Chris
Hi Owen. We’re a few months into seeing customers in person. So how have you found it over the last six months since the lockdown has been properly removed?
Owen
Cambridge was definitely quiet to start with as we grew back, but being Cambridge, I think potentially it was busier than other towns. A lot of staycationers obviously travelling around the UK, picked Cambridge as a location to pop in and say hello. Although they probably weren’t really looking at a camera shop, but hopefully they’re passing by and saying there is a camera shop in Cambridge!
But I think Cambridge really came back to life when the students returned from their break and they certainly made the streets look busiest straight away. And since then, Cambridge has bloomed. Footfall is definitely still a lot less and that’s mainly because of foreign travel tourism as it hasn’t recovered at this present time or moment. But this year should certainly be better than last year. I doubt it’d be in normal terms but that’s good for everyone anyway.
We’ve got staycationers as well as foreign travellers coming to Cambridge, and hopefully a good summer with lots of sunshine – Cambridge is always at its best when the sun is shining.
Over the last few months, we’ve seen the return of events, which is fantastic. And back in the Autumn, we saw the welcome return of The Cambridge Photography Show.
Chris
How did you find that?
Owen
The Cambridge Photography Show was great as always. It was a little less than the previous show in 2019, but the people who were able to join us were fantastic and really got into meeting the suppliers, technical experts from the suppliers, or joining our talks and our workshops.
I wish I could’ve gone on them, but obviously, I was busy inside. The photography walks looked great and well attended and we had some really good comments from attendees. It was a cracking event. And it’s great news that we will be doing it again this year.
It’s going to be on Saturday 8th October, and Canon has, once again, agreed to be the headline sponsor, which is fantastic. We’re just drumming up all the other brands to participate. So there should be more brands attending as they break free of their COVID restrictions.
And during the week, we’ve got a hybrid event as you might call it now. And the online week will start on Monday 3rd October. So if anyone who’s listening has got some ideas then please do get in touch. We’d love to hear people’s thoughts.
Chris
Yes, it was great to have that blend of in-person and online, and we’re always looking to improve it. I thought it was quite telling at The Cambridge Photography Show that Dave from OM Systems said that his workshop was the first he’d done in nearly two years!
Owen
Dave obviously is a great guy, and everyone who’s into Olympus loves to chat with him. They’ve been seeing him online a lot over the last two years. So, we were very privileged to have Dave in our shop for the first time in ages to see the wonderful Olympus clientele. And he showed off the new OM-1, which was special for our customers.
So we’re hoping to have more in-store days and some new events as well. We’re looking to do a few more walking tours in and around the Cambridge area – Cambridge itself is our home, but we very much consider ourselves a Cambridgeshire company. So we’ll be doing events outside of Cambridge too. And we should be putting on an event with The Wildlife Trust as well.
Chris
Yes, it’s been a busy start to the year already. It’s great to see our online sales growing but it’s even better to say we can get back to in-person events and see customers in the shop. How have you found it in the shop in terms of people coming in?
Owen
We’ve certainly had an increase in footfall over the last few months – it’s been great to see people new and old come in and see us. It’s been quite telling that a lot of passport pictures are being taken. They’ve left their passports alone for two years, and realised it’s time to get their updates. And there’ve been a few emergency requests come in! It’s been great to help.
Obviously, we’re still facing supply issues, but we’ve been finding and helping people as much as we can. So please bear with us and the brands as this continues. Hopefully, it will ease, it will improve, but it’ll still be a situation for anything electronic. We’re obviously one part of electronics, but I’m sure you’ve heard about cars manufacturers facing issues in the news due to a shortage in electronic parts.
So yeah, everyone’s been suffering – it’s not just a camera issue it’s a worldwide issue or a worldwide product issue anyway. From my knowledge, the camera brands are doing everything they can to improve the situation.
Chris
That’s why it’s great to have that balance between e-commerce and in-person physical retail. You and the team help people navigate through that lack of stock or limited stock situation.
Owen
Yes, everyone will know that I love all my customers. As a traditional retailer, I do prefer to see them and speak to them. So I would always advise making contact if you can.
Then you will always get the best information, the best advice that we’re able to provide. And the best knowledge from brands.
Chris
Yes, I was talking to Francois and Hayder today about that balance between the convenience of online with the confidence of having a physical team, a dedicated human being.
Owen
One thing that’s great is that we’ve got a great online team and a great in-store team now. So we try and communicate and reply to you as quickly as possible, even past the official hours of the shop.
I would stress that, if you’re able to, you should contact us. And we’ll reply with, as I said, the best advice, the best knowledge that we have at this present time and moment.
Chris
Well, it’s been good to catch up and I look forward to doing it again in the summer and be surrounded by more tourists and there being some sort of return to pre-pandemic levels. I think everyone deserves a bit more sunshine this summertime.
Owen
Yeah, we all deserve a cracking year this year, so look after, and enjoy yourselves. And you know, I’ve said it a few times, photography is a great way to capture those enjoyable moments and share them with others. There are so many ways of communicating your pictures these days, you know, it’s brilliant to get it out there and to be seen. So keep it up.
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If you want to chat with Owen about any of our events then pop into the shop or contact us via our website.