Nostalgic photo service an Insta success

In a bid to invoke nostalgia among consumers, US company Instagram has come up with a way of making photos spontaneous and tangible again.

Instaprint is a lunchbox-sized device that turns photos – modified with the Instagram iPhone app – into physical prints, essentially serving as a location-based photo booth.

“We all still miss the uniqueness of those square little photos you’d hold comfortably in your hand. So we made Instaprint,” the company says.

“Each Instaprint box is set with its location or a specific hashtag. Any Instagram tagged with that location or hashtag will pop out of the Instaprint box, giving you a modern day photo booth.”

“To stay true to the old days, Instaprint uses a new printing technology developed by Zink. Similar to how instant film once worked, the colour for the prints comes from the paper itself. No ink necessary.”

Nostalgic items have been gaining ground as consumers look to simplify their lives. Just last month, StartupSmart wrote about an online telegram service.

Does this suggest there is a demand for other niche markets that can invoke nostalgia?