PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report – January
JACKSON, Mich. – PMA – The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations announces the availability of the PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report to aid firms in making business decisions. The report is a monthly service to help members gain timely insight into consumer printing and camera purchasing behaviors. PMA also translates the camera sales data from NPD Group into year-over-year trends on both a monthly and year-to-date basis. Market share information is also provided.
According to the January report, the volume of prints made from digital-still camera images decreased by 2 percent compared to the same month the previous year. Printing volumes at retail minilabs and instant kiosks grew 8 percent and grew 6 percent, respectively. Online ordering fell 15 percent and home printing grew by 1 percent in January. Statistics from the NPD Group Inc. showed that January 2010. Overall demand for digital cameras decreased 9.5 percent in January.
Available from the marketing research area of the PMA website (www.pmai.org), the report is available for member download.
About PMA – The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations
As a professional trade association, PMA® helps the worldwide photo imaging community achieve business success and adapt to new technologies. Its commitment to its members in 100-plus countries is part of an 85-year legacy that connects business owners to a network of knowledge and support. PMA furthers this purpose through the development of educational programs and business services, marketing research, publications, and trade shows. As a nonprofit organization, any success enjoyed by PMA in its endeavors directly benefits the industry, allowing PMA to provide continual services and activities for members.
PMA Data Watch: A look at camera sales and digital print volumes in September
According to NPD Group Inc., digital camera sales were down 9 percent in September 2009 compared to the same month last year. Digital camera sales were down about 17 percent in August 2009 compared to the prior year, as well. Year-to-date sales in September of this year were down 13 percent whereas they were up 4 percent in September 2008.
Resolutions of digital cameras are continuously improving, even just compared to last year. Eighty-seven percent of cameras sold in September 2009 were 10 megapixels or more. Only 8 percent of cameras sold were fewer than 8 megapixels. Looking back to September 2008, only 30 percent of cameras sold were 10 megapixels or more and 22 percent were fewer than 8 megapixels. As digital camera sales have softened, digital print volumes are also being affected by the weak economy. There was still some growth, but there are definite signs of a slow down, according to PMA Marketing Research. Some printing methods as well have experienced declines in July 2009 when compared to previous years.
Overall printing volumes were down 2 percent in September 2009 compared to being up 17 percent in the same month last year. Online ordering activity, the fastest growing method of printing, fell 5 percent, compared to a growth rate of 37 percent in 2008. Printing volumes at retail minilabs fell at a rate of 2 percent; printing volumes on kiosks grew by 6 percent in September 2009. In September 2008, printing volumes at retail minilabs and kiosks grew at much higher rates of 16 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Printing at home was down 4 percent this September, as opposed to being up 5 percent last July. Other methods of printing, such as printing at the workplace, appear to be on the rise. Growth was 23 percent in September 2009.
PMA Data Watch: Activity of digital camera owners
According to the 2009 PMA U.S. Consumer Photo Buying Report, 73 percent of U.S. households own digital cameras. Not surprisingly, the percentage of households that still own film cameras continues to fall with the prevalence of digital cameras. In 2005, 72 percent of digital camera owners still had film cameras, but this dropped to 46 percent in 2008.
The percent of U.S. households with broadband internet was 77 percent in 2008, an increase from 57 percent in 2005. Dial-up internet households dropped from 33 percent in 2005 to just 11 percent in 2008. The percentage of households without any internet access has increased over the past few years, however, from 8 percent in 2005 to 12 percent in 2008.
The percentage of households that purchased film or one-time-use cameras dropped from 56 percent in 2005 to 31 percent in 2008. Those processing film or one-time-use cameras dropped even more in the past few years. Only 25 percent of digital camera owners processed film in 2008 compared to 62 percent back in 2005. As digital cameras grew in pouplarity, camcorder ownership has remained steady. Thirty-four percent of digital camera owners owned camcorders in 2005 and 36 percent owned them in 2008. In 2006, however, camcorder ownership was at 46 percent among digital camera owners.
PMA Data Watch: Digital camera purchases by channel
According to the 2009 PMA U.S. Consumer Photo Buying Report, the most common places to purchase digital cameras are discount/combination stores and electronics/video stores. More than half of units purchased in 2008 were purchased from one of these locations. This has been the case since digital cameras started to become popular back in 2003.
The Internet is the next most common channel for digital camera purchases. Thirteen percent of units sold in 2008 were purchased over the internet. “The Internet” includes only sources without physical locations, and outlets with physical locations may include their internet sales. Camera stores, warehouse clubs and department stores follow in order of importance when it comes to digital camera purchases. Few units are purchased through mail order or computer stores.
In 2008, males and females were about equally likely to be the purchaser of digital cameras. In 2007, however, females were more likely to purchase digital cameras. The percentage of purchasers under 30 declined in 2008 to 13 percent, from 17 percent in the year prior. Only 16 percent of purchasers in 2007 were 61 or older compared to 26 percent in 2008.
PMA Data Watch: Camera or camcorder purchasing activity by demographic segment
According to the 2009 PMA U.S. Consumer Photo Buying Report, 13.7 percent of U.S. households obtained a new camera or camcorder in 2008. This was a drop from 15.2 percent in the previous year. In addition, 12.4 percent of households purchased a new camera or camcorder in 2008. Not surprisingly, higher income households were much more likely to have purchased a new camera or camcorder in 2008. Only 8 percent of households with an annual income below $30,000 purchased one in 2008, but this figure more than doubles, to 18 percent, for households earning an annual income of $75,000 and more. Higher income households also spent more on each camera or camcorder, on average, than lower income households.
Younger households were also more likely than their higher income counterparts to purchase a camera or camcorder in 2008. Households headed by someone younger than 34 years old were more than three times as likely as those headed by someone 65 years and older to have purchased one. In fact, there was a negative correlation between age and the likelihood of purchasing a new camera or camcorder. Older households, however, spent more per unit than younger households.
Households with children present are also more than twice as likely as those without to have purchased a new camera or camcorder in 2008. Households where the female head is employed full-time are most likley to have purchased a new unit this past year. Households where the female head is unemployed are almost twice as likely as those who are unemployed to have purchased cameras this past year.
The 2009 PMA U.S. Consumer Photo Buying Report is now available in the marketing research area of the PMA website.
PMA Data Watch: A look at camera sales and digital print volumes in July
According to NPD Group Inc., digital camera sales were down 13 percent compared in July 2009 compared to the same month last year. Digital camera sales were down about 13 percent in June 2009 compared to the prior year, as well. Year-to-date sales in July of this year were down 12 percent whereas they were up 5 percent in July 2008.
Resolutions of digital cameras are continuously improving, even just compared to last year. Eighty-three percent of cameras sold in July 2009 were 10 megapixels or more. Only 7 percent of cameras sold were fewer than 8 megapixels. Looking back to July 2008, only 25 percent of cameras sold were 10 megapixels or more and 27 percent were fewer than 8 megapixels.
As digital camera sales have softened, digital print volumes are also being affected by the weak economy. There was still some growth, but there are definite signs of a slow down, according to PMA Marketing Research. Some printing methods as well have experienced declines in July 2009 when compared to previous years.
Overall printing volumes were down 3 percent in July 2009 compared to being up 21 percent in the same month last year. Online ordering activity, the fastest growing method of printing, grew at a rate of only 2 percent, compared to a rate of 47 percent in 2008. Printing volumes at retail minilabs fell at a rate of 6 percent; printing volumes on kiosks fell by 12 percent in July 2009. In July 2008, printing volumes at retail minilabs and kiosks grew at much higher rates of 25 percent and 21 percent, respectively. Printing at home was down 2 percent this July, as opposed to being up 5 percent last July. Other methods of printing, such as printing at the workplace, appear to be on the rise. Growth was 42 percent in July 2009, whereas in July 2008 other methods were down 6 percent. 
PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report – October
PMA Marketing Research, Jackson, Mich., has released the PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report covering highlights and overviews through October 2008. According to the report, the volume of prints made from digital-still camera images increased by 15 percent and home printing grew by 6 percent. Statistics from the NPD Group Inc. showed that overall demand for digital cameras decreased 7 percent in October. The PMA monthly printing and camera trends report, for the month of October, in PDF format, is available to members here.
PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report – September
PMA Marketing Research, Jackson, Mich., has released the PMA Monthly Printing and Camera Trends Report covering highlights and overviews through September 2008. According to the report, the volume of prints made from digital-still camera images increased by 17 percent and home printing grew by 5 percent. Statistics from the NPD Group Inc. showed that overall demand for digital cameras decreased 5 percent in September. Demand for cameras with 8 megapixels or more increased by 130 percent. The PMA monthly printing and camera trends report, for the month of September, in PDF format, is available to members here.