Yahoo is positioning its new Flickr Android application and Web site to more closely resemble the design principles that made Instagram a hit. However, Flickr has also been updated with significantly more storage, which could give it an edge in the free mobile photo app space.

With mobile growing as a primary way that consumers take and upload photos, Yahoo?s refresh of Flickr points to the major push that the company is aiming to make with mobile. The revamp is rolling out across a new Android app and desktop site, meaning that Yahoo should focus on marketing Flickr as a cross-screen photo service if it wants to succeed.

?With the revamp of Flickr, Yahoo is now in a position to market the agility of this platform,? said Arun Ramdeane, senior account executive at Atimi Software, Vancouver.

?They have substantially changed the interface putting the photos you take front and center, which is in line with many of the most popular photo applications and Web sites today,? he said.

?Yahoo must ensure when they market the new Flickr they make connections for users in how they can share their creations and the different use cases. They have an opportunity to bring key drivers for other platforms and combine them into one great photo sharing application.?

Yahoo did not respond to press enquiries for this story.

More storage
Yahoo has significantly expanded the amount of space that consumers have to upload photos to one terabyte of space, which is one piece of differentiation between Flickr and other photo sharing apps.

One TB is equivalent to roughly 500,000 photos.

An ad-free version of Flickr is $50 a year, and an upgraded version of the service costs $500 a year. The more expensive option includes two TB of storage.

By expanding its storage options, Flickr could have an edge over free mobile photo apps for photo enthusiasts, according to Michael Hussey, CEO of PeekAnalytics, New York.

?Flickr or any competitor [to Instagram] can win by giving away free storage to allow people to backup and access their My Pictures folder for free ? or a very small subscription,? Mr. Hussey said.

?They should make it a seamless proposition and explain the benefits of storing all your photos in the cloud,? he said. ?Emphasize what one terabyte of storage really means. Explain what competitors in cloud storage charge for that much. For example, DropBox charges $50 per month for that much storage.?

Taking a page from Instagram
Several of Yahoo?s features on the new Android app mimic some of Instagram?s more popular features.

For example, both Flickr?s Android app and site feature infinite scrolling, which is one of the features that Instagram has focused on to resemble a digital version of flipping through old photos.

Additionally, geo-targeting is available as well as editing and cropping features in the app.

The challenge for Yahoo and Flickr here will be finding a way to differentiate itself through marketing unique features to consumers.

Furthermore, app discovery remains a challenge, which is where cross-screen marketing could be particularly effective for Yahoo.

Doling out trials of the new mobile and desktop experience could also help Flickr amass a larger group of consumers.

?Flickr will need to show the world why they should leave Instagram or other mobile photo services by marketing their unique differentiators,? Atimi Software's Mr. Ramdeane said.

??What can I do on Flickr that I can't on Instagram and why do I want to use it?? ? everyone is going to ask the question,? he said.

Mobile photo sharing
Yahoo and Flickr both have sizable audiences that can help the company?s mobile and photo industries scale.

Since the app is a paid service, there are also slightly different audiences between Flickr and other mobile photo sharing apps.

If Flickr?s new features resonate strong enough with consumers, the app could rope in new subscribers and revenue for Yahoo.

Additionally, Yahoo?s $1.1 billion purchase of Tumblr this week could be more closely integrated with Flickr to make the service more social (see story).

?Instagram has around 100 million users a month versus Flickr's 87 million a month, and Snapchat users upload over 100 million more photos per day than Instagram ? according to Buzzfeed,? said Steve Timpson, chief operating officer of Siteminis, Atlanta.

?Simply put, there is room in the photo share ecosystem for a company that has been around as long as Flickr,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York