefit. Of course, these events are not being launched overnight, so we are able to plan this in advance, which also makes it hassle-free for our partners.
“Our partners just have to share the content in advance and it’s off their plate. We create it, load it in and, of course, unload it when the event is finished.”
Last week, ThisPlays International revealed how its unique photo booth offer has been helping zoo and aquarium clients increase revenue and visitor satisfaction.
