PMA Data Watch: A look at social network users and photo sharing
The 2009 PMA U.S. Photo Buying Report reveals that almost one-third, or 29 percent, of U.S. households uploaded pictures onto social networks in 2008. On average, 62 pictures were uploaded. PMA Marketing Research found that young households and those with children present are the most active in social networking. InfoTrends has just released a study looking at consumers’ use of social networks, with particular emphasis on photo-related activities.
Social network users are clearly a photo-active group of consumers, as nearly three quarters of them engage in photo sharing, according to the survey research. InfoTrends believes that this group represents more than 50 million potential customers for online photo finishers, even though a relatively low percentage of them indicated interest in ordering prints and photo publishing products. Since social networking sites typically store photos at low resolutions, photo output options are rather limited. Twenty percent of survey respondents consider social networking sites a safe way to store their important photos but less than a third of respondents realized that their photos are stored at a reduced resolution. Alan Bullock, Associate Director of InfoTrends’ Internet Imaging Trends Service, commented, “Many social networking site users believe that their photos are effectively “backed up” when they are stored on these sites, but this is simply not the case. There is an opportunity for online services that store high-resolution photos to educate the market and to make those photos more easily accessible on social networking sites for viewing and output.”
InfoTrends’ 2009 Social Networks and Photo Sharing Study provides an in-depth analysis of InfoTrends’ consumer survey on the use of social networks and the photo sharing activities that occur on these sites. Fielded in March 2009, this Web survey received responses from 1,810 qualified participants, including 885 who use at least one social networking site on a regular basis. The study also explores some of the newer technologies available to consumers for viewing and sharing their photos, including home networks, television screens, and mobile devices.
PMA Data Watch: Smartphone sales on the rise
According to the 2009 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, camera phone ownership is on the rise. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. households owned at least one camera phone in 2008, more than doubling the percentage owning them just a few years ago. More and more consumers are now using smartphones. In fact, the Apple iPhone continues to be the most popular camera phone according to the camera finder page on the Flickr website. Popularity is assessed by the number of pictures uploaded to Flickr from each particular camera phone. According to Gartner, worldwide mobile phone sales declined 6 percent in the second quarter of 2009 when compared to the second quarter of 2008. Smart phone sales, however, increased 27 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. According to Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, some of these devices sold well because consumers who would have usually purchased standard midrange devices either cut back to less expensive handsets or moved up the range to get more features for their money. Touchscreen was a major driver for replacement sales and benefited the manufacturers with strong, touch-focused midtier devices. In the first half of the year though, the decline in average selling prices accelerated, affecting manufacturers that focus on midtier or low-end devices.
PMA Data Watch: A look at popular photo book styles
According to PMA Marketing Research, the U.S. photo book market is expected to reach $340 million in 2009. In 2008, 10 percent of households completed photo books. The majority of households (69 percent) that made photo books made them as family keepsakes. Thirty-seven percent of households made them as a way of showing pictures to other. Gifting was another reason cited for making photo books.
Of those households that made photo books, 38 percent made 4-by-6 or 5-by-7 inch mini paperback books in 2008. This number was even higher for households that were making photo books for the purpose of sharing pictures with others. Standard 8-by-8 or 8-by-11 inch hard-cover books were made by about one-third of photo book households and were most likely made as gifts for family or friends. Fourteen percent of households made custom-cover books, but this percentage doubled among households making the book as a gift for a friend. Photo books 12-by-12 inches or larger were made by 19 percent of households. Those making the book for other reasons not cited were most likely, however, to make this style book. Perhaps these books are made to showcase a significant event, such as a wedding or birth of a child. Leather cover books were made by 11 percent of photo book households and the number did not vary much by the purpose for making the book. Nineteen percent of households stated they made other types of photo books in 2008.
In January 2009 when PMA Marketing Research surveyed the sites of online firms and retailers, the average prices for 4-by-6 and 5-by-7 inch paperback mini books were in the $5 and $8 range, respectively. Standard hard-cover books sold for about $24 while leather cover books were about $32, on average.
PMA Data Watch: Printing behavior of U.S. consumers
According to the 2009 PMA Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, U.S. households made paper prints from digital images in 2008. For digital camera households only, this number jumps to 61 percent. The average number of prints made per image was 1.6 in 2008 for those households that made paper prints.
The number of traditional prints made by U.S. consumers continues to fall each year, but the number of digital prints being made has been growing. It is projected that 2009 will be the first year digital print volumes dip slightly. PMA Marketing Research estimates that 14.8 billion digital prints were made in 2008 and that is expected to drop to 14.4 billion prints for 2009. Likewise, spending on retail and online printing is expected to fall. The number of prints made by U.S. consumers at home dropped in 2008 while the number of prints made at retail and online grew. In terms of print share, retail and online printing each hold 35 percent of the market, with home printing capturing the remaining 30 percent.
Households that do make prints, however, appear to be doing more with them then they were the previous year. Sixty-percent of printing households made prints to put them in albums at home in 2007, but this number increased to 70 percent in 2008. Eighty-three percent of households made prints to give them to family or friends in 2008, an increase from 69 percent in the year prior. Households were also more likely to put pictures in frames at home or at the office.
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PMA Data Watch: Digital camera sales down in May
According to NPD Inc., digital camera sales were down 18 percent in May 2009, compared to the same month last year. Sales in dollar terms were down even further (-24 percent), indicating falling prices on digital cameras. When compared to the previous year, camera sales have been down for the past few months. Digital camera sales in May 2008, however, were up 13 percent compared to the same month in the year prior. Year-to-date sales of digital cameras in May of this year were down 12 percent whereas they were up 7 percent in May 2008. Sales, in dollar terms, were down 19 percent this May whereas they were down only a fraction of a percent in May 2008.
Resolutions of digital cameras purchased are continually increasing as more features are available at lower prices. More than three-quarters (76 percent) of units sold in May were 10 or more megapixels. Only 10 percent of cameras sold had fewer than 8 megapixels. More than half of all digital cameras sold in 2009 thus far were 10 or more megapixels. Looking back to May 2008, only 23 percent of cameras sold were 10 megapixels or more and 32 percent were fewer than 8 megapixels.
