Last year, we told you we were investing in uploading and getting images to your customers faster, a critical component for realizing sales. We kept this promise by focusing heavily on improving our upload experience this year, allowing you to better use the bandwidth offered from high-speed internet connections many of you have in your offices and homes. Some customers were able to enjoy a 50% improvement in upload speeds and reduce errors by 20%.

We also told you we’d be focusing on helping you sell your work wherever your customers are. We invested in improved order experiences for mobile devices, making it easier for people to get the products they want and helping them understand how a print might be cropped for the product they order. We also made it easier to add items to carts, and it’s all paid off—literally. In 2023 you all made more money selling on SmugMug than in any of our previous 21 years!

But it’s not just mobile-friendly access for your customers—you’re on the go, too. These improvements save you precious time before and after shoots as well as give you flexibility to work when and how you want. We added the most important features, including releasing proof delays, checking orders, and engagement stats, directly in the iOS and Android apps.

We were also focused on the impact that we and the photography industry have on the world. As of 2023, SmugMug is Climate Neutral Certified. We’re proud of the work we’ve done for the planet this year, and this is only the beginning of our journey to create a company and business that truly makes the world a better place.

You, our customers, are our priority. SmugMug already offers world-class support, where a real human is just a quick email request away. But this year we resolved your email and live-chat requests faster than ever before; even through your busiest sales times, requests were responded to in less than an hour. 

You’ve been telling us where the product let you down, and we listened. We fixed hundreds of issues that prevented you from getting the most from our platform. We touched everything from how you log in, gallery displays, product selection, order delivery, and search-engine optimization, and we sped up parts of the site that “felt slow.” We want your experience to be delightful, consistent, and intuitive.

What’s next for SmugMug?

We’re focused on meeting the needs of your business. We’ve heard from many of you that better insights about how to run your photography business are critical. We’ll help you navigate the things that are unfamiliar. We’ll provide more actionable data and advice so you can make better decisions for your business and help you thrill your clients. You’ve seen past investments in gallery stats, and we’ll do more here to help you understand what’s working for your business to ensure your marketing efforts are driving the outcomes you want.

We’re also making it easier for your clients to find photos of their cherished memories. Not just from search, but finding the right photos in each gallery. Not everyone wants to buy prints of those cherished memories anymore, and we’re making it even easier for them to purchase digital copies and other keepsakes, too. You’ve captured the memories they’ll hand down for generations. 

Our money-back print guarantee ensures you can rest easy knowing clients are satisfied with the prints they order and, in 2024, we’ll expand the work we help you do even more. We’ll do more for you through amazing partnerships and exclusive offers, and by ensuring the solutions we build support your business needs. In 2023 this included offers for business banking through Found and discounts on the equipment, education, and software you need—and we’re just getting started.

As we’ve added new capabilities and fixed issues you’ve told us about, we haven’t always done the best job of telling you we did it. We want to go beyond sending you email updates. We’ll help you understand how to most effectively use SmugMug to thrill your customers and grow your business. We’ll do a better job of telling you about new capabilities through multiple channels.

We’re excited about what 2024 holds for photographers everywhere. And we’re thankful for your continued trust in us. Photography holds the power to change the world, and we’re excited to be on this journey together.