Interview with Laurent Wainberg, founder of PackshotCreator

Created in 2003, the company Sysnext — at the origin of the concept PackshotCreator — has shaken up the codes of product photography. With a simple but daring idea: to make visual production faster, more accessible and more consistent for businesses. Ten years after its beginnings, the company has a presence in more than 35 countries, nearly 8,000 equipped companies and a conviction that is still as strong as ever: the visuals produced are a strategic driver of performance.

An innovation that has long been misunderstood

In its early days, PackshotCreator has received strong criticism, in particular from some professional photographers. Automated LED cameras were seen as a threat to the profession. “Some cried out for the death of photography. However, the reality was quite different: the market had simply evolved, and we responded to it with an adapted solution,” recalls Laurent Wainberg.

E-commerce was exploding, the volume of references to be photographed was increasing, the deadlines were getting shorter. Businesses no longer just needed beautiful images: they needed productivity, of standardizing, and of a internal control on their visual production. That's exactly what Packshot was offering.Creator, long before automation became a hot topic.

A business approach focused on uses

PackshotCreator has established itself as a fully-fledged player in the digital commerce value chain, supporting not only e-retailers, but also marketing, R&D and communication departments in many sectors. Cosmetics, industry, luxury, pharmacy, Agri-food : uses have multiplied, as have functionalities.

Still photographs, multi-angle visuals, 360° animations, hemispheric 3D views... Packshot StudiosCreator have evolved at the pace of needs, while maintaining a constant philosophy: facilitate the creation of qualitative, coherent and interactive visuals.

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Sustained growth and international recognition

In 2011, Sysnext already had a turnover of 4 million euros, up +11%. The following year started with even stronger momentum (+20%). This development was based on a sustained R&D policy and a strategy to support customers with high added value.
Technology alone is not enough. What PackshotCreator understood very early on is that success also requires pedagogy and the acculturation of teams. “We've never just sold an automated photo studio. We have always focused on support, training and the appropriation of the tool by end users”, underlines Laurent Wainberg.

From productivity to the control of visual flows

In a world where deadlines are tight, numerous contents and multiple channels, automated photography is not a simple option: it is a strategic response. PackshotCreator allows businesses to keep control of their content production, without sacrificing quality or creativity. By integrating these studios into the product or marketing teams themselves, companies gain in agility, consistency and efficiency.
Photographers, on the other hand, were not excluded from the process. On the contrary: by relieving them of repetitive and technical tasks, automated solutions allow them to refocus on artistic direction, high-end retouching and projects with high added value.

The human at the heart of the device

Since 2016, PackshotCreator also offers specialized training In product photography : packshot leather goods, wine bottles, furniture, decoration, etc. These courses are aimed at professional photographers as well as internal teams of brands or agencies. It is a new proof of the brand's commitment to transmission of knowledge and the raising of visual standards.

Conclusion

PackshotCreator did not kill photography: it revealed new uses of it. Thanks to a vision resolutely focused on business challenges, the company was able to impose automation as a strategic ally in the service of visual performance.
Even today, through its collaboration with Orbitvu and the development of solutions such asAlphashot Pro G2, PackshotCreator continues to innovate. With a promise that has remained the same since its inception: to help brands create powerful, coherent and controlled images, in complete autonomy.

To dive back into this founding interview that looks back on the beginnings of PackshotCreator and the vision of its founder, You can (re) read it here : Interview with Laurent Wainberg — GNPP.