PMA Data Watch: Picture sharing among U.S. households
According to the 2010 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 24 percent of U.S. households use online social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, for sharing pictures. Nine percent of households use other online photo sites to share pictures. Females are more likely than males to use online social networking sites and more likely to use other sites. Twenty-three percent of households share pictures on the computer screen (not online). Sharing pictures in the form of prints and albums remains popular as 43 percent of households still use this method. Nineteen percent of households use their camera phone or smart phone for picture sharing and it would not be surprising to see this increasing in the near future. Other methods of sharing pictures include photo books, MP3 or media players, camera screens, TV screens and digital picture frames.
In terms of ease and speed of uploading images on social networking sites and other photo sites for sharing purposes, most households were indifferent, stating they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Forty percent were satisfied with the sites they used and only 10 percent expressed some dissatisfaction. Ordering photo prints and photo publishing products from social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook does not appear to be very popular at this time, with just one percent of households stating they ordered photo books, posters, calendars, mugs, etc. from such sites.
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.
InfoTrends study examines consumer preferences for publishing channels in Europe
The publishing of newspapers, books, and periodicals was the domain of print fro many centuries. This long established relationship is changing rapidly and drastically, however, with the advent of digital media, displays, and networks. InfoTrends has polled over 1,300 European consumers from five countries to get a better understanding of these dynamics. Additional data on reading and publishing trends complements those insights in a report entitled Consumer Media Preferences – The Future of Publishing Applications.
Consumer’s preferences for publishing channels is the focus of this report. Ralf Schlozer, a Director at InfoTrends, stated, “Technical opportunities have the potential to shift or even disrupt a market, and some drastic changes have already been noticed, such as in the U.S. newspaper market. Technical possibilities form only one part of true innovation, however, and the market has to be receptive to the change. Whether electronic content will replace a huge chunk of print, will be confined to small forward-thinking group of users, or will be offered in a co-existence of both media will depend greatly on the consumer.”
The report discusses changes in reading and communication habits, newspaper publishing, magazine and journal publishing, book publishing, and the rationale behind e-books. In addition to questions regarding media usage, the survey asked questions related to screen reader usage and ownership.
Photo Prints Remain a Vital Part of Digital Photography Ecosystem
The latest U.S. Consumer Photo Prints Forecast from InfoTrends indicates photo prints will remain a vital part of the growing digital photography ecosystem. Photo prints are still one of the best ways to share and safely archive important digital photos that will one day be passed on to future generations, despite the wide variety of ways to view, share, and store digital photos today.
The print market is generating billions of prints and billions of dollars in revenue even though overall print volumes are declining slightly. Retail print orders are expected to account for 65 percent of print volume by 2014. The most popular retail method will be the net-to-retail method, where prints are ordered online and picked up at the retail location. This method is expected to grow from 36 percent of the retail market in 2008 to 45 percent of the retail market by 2014.
Given the popularity of many other digital photography activities, including viewing and storage, it is not surprising that more customers are ordering prints online. InfoTrends’ research shows that photos stored on CD/DVD is the top method that consumers plan to use for passing on photos to future generations, however, CDs/DVDs degrade over time. In addition, hard drives crash and Web sites can go out of business. The traditional photo album is still the safest way to preserve precious family photos as prints have longevity on their side. Prints will be viewable after many decades when made on high-quality paper with high-quality inks and stored in an album.
David Hauter, an Associate Director at InfoTrends, stated, “It is a scary fact that a large percentage of consumers do not know that CD/DVDs have a limited shelf life and are also relying on vulnerable electronic methods for long-term archiving of digital photos. Prints are the best way to insure that important photos will be around to pass on to future generations in an easily viewable and accessible format. Vendors and retailers must focus on taking these messages to consumers to raise awareness and increase the stability of the print market.” With the right market education in place, InfoTrends believes prints will continue to play a prominent role in the digital photography market and that more consumers will begin to understand the archival quality of photo prints.
PMA Data Watch: Digital camera usage among U.S. households
According to the PMA 2010 U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, the majority of digital camera owning U.S. households have purchased their most recent digital camera in the past couple of years. Two-thirds of households purchased the most recent camera in 2007 or after and only 8 percent of digital camera households have not purchased one since 2003. In addition, 35 percent of households stated their most recent digital camera purchase was their first camera. The remaining digital camera households purchased their most recent camera as a replacement for another model or as an additional unit.
The most common reason households gave for purchasing a replacement digital camera was their old camera was broken or not working properly. Nearly half of households that purchased replacements did so for this reason. Thirty-nine percent said they purchased a replacement because they wanted a camera with better resolution. Other reasons for replacing a digital camera last year included longer zoom, faster shutter speed and anti-shake/image stabilization.
Digital camera owners take pictures for a variety of reasons. According to PMA Marketing Research, the most common reason U.S. households cited for taking pictures is to preserve memories. Nearly all (91 percent) digital camera owners take pictures for this reason. Sixty-eight percent of digital camera owners take pictures for the purpose of sharing them later with others while 55 percent take pictures for pure enjoyment. Very few households stated they take pictures with their digital camera to earn income or use for business.
PMA Data Watch: Camera phone penetration continues to rise
According to the 2010 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of U.S. households own at least one camera phone. In 2008, 58 percent of households owned at least one camera phone and in 2007, 46 percent of households were camera phone owners. Twelve percent of U.S. households own three or more camera phones. Eighty-five percent of camera phone owners claim they used the camera phone to take pictures in 2009. The majority of households said they used camera phones in the 2-2.9 megapixel and 3-3.9 megapixel range. There are a variety of reasons why people choose to use the camera phone rather than another camera for picture taking, according to PMA Marketing Research.
The most common reason, cited by 59 percent of camera phone owners, for using the camera function was that they did not have a digital/film camera at the time. Camera phones are the perfect solution for those spur of the moment picture opportunities. Forty-three percent of camera phone owners take pictures with the camera phone so they can have the picture with them at all times. Thirty-eight percent of camera phone owners just wanted to try the camera function for fun. Other reasons for using the camera phone rather than another camera is the desire to send or upload the photo quickly, the occasion was not important enough to bring a regular camera, do not have a digital camera and the camera phone is the main digital camera.
The majority of camera phone users (87 percent) said the use of the camera phone did not have an effect on the number of pictures they take with their digital camera. Six percent actually said the camera phone has caused them to take more pictures with their digital cameras and 7 percent said they take fewer pictures with their digital camera as a result of using the camera phone.
PMA Data Watch: A look at digital photo frame ownership and purchasing
According to the 2010 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 20 percent of U.S. households owned digital photo frames in 2009. This jumps to 26 percents for digital camera households. Not surprisingly, higher income households are more likely to own them than their lower income counterparts. Just 11 percent of households earning an annual income below $30,000 owned a digital frame compared to 29 percent of those earning an annual income of $75,000 or more.
Eight percent of U.S. households purchased a digital photo frame in 2009. More digital frame purchasers in 2009 were female, 58 percent, compared to 42 percent of purchasers which were male. The most popular size (screen size) of digital frames purchased was 7 inches. Twenty-nine percent of digital frames purchased in 2009 were 7-inch frames. Next in popularity were 8-inch frames, followed by those 9 inches or larger, and finally those 6 inches or smaller. Eight percent of U.S. households received a digital photo frame as a gift in 2009.
Digital cameras are now present in the majority of U.S. households and consumers are looking for the accessories to go along with them. Once the cameras are obtained, digital frames are a great way to creatively display the pictures taken. Consumers can view and show off multiple sets of images without having a computer handy and without making a whole stack of prints.
PMA Data Watch: Distribution of camera primary users by gender
Women are overall more likely to be the primary user of cameras in U.S. households, according to the 2009 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey. Sixty-one percent of primary camera users were female compared to just 39 percent who were male in 2008. There is some variation, however, depending on the type of camera.
Females are more than twice as likely as males to be the primary user of 35mm lens-shutter cameras and digital point-and-shoot cameras. Females are also more likely to be the primary user of other film and instant print cameras, 60 percent and 61 percent, respectively. Males and females are equally likely to use digital camcorders as half of primary users are male and half are female. There is a shift in gender of primary user for DSLRs, analog camcorders and 35mm SLR cameras.
The average age of the camera primary user in U.S. households is 45 years. Again, this varies based on the type of camera. Digital camcorders are likely to be used by younger consumers as the average age of the primary user is 39 years. Forty-eight years is the average age of the primary user of 35mm point-and-shoot and 35mm SLR cameras.
