New Online Site At Getty

Posted on 10/19/2001 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (0)

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NEW ONLINE SITE AT GETTY





October 19, 2001



Getty Images Inc. has redesigned gettyimages.com, in an effort to increase scalability and efficiency
for the company as well as provide significant benefits to online customers worldwide. The company


generates nearly half its revenue on the Web, and expects the percentage to increase steadily despite
the fact that in recent quarters it has seemed to plateau at just under 50%.


When finally completed in the middle of 2002, gettyimages.com and its accompanying back-end systems
will result in:


  • Single site customer access to the best still and moving imagery and services across all
    brands and products, including stock photography, news, sports and entertainment, all at
    gettyimages.com;


  • A unified view for the company of its customers, allowing it to serve, sell and market to
    customers more effectively; and


  • The realization of the efficiencies of integrating all the acquired businesses into one Web site,
    one sales order processing system, Oracle financials, a single real-time rights control environment,
    one customer database and localization of language and currencies.

'With the launch of gettyimages.com, we have completed the most difficult and costly aspects of this
initiative," said Jonathan Klein, Getty Images CEO. 'The integration of the largest part of our
business, rights-managed images, has been completed, along with establishing the technology, business
process, finance systems and customer interface platform for the continued transformation of the whole
of our business."


It is worth noting that in the past quarter during the transition to this new system sales and many of
the payment reports sent to VCG photographers have not included royalties for overseas sales. As a
result Getty found it necessary to review all the data and write additional checks to each VCG
photographer entitled to royalty payments from overseas sales. Getty expects to catch up in the
reporting on the sales made this summer's with the reports that will be dated 31 October and 30
November.


Consolidation Provides Increased Efficiencies


In addition to enabling the company to transition from multiple technology and finance systems and
platforms to one scalable Web architecture, this company-wide initiative includes the transition to one
centralized sales order processing system, one integrated accounting system and one master customer
database. This will allow the company to maximize its sales and service resources and service its
customers more effectively. The company anticipates that this consolidation effort will result in
significant operating cost and capital efficiencies over the next year.


'The launch of gettyimages.com is a watershed event as we continue to build a world class industry
leader in visual communications," said Klein. 'From an operational perspective, the new functionality
will revolutionize the way Getty Images runs its business. From a customer perspective, gettyimages.com
simply makes it easier, faster and more hassle free for our customers to find the right images and
produce striking, provocative and meaningful communications."


New Features


Gettyimages.com, includes the fully localized gettyimages.co.uk, gettyimages.fr, and gettyimages.de.
The French and German sites will be searchable in the local languages and it will be possible to make
transactions in the local currencies. Getty expects this full e-commerce capability to revive European
sales which had been falling off in recent quarters.


According to Getty the site is designed around the needs and wants of creative professionals and offers
improved efficiencies, added creative resources and services that will save customers time and money.
The features include:


  • International language and currency capabilities: Customers can now search for and purchase
    imagery and related materials in US English, UK English, French and German. The site transacts in
    dollars, Euros and British pounds. Purchases in France and Germany are in Euros, with the invoice
    translated into local currency as well.


  • -- Advanced search capabilities: Customers experience more accurate search results including
    the ability to look for imagery by entering conceptual terms and a clarification feature that limits
    possible ambiguities.


  • -- Efficient and flexible licensing tools: gettyimages.com offers simplified licensing by
    giving customers the ability to license multiple images simultaneously and purchase exclusive image
    licenses on-line. Customers can save time by licensing an image for multiple uses in multiple
    territories on one invoice.


  • -- New tools to organize, present, commission and license imagery allowing customers to organize
    imagery in online workspaces and e-mail the images to clients and colleagues. Professionals can also
    commission photographers and obtain rights and clearances online.


  • Copyright © 2001 Jim Pickerell. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

    Jim Pickerell is founder of www.selling-stock.com, an online newsletter that publishes daily. He is also available for personal telephone consultations on pricing and other matters related to stock photography. He occasionally acts as an expert witness on matters related to stock photography. For his current curriculum vitae go to: http://www.jimpickerell.com/Curriculum-Vitae.aspx.  

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