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Weekly Recap: Faster Face Matching, Virtual Group Tweaks & Reporting Upgrades ⚡📸

Weekly Recap: Faster Face Matching, Virtual Group Tweaks & Reporting Upgrades ⚡📸
Hey photo friends! 👋


This week’s update is all about keeping up with the busiest season yet. We saw an enormous wave of images come through recently — more than ever — and Face Matching delays got much longer than we want them to be.

So, we’ve been making improvements accordingly. 💪

⚡ Face Matching Speed Improvements

🚀 Face Matching performance upgrades are in progress! We’re implementing changes that should help speed up Face Matching by up to 10× faster in some cases.

These improvements are especially important during high-volume stretches like graduation season, when thousands upon thousands of images are coming in at once. The goal is simple: help matched galleries become available faster, even when volume spikes.

📊 Reporting Upgrades

📈 Sales Report now supports up to 15,000 orders

  • The Sales Report list and Excel download can now include up to 15k orders at once. Previously, the limit was 1k.

💵 Sales Report download now includes eFee and COGs

  • The Excel export now includes eFee and COGs for each order, giving you more detailed financial visibility.

📦 Products Report sorting fixed

  • Column sorting now works correctly on the Products Report.

🏷️ Event Tags report filter fixed

  • Fixed an issue where the Event Tags filter could set the end date based on the newest Event end date instead of today, potentially missing newer report data.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Virtual Group Builder Improvements

📝 New Text Vertical Position slider

  • You can now adjust the vertical position of subject names in Virtual Group Builder.

🎯 Logo positioning fix

  • Fixed logos being off by a few pixels in Virtual Group Builder.

🧭 Edit redirect fix

  • Fixed an issue where editing a Virtual Group could sometimes send you back to Home.

🖼️ Dashboard Image Management Updates

🔢 Manage Images now shows total image count

  • At the top of the Manage Images page, you’ll now see how many images are included in your current search/filter results.

🏷️ PhotoTag duplicate prevention improved

  • PhotoTag creation now better prevents duplicates caused by extra empty space at the end of the PhotoTag name.

🛍️ Retail Improvements

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 PhotoTag group images appear first

  • When a participant is associated with a PhotoTag, group images tied to that same PhotoTag will now appear before general group images with no PhotoTag.

⬇️ Receipt download button cleanup

  • The Download All Images button is now hidden if the order does not include any downloads to reduce confusion.

Web Receipt Download Page processing message fixed

  • If a customer clicks the receipt download link before the order is fully loaded by the lab, the page will correctly say the order is still processing.

✂️ Z-crop product cropping improved

  • When cropping a z-cropped image during product configuration, retail now uses the z-cropped version directly instead of jumping back to the full original image.

🖼️ “Matte” clarified to “Standard”

  • Most products now use "Standard" instead of "Matte" for clearer wording. Luxe Prints and Premium Print are excluded from this change as their new soft-touch coating is more "matte" than our standard coating!

That’s the week!

Faster Face Matching is the big focus right now, and these reporting, Virtual Group, Dashboard, and retail updates should help keep things clearer and more manageable going forward for photographers as well!

Keep creating magic,

Candy 🍬

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QuicPics: Lowering Fees & Trying Something New
QuicPics
September 21, 2023

QuicPics: Lowering Fees & Trying Something New

7
 minutes read
Change is in the air at NowCandid!

It's all about creating more value for you the photographer and enhancing the customer experience! Here's a detailed look at the latest changes we're rolling out for QuicPics and what they mean for you.

1. More Room to Click with Reduced Fees:

The upload fee for each image on QuicPics is getting a significant trim, dropping from $0.31 to just $0.20. Our aim? To offer photographers greater flexibility, letting you focus on capturing plenty of shots without being overly conscious about the associated costs.

2. Unique Price Levels Tailored for QuicPics:

QuicPics is donning a fresh identity with its Price Levels. No longer a reflection of PartyPics Now, these new levels are designed to specifically enhance the QuicPics experience. There's now an expansive range of specialty products, including blankets, canvas wraps, metal prints, and much more. We've created fun themed packages, set very reasonable prices on premium items, and provided enticing discounts on the full-resolution digital downloads & packages. And here's the cherry on top - to the end consumer, all products come with free shipping!

+ Click here to check out the new Price Levels. +

3. Lowered Margin:

With QuicPics' new pricing strategy, photographers can anticipate margins ranging between 10% to 30%. While this is much lower than our other programs, our goal is to bolster the overall volume of sales through reasonable pricing on specialty items. QuicPics sales have been almost non-existent thus far, given you're providing "free" social media size image files of all images to all participants. We think these changes will help bolster the sales of QuicPics Events a bit. And remember, a smaller percentage of a bigger pie can often be more substantial than a larger slice of a smaller pie.

4. Continuing to Market with a Gentle Touch:

While we're working hard to boost sales, we're committed to keeping our marketing approach gentle and unobtrusive. With the new QuicPics Price Levels, the removal of weekly price hikes reflects this ethos, ensuring there's zero undue pressure on the end consumer to make a purchase.

5. The Bigger Picture:

Our new strategy aims to strike a balance. By nurturing a growth in QuicPics Event sales while ensuring a reasonable margin for NowCandid, we have been able to justify the reduced upload fee. Furthermore, if sales surpass our conservative estimates, we are planning even more substantial fee reductions in the future!

Some Parting Thoughts:

While the average sales from QuicPics Events have traditionally been on the modest side, our revamped approach aims to change that narrative. Higher sales volumes, even with the revised margins, should translate to improved profits for our photographers. Reducing the fee per image upload will allow you to both save money and take more images, and more images could result in slightly higher sales as well. We'd like to lower the image per upload fee as low as possible, but need a way to cover costs in the meantime, all while trying to provide a good experience to the end consumer. We hope this new direction can result in a win-win-win for all parties involved. More pictures taken of end consumers and more fun product options, less fees for the photographer, same revenue for NowCandid.

We're excited!

We like these changes and truly believe they reflect a balanced mix of value, quality, and profit. Your feedback matters, so if you have thoughts, queries, or concerns, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Here's to a brighter, more lucrative future with QuicPics!

New and Improved SportsPics Now Price Levels!
SportPics
September 21, 2023

New and Improved SportsPics Now Price Levels!

4
 minutes read
Hey there, it's Candy! 🍭

I'm super thrilled to share that we're taking our SportsPics Now Price Levels up a notch!

Double the Levels, Double the Fun!

We used to have 5 Price Levels, but guess what? We’ve now expanded to 10! And the cherry on top? The middlemost Price Levels have been adjusted to very closely match the most common & successful prices Volume Sports Photographers tend to charge. Whether you're an experienced Volume Sports Photographer or someone just getting into it, these 10 Price Levels should be able to meet most of your needs!

New Products

Hold onto your hats because this is the part that I'm most excited about! We're introducing a plethora of new products for your end consumers to purchase. Want to give your walls a makeover? Our wall clings and cloth banners are perfect for that. Looking to bring photos to life? Dive into our video animations. And that's just scratching the surface! We also have larger statuettes, shimmering metal prints, fun spirit noggins, acrylic cutout magnets, and so much more.

More Desirable Packages

Wait, there’s more! Our new and improved packages are curated with your end customers in mind. Each bundle has been thoughtfully put together to offer a mix of products that are most likely to be purchased together, ensuring that more customers can find the package that they are looking for.

Sample Graphic Improvements

Our graphics team has made some improvements, and I’m excited to present our new & improved sample graphics on the retail site. Designed to capture attention, they're set to give your sales that extra oomph!

To sum it all up, SportsPics Now is not just offering more Price Levels, but an entire overhaul!

As always, if you have any questions or need recommendations, I'm here to help.

Don't forget to review other blog posts for all the latest updates and offerings. And remember, with NowCandid, every click counts!

Candy, signing off! 💖🍬📸

Capture & Upload Images with Our New iOS App! 🎉
Feature Updates
September 20, 2023

Capture & Upload Images with Our New iOS App! 🎉

4
 minutes read
Hey there NowCandid users! It's Candy! 🍬

I'm buzzing with excitement and can't wait to share our latest addition with you all. We've created an iOS version of our Capture & Upload app! Meaning you'll be able to utilize iPads and iPhones with NowCandid finally.

Want to check it out? Here's the link! https://apps.apple.com/app/nowcandid-capture-upload

Seamless Transitions, Familiar Features 🖥 📱

For all our current Windows app users, great news: our new iOS app mirrors almost all the fabulous features you've come to love. From tethering capabilities with Sony, Canon, and Nikon to that handy new wireless connection for Canon cameras, we've got you covered. Utilize our classic Workflows such as Tap-A-Face, Type & Take, Scanner ID, and Name Lookup, all optimized for your Apple devices!

Same Login Process & New Screen Lock Feature 🔐

Forget juggling multiple passwords! Your iOS app login passcode is the same as your Windows app. Easy peasy! Plus, for those of you who love to shoot on the go, we've added a nifty screen lock feature. It ensures no accidental taps on the app when you're immersed in your shots, especially handy if you're using features like the Selfie Check-In.

Capture Moments, Your Way 📸

Want to snap a quick pic (or possibly a QuicPic!) even when you're not connected to Nikon, Canon, or Sony? Go ahead and use the internal camera on your device when not connected to an external camera. Great for emergencies, check-in stations, casual users, and more!

iPad or iPhone? You Decide! 🍏 📱

Whether you're Team iPad or Team iPhone, our new app has got you covered! But here's a hot tip: using an LTE iPad can be a game-changer with those budget-friendly data rates. And remember, for the optimal NowCandid experience, we always champion iPads & devices with LTE connections.

Double the Platforms, Double the Fun! 🎈

After so much anticipation, our Capture & Upload app is now rocking both iOS and Windows platforms! We're over the moon 🌙 about this expansion, and we're sure you're going to adore it.

That's all for now!

Good luck out there, photographers! I'm here cheering you on every click of the way. Happy snapping!

- Candy 🍬

Let’s get in touch

If you’re a photographer looking to add NowCandid services to your wheelhouse – set up a call by clicking the button below.

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text

How to customize formatting for each rich text
How to customize formatting for each rich text

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Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

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