ThisPlays International, a leading provider of photo booth products, has revealed details of its new PicCity shop openings, which are set to launch in five metropolitan cities in Europe over the next year.
PicCity is an experiential, on-trend photo souvenir shop with a compact footprint of between 10 and 20 square metres. Its self-service approach enables visitors to purchase souvenir images of the city in print and digital formats. The new shop openings are a separate addition to the company’s portfolio alongside its existing photo booths, which operate a revenue share model specifically for zoos, museums and attractions, that allows them to create a new revenue stream free of investment in just a few square metres.
PicCity will not be a photo booth “plus” shop opening, according to Mark van der Weide, ThisPlays owner and founder. It is an experiential, on-trend photo mini shop where all kinds of self-generated content can be created, from printed personalised postcards to mini posters and AI experiences to TikTok content.
“This all takes place in a mini shop that breathes the city’s atmosphere in a creative, stylish and characteristic way. We like to stay far away from an arcade or screen-only experience but focus on the city experience in an innovative and authentic way.”
Premium souvenir shopping
PicCity has been partly inspired by Purikura PhotoBooth arcades, which have been popular across Tokyo for many years, combined with the ongoing societal trend of capturing every moment of joy and experience. This approach sparked the idea of opening small shops in metropolitan cities, premium retail areas and shopping centres, which has resulted in this entirely new shop opening.
ThisPlays’ key industry is its 250+ photo booths located across Europe in museums, attractions, and zoos. Over the past six years, this has given the firm many insights, including the importance of flawless functionality, great high-end retail design, innovative features, and a logical UX.
For this new product, ThisPlays is creating a fresh, premium, innovative aesthetic that also remains accessible to more traditional visitors. This aims to appeal to a broad target market, from family groups sending photo postcards to Generation Z customers looking for a TikTok or AI experience. It combines ThisPlays’ decade of experience with photo booths in attractions, zoos, and museums, the demand for souvenirs in tourist cities, and the ongoing demand for self-generated content in a creative way.
“At no point should you get a “technical / screen only” perception,” van der Weide says. A family should be as excited to step in as a few teenagers on their first city trip. The pre-experience is key in any location; this attracts visitors to walk in, and once they walk in, they should be hooked on the product, experience, and value for money.”
PicCity will debut in Amsterdam this December, where the firm plans to launch during the festive season. ThisPlays has showcased the designs to surrounding businesses with excellent feedback. A premium fashion designer said it’s a true “designer pop-up” that could easily be in Milan, Paris, or London.
“We cannot get a bigger compliment while building a retail shop opening here and not a screen-only experience, which is key for success,” says van der Weide.
Further locations have been announced in Utrecht, Antwerp, Paris, and Stuttgart, where the firm has successfully identified small retail spaces at super premium venues that can operate on a self-service basis.
ThisPlays International recently shared how the environment for photo booths has been evolving. The firm’s straightforward business model has helped to shape this landscape. ThisPlays invests, designs and builds its customised photo booths for free in high-traffic locations like zoos, attractions and museums. They only need to provide a few square metres of space and electricity, and ThisPlays does the rest. The income is then shared with the host location, with no risk to the venue.
