MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: iStock looking for customer feedback on their website  (Read 15397 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Cogent Marketing

« on: October 17, 2011, 10:50 »
0
This screen just popped up when I logged on a few moments ago. Have not done it yet as it says it will take about ten minutes to complete.


« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2011, 11:50 »
0
It's a purchasing questionaire.  This is all my language as I remember it - not theirs word for word

Do you buy here, where else do you buy?  Are you satisfied with credits, would you rather have single purchases.  Are you satisfied that credits expire after 12 months? 


UH-OH   
Would you like to purchase credits that can be used at getty, jupiter, thinkstock, istock et all getty companies
Would you like all searches displayed from (all the getty companies)
(Are they trying to copy Envato?)

« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2011, 11:59 »
0
For their last survey I just answered as if they meant selling instead of buying since the wording was a little vague. Mostly I just listed about 5 things they could do at the end when they had a space you could actually type in.

Maybe in a few days they will say "based on buyer feedback we now realize that buyers want more expensive images..."

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2011, 12:27 »
0
Would you like to purchase credits that can be used at getty, jupiter, thinkstock, istock et all getty companies
Would you like all searches displayed from (all the getty companies)

Well, that's good, if you see a pic worth X at iStock and X-y at TS, which would you choose?

We could be doomed, doooooomed. :-(

« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2011, 12:45 »
0
It's a purchasing questionaire.  This is all my language as I remember it - not theirs word for word

Do you buy here, where else do you buy?  Are you satisfied with credits, would you rather have single purchases.  Are you satisfied that credits expire after 12 months? 


UH-OH   
Would you like to purchase credits that can be used at getty, jupiter, thinkstock, istock et all getty companies
Would you like all searches displayed from (all the getty companies)
(Are they trying to copy Envato?)


----------------------------
If your memory is correct, this would be really bad.  Big risk I see is that if there are universal credits and a universal search, a top down rationalization of pricing and content would be needed.  If one search will show you content from Getty, Istock, Thinkstock, Jupiter, the same content could show up multiple times.  Why would you pay 10 times as much for one version of a file over another?

The solution is that the content can only reside in one of the many Getty name plates and the pricing for those name plates needs to reflect the perceived quality.  Since they just forced all independent content onto Thinkstock, logically independent content would leave Istock entirely...

Universal Getty credits would finish the transition from what is left of Istock into a name plate for Getty since they would no longer need things like an accounting department.

« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2011, 12:50 »
0
All they need to know is in this link, I am among their former buyer/contributors and based on their actions over the last year they will not be luring me back. 

http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/buyers-bailing-on-istock/

« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2011, 13:00 »
0
I saw that survey a couple of weeks back, but I figured there was no point in participating. It really is none of my business anymore. They sure do love surveys though.

« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2011, 13:14 »
0
Would you like to purchase credits that can be used at getty, jupiter, thinkstock, istock et all getty companies
Would you like all searches displayed from (all the getty companies)

So much for the argument that Thinkstock is a different market. I hope that fans of Thinkstock and the Partner Program in general (they know who they are) enjoy seeing their naivety laid bare.

« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2011, 13:30 »
0
From a customers persepective to have credits I can use all over the gettyverse is a fantastic idea. So is being able to see results from all agencies.

The different agencies then become more like collections.

As a contributor I will have to learn how to deal with this, but for a customers this would be wonderful. This kind of choice and variety will be hard to meet by all the other single agencies.

helix7

« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2011, 13:50 »
0

Well, that's good, if you see a pic worth X at iStock and X-y at TS, which would you choose?


I don't see it coming to that. TS is still going to be subscription-based, as far as we know. Single-image purchases will probably still be the domain of the other getty properties. Unless they plan to have TS become more Shutterstock-like and offer single image sales as well, but it seems odd given getty already has a single-image solution in istock.

More likely this would allow buyers to quickly use credits at all getty sites if they have enough to purchase a product at a particular site. So if you have 1,000 credits at istock, you can use some of them to buy a subscription at TS. Or to buy a single image or CD at getty.

I doubt very much that this proposed system will provide any discount to anyone, just enable istock buyers to more easily use their credits elsewhere. But it'll still cost. You can use those istock credits at TS but it will cost you 300 or whatever amount of istock credits to open a TS subscription and download images.

My guess, anyway.

« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2011, 13:52 »
0
This would only work if they can figure out the filters. Many customers left because they were inundated with Agency/Vetta images that were not in their price point. If they do go to this system then it would be interesting to see if they change the RC program again. Right now images sold on TS, Getty et al. are not counted towards RC.

« Reply #11 on: October 17, 2011, 14:20 »
0
From a customers persepective to have credits I can use all over the gettyverse is a fantastic idea. So is being able to see results from all agencies.

I already have this stuff that can be used at multiple sites. It's called money.  ;D

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You made it sound like Getty invented the concept of money. Really if you didn't have to buy all these extra credits that eventually expire, then you wouldn't need to use them other places. It sounds like they are listening to that complaint too though.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2011, 14:30 by cthoman »

fujiko

« Reply #12 on: October 17, 2011, 15:57 »
0
It's a very clever idea. ;D
Why add more collections to IS with all the fuss it creates by review standards not applied no collection special users and all the mess in best match when you can just fill the search engine with everything getty cartel has directly

Then something comes to mind. If they create this global credit thing, will PP sales count as credits? Many times they said that PP didn't count because no credits were used. Just wondering if they ever though of this side effect.

I don't know what they are thinking or if they think at all. There was IS, working and growing and Getty losing ground to sites like IS. And their superb plan is to fill the growing site with loser content. I believe their objective is to try to increase sales of loser content but the result is the death of a growing site.

RacePhoto

« Reply #13 on: October 17, 2011, 16:13 »
0
I saw that survey a couple of weeks back, but I figured there was no point in participating. It really is none of my business anymore. They sure do love surveys though.

I get the survey pop-up about once a week. I ignore it. You think they would be smart enough to weed out people like me in advance!  ;D

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #14 on: October 17, 2011, 16:18 »
0
Then something comes to mind. If they create this global credit thing, will PP sales count as credits? Many times they said that PP didn't count because no credits were used. Just wondering if they ever though of this side effect.
They can easily raise the RC targets.  :(

« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2011, 17:02 »
0
This would only work if they can figure out the filters. Many customers left because they were inundated with Agency/Vetta images that were not in their price point. If they do go to this system then it would be interesting to see if they change the RC program again. Right now images sold on TS, Getty et al. are not counted towards RC.

I agree. Customers are tired of having to wade through different collections and price points, and now they have to shuttle back and forth between different sites with different collections and different price points? To me that sounds like making something worse instead better for the customers.

« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2011, 17:13 »
0
If you do a basic stock image search at Getty, you are already searching 179 separate collections, including "Vetta" and "iStock Vectors".  If you only want to search one of those collections you have to go to advanced search.

http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/AdvancedSearch.aspx

Imagine if the only way you could search just for Istock was to start at http://www.gettyimages.com/ then go to advanced search and unselect all but "Istock".  We would have a lot more competition.   

helix7

« Reply #17 on: October 17, 2011, 19:37 »
0
...As a contributor I will have to learn how to deal with this, but for a customers this would be wonderful. This kind of choice and variety will be hard to meet by all the other single agencies.

Better than credits that can be used at multiple sites would be a single site with single image sales, subscriptions, and premium collections. Other companies already do that. istock isn't exactly innovating here.

« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2011, 00:18 »
0
I would't be surprised if they end up putting all Rf content into one global site. The idea of a universal search or universal credits is not about innovation, but to bring together a company that seems to be spread over many different sites.

Of course I can use money to buy from different places, but every time I have to get credits at different price points. I think especially for customers who buy many images it would be useful if they can negotiate a price once for "universal credifs"

As a contributor, bringing all collections together means more competition, but istock already is a site with a huge influx of images, I think it is the Getty photographers who will be more afraid than us. They are not used to competing with 100000 other contributors and their files.

Anyway, nobody knows what thir plans are, maybe this is just an idea that is being floated around the boardroom.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2011, 08:14 »
0
They love leading themselves open to idle speculation.
Maybe what JJ meant by 'simplied ingestion and inspection' meant that everyone submits images and the inspectors decide which 'collection' the image goes into.
Which will be fine if you're on the A list, but we all know that some people find it more difficult than others to get images into Vetta and Agency for no obvious reason (not me, I know my place!).
I can see from the buyers point of view that having a bigger range of pictures could be a good thing in many circumstances IF the keywording was good, and the CV was applied equally over all outlets. However, keywording seems to be ignored on inspection at iStock (except by the inspector who hates me  ;) ) - e.g. search on 'brewery' sorted by age, or 'commerical kitchen' +nobody. It's always been iffy on Getty for natural history (never let someone else do your keywording!).
And so, IF it was that there was one ingestion and the inspectors decided which collection, how could they take a super pic from a Black Diamond iStocker (say) and they'd get their 40%, but a Getty tog would get 20%? Could this be another way to push royalties down to the coveted 20% maximum for all?
Note, the above is pure speculation, but they leave themselves open to it, indeed, seem to encourage it.

« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2011, 09:28 »
0
I got a popup for the survey (which is the second in as many weeks). I completed it.

In spite of the bad news for iStock contributors of the idea of global searches and purchase accounts (given forced participation in other Getty sites - Agency/Vetta on the high end and PP for independents on the low), I think it'd be a great idea for customers to have a single login and purchase system.

I did think the silliest notion was the set of questions about having badges for customers for different purchase levels or other activity levels on the site. Just how sophomoric do they think their buyers are?

The overall tone of questions - about what you like/don't about credit systems, what sites you're going to in addition to iStock or instead of - suggests they've got the message that buyers aren't all happy. I wonder how many people of their bread and butter buyers (i.e. not me who just wanted to see what the questionnaire said and acted the way I think buyers would) would spend the time on the survey. I also wonder if they're contacting former buyers who don't go to the site any more (via e-mail perhaps) to ask them to fill it out.

« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2011, 10:14 »
0
Really!  More surveys?  Brilliant considering Getty knows how they have run of buyers seemingly on purpose with the last three years of changes.  With the sales declines and bad changes since the Getty takeover, surveys are insulting.   Before Getty no surveys only huge growth, now no growth and many surveys. 

helix7

« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2011, 10:29 »
0
...The overall tone of questions - about what you like/don't about credit systems, what sites you're going to in addition to iStock or instead of - suggests they've got the message that buyers aren't all happy...

That was my take on it as well. Based on the line of questioning, I got the feeling that they are concerned about buyers leaving, why they might be leaving, and if they should expect more buyers to leave in the future. One of the more interesting questions int he survey was one that went something like, "How difficult of a transition would it be for you to move to another stock website?" Sounds like they're trying to get a feel for how thin that thread is that some buyers are hanging on by.

There were also quite a few questions that asked people to rate their levels of satisfaction (or lack of) with pricing, the credit system, and difficulties figuring out what you're actually paying for an image at istock because of the credit system. I would guess that the credit system and the masked pricing using unequal credit-to-dollar conversions is high on the list of buyer frustrations with istock.

Funny thing is that it almost sounds like they're giving some consideration to a BigStock sort of system, working with real money pricing rather than credits. I'd be really surprised to see istock go that route, but if they did, I think it would be a tad funny that they're sollowing in the footsteps of the competitor who has been taking shots at them with their iStuck ad campaign.

« Reply #23 on: October 18, 2011, 15:03 »
0
It would be interesting to see the results of really showing the same search to everyone - from Getty on down to photos.com, but without a better way of sorting out the prices it would most likely just frustrate the lower tier buyers and send a few of the upper tier buyers to the lower tiers.

You would think that they would know if you were a buyer or a seller when you logged in and send the survey accordingly.

Some of the questions do sort of give the hint that maybe TPTB have finally noticed that all is not well in the Gettyverse. Maybe it has gotten bad enough that even wringing the final 20% out of the independents wouldn't be enough to maintain profits.

« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2011, 16:42 »
0
Would you like to purchase credits that can be used at getty, jupiter, thinkstock, istock et all getty companies
Would you like all searches displayed from (all the getty companies)

So much for the argument that Thinkstock is a different market. I hope that fans of Thinkstock and the Partner Program in general (they know who they are) enjoy seeing their naivety laid bare.

Hmmm. I'm not sure that Istock exclusives will want their images on TS competing with their port on IS. Image packs on TS might be a cheaper option for the customer and the commission percentage lower (?).


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
96 Replies
31792 Views
Last post July 12, 2010, 15:45
by Magnum
67 Replies
34334 Views
Last post April 28, 2011, 06:33
by toots
7 Replies
4731 Views
Last post November 01, 2011, 12:43
by Sean Locke Photography
51 Replies
42513 Views
Last post January 15, 2019, 04:38
by byman
25 Replies
5479 Views
Last post May 30, 2022, 21:23
by Milleflore

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors