PMA Data Watch: Retail printing among U.S. households
According to the PMA 2010 U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 61 percent of digital camera owners made paper prints in 2009. U.S. households that made prints were most likely to print less than 10 percent of the pictures they saved, stored or kept. Fifty-four percent of printing households made prints away from home, either by ordering from a retail counter or by using the instant kiosk.
Drugstores held the largest share of retail prints last year. More than one-third (36 percent) of all prints made at retail in 2009 were made at drugstores, up from 31 percent in the year prior. Discount stores were next in line capturing 29 percent of retail print share. Internet firms made up 15 percent of print share followed by warehouse clubs which made up another 13 percent. Camera stores/one-hour labs, mail order, supermarkets and other locations made up the remainder of retail prints.
The most common reason for making prints in 2009 was for the purpose of giving them to family or friends. Eighty-nine percent of printing households made prints for this reason, up from 83 percent in the previous year. Seventy-two percent of households put them in albums at home. Other reasons for printing include to put them in frames at home or in the office and to keep in boxes or envelopes around the home.
PMA announces the release of the Photo Industry 2010: Review and Forecast Report
U.S. Photo Industry 2010: Review and Forecast Report Reveals Untapped Potential for Growth
JACKSON, Mich. – PMA – The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations announces the availability of The U.S. Photo Industry 2010: Review and Forecast Report Premium Edition to provide photo retailers, online service firms and manufacturers with a key industry trends and assist them in long-term business planning. The Premium edition of the report includes extended forecasts through 2012 and provides a more in-depth look into each product category with pricing, channel shares, and product types. Visit the marketing research area of the PMA website to compare editions and see the differences between the basic and premium version of this report. The highlights of this report are:
- Digital cameras are expected to reach 81 percent of U.S. households and the market value is expected to reach $5.2 billion in 2010. Consumers in the U.S. are expected to make 13.9 billion digital prints in 2010.
- While social networks changed imaging for some, touch-screen smart phones and tablets will change imaging for all.
- Growth in digital photo printing revenue is now driven by photo cards whose future success is rooted in the transition of stationery, greetings, and expressions products to on-demand platforms, already under way.
- With more 8-by-10 inch prints made on home printers than through retail or online businesses, however, large-format photo printing demand and its most likely source – photo enthusiasts - remain largely unexploited by specialty photo businesses.
- Finally, the success of touch-screen smart phones as picture taking devices points to a challenging future for ultra-compact cameras and camera demand overall, while their success as picture-sharing devices points to less attention on camera resolution by at least a segment of consumers.
Available from the marketing research area of the PMA website (www.pmai.org), the basic report is free to members. Non-members of PMA may buy the report for $99. The premium version is available for $249 for non-members and $149 for members. Media members can contact PMA for a copy of the report.
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 84-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.
Video projectors shrink to ‘pico’ size, says In-Stat
In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com) reports today’s state-of-the-art “micro” video projectors, which are about the size of a paperback novel and weigh about one pound, are quickly being pushed aside in favor of “pico” projectors, which are about the size of a candy bar and weigh just a few ounces. The combination of improved pico projection capability and the desire for larger displays will result in a new consumer electronics segment whose shipments will exceed 20 million units in five years.
“The number of companies developing pico projectors now stands at 18, and is growing,” says Frank Dickson, In-Stat analyst. “The list includes pico projection heavy weights like Himax, Micron Displaytech, Microvision and Texas Instruments.” Recent research by In-Stat found market revenue for pico projector modules expected to reach nearly half a billion dollars by 2014. While stand-alone/accessory pico projectors dominate the market, there is clear movement from “plug-in” to “embedded.” Personal CE devices and stand-alone devices dominate currently, but this will change as mobile handsets will drive growth exponentially within the next two years.
For a free sample of the report and more information contact Elaine Potter at: epotter@in-stat.com or (480) 483-4441. To purchase it online visit: http://www.instat.com/catalog/wcatalogue.asp?id=66
PMA Data Watch: Photo publishing products here to stay
According to the Photo Industry 2010: Review and Forecast Report, photo publishing products will remain popular. It started with photo calendars, a great gift for the holiday season, useful and creative, yet very affordable. Then the industry struck a home run with custom photo holiday cards, a more personal way for expressing holiday wishes, yet cheaper than traditional cards. By 2007, photo books had exceeded $250 million in sales to become the next major category in what was becoming a portfolio of custom photo products.
Ever since, the market for such products has continued to grow. The market value for photo publishing products was estimated at $1.2 billion in 2008 and grew to $1.3 billion in 2009. This year, the market is projected to grow once again to reach nearly $1.4 billion. Demand for photo cards and photo books appear to be growing, however, the market value for other products is dropping slightly.
The market value for photo cards is expected to grow about 10 percent this year when compared to this past year. Likewise, the market for photo books is expected to grow 13 percent, from a value of $372 million in 2009 to a projected $421 million this year. The market value of other products, such as calendars, mugs, and mousepads is a category that is expected to decline from $369 million to $340 million.
For the full Photo Industry 2010: Review and Forecast Report, in the basic and premium editions, please visit the marketing research area of the PMA website.
New report from Lyra examines the snapshot photo printing market
The demand for simple snapshot photo prints continues its downward spiral. Digital image capture rates may be increasing, but cost-conscious consumers are printing fewer of these images. Electronic screens, photo-sharing websites, and low-cost digital memory have replaced photo albums and shoe boxes full of prints in many cases. The worldwide economic recession also has contributed to the first ever decline in consumer digital photo print volumes, and it is expected that the recession will have lasting effects on the photofinishing industry.
PMA Data Watch: Memory card purchasing among U.S. households
According to the PMA 2010 U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, the majority of memory cards purchased in 2009 were purchased from discount stores and electronics stores. Forty-one percent were purchased at discount stores in 2009, up from 36 percent in the year prior. Electronics stores lost share as 20 percent of units were purchased there in 2009 as opposed to 22 percent in the previous year. The remaining units were purchased over the Internet, at office supply stores, camera stores, warehouse clubs, computer stores and by other means.
Small memory cards are becoming a thing of the past as nearly half of memory cards purchased in 2009 were 4 GB or more. Only 5 percent of memory cards were 256 MB compared to 85 percent back in 2004. The majority of memory cards purchased through any of the various distribution channels were the 4 GB or more cards. Office supply stores, however, were most likely to sell 2 GB memory cards.
In many cases the memory cards come with a camera purchase. Smaller cards are more likely to come with the camera purchase as nearly half (49 percent) of 256 MB cards came with a camera. Eighteen percent of 4 GB memory cards came with a camera purchase and 23 percent of 8 GB or more cards did.
Decline in loyalty for many consumer goods brands during recession
A leader in measuring the digital world, comScore, Inc., today released the March 2010 results of a study on brand loyalty among consumer goods products, showing a significant decline in consumers’ allegiance to their favorite brands during the past two years. The results of the study were presented at the Festival of Media conference in Valencia, Spain on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.
“A decline in loyalty to consumer goods brands is typically one of the byproducts of a recession as consumers give greater consideration to price,” said Mr. Fulgoni. “Research we’ve conducted at comScore ARS has quantified the impact of the ‘trading down’ effect within a number of different product categories, highlighting consumers’ increasing willingness to switch brands in the face of pocketbook constraints.”
The study evaluated the change in brand loyalty within a number of consumer goods categories, including health & beauty aids, OTC medications, apparel, food, household products and housewares. The percentage of shoppers who typically purchase the brands they want most has steadily declined across the categories examined as a result of the economic downturn. In March 2010, less than 50 percent of shoppers reported purchasing the brand they want most.
Consumers were already more likely to buy a brand they didn’t “want most” at the start of the recession in some categories, particularly CPG household products and housewares. Some categories (e.g., paper towels, facial tissue) have not seen increased trading down from a brand perspective, possibly because such categories have led the way in tiering, allowing consumers to stick with their preferred brand at a more attractive price point. Trading down behavior appears to be spreading to categories that were previously immune (e.g. HBA, OTC) as the economic downturn persists. The increases in trading down in these categories have largely occurred in the last year. Higher ticket items have seen large increases in trading down possibly due to larger absolute savings on a single purchase.
Device owners embracing entertainment and expedience
According to leading market research company The NPD Group’s “2010 Consumer Technology Household Online Penetration Study“, the landscape of consumer technology in the U.S. has shifted towards products that offer richer entertainment experiences and simplicity. Flat-panel TVs in the home grew slightly to 64 percent, up from 61 percent in 2009, while the percentage of households with two or more flat-panel televisions remained flat. The broadening penetration of HDTV coupled with lower player prices, however, proved to be a boon for standalone Blu-ray players, which nearly doubled since last year, going from just 6 percent in 2009 to 11 percent in 2010. One key factor behind this was deep discounting throughout the 2009 holiday season.
Replacements drive the PC market with overall notebook penetration remaining flat, but netbook penetration almost doubled, moving from 4 percent in 2009 to 8 percent in 2010. The release of new operating systems from Microsoft and Apple were main drivers for the PC market.
“Consumers are flocking to products that offer slim profiles and access to digital content,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. “Devices such as Blu-ray players, netbooks, and e-readers are being used to enable rich, connected experiences.” E-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader are increasing in penetration and are now in 5 percent of U.S. households.
Driven by declining prices and better quality, flash camcorders, while still at only 10 percent penetration, doubled from last year’s 5 percent and still have plenty more room to grow in the coming years. Households with children had a 13 percent penetration rate versus 9 percent of those without children indicating certain segments of the market could help build that penetration faster than others.
Forty percent of U.S. households now own portable navigation devices, up from 30 percent in 2009. PNDs have become attractive options for consumers with low average prices and have held their own against competition from cell phones because of their simplicity and ability to be used without a data plan.
Compact camera household penetration seems to have reached a plateau at 73 percent, but the instance of two or more digital cameras in the home is on the rise, pointing to a move from household penetration to individual penetration. Households with two or more cameras rose from 22 percent in 2009 to 25 percent in 2010. DSLRs didn’t see an overall increase from 11 percent in household penetration, however, more affluent households penetration went from 18 percent in 2009 to 22 percent in 2010.
PMA Data Watch: Uploading activity in the Flickr community
The popular photo sharing site Flickr incorporates a feature allowing users to get the scoop on the most popular camera models and camera phone models being used to upload photos in the Flickr community. Popularity is determined by tracking the number of users, as well as, the number of images uploaded on any given day with each of the models. The Apple iPhone is by far the most popular camera phone model, as it has been for quite some time now when PMA Marketing Research has surveyed the site. In fact, the Apple iPhone 3G takes first place and the Apple iPhone 3GS takes a distant second. Following in order of popularity are the Nokia N95, BlackBerry Tour 9630, and the BlackBerry Curve 9330.
On January 28, 2010, there were 24,563 items uploaded on Flickr from the popular Apple iPhone and there were 3,887 users. Numbers continued to climb with 5,477 users and 30,260 items uploaded on April 30, 2010. The number of pictures uploaded per user, however, dropped for this particular model compared to January. The Apple iPhone 3GS, coming in second in terms of popularity, contributed 17,002 items and 1,816 users on April 30. Users of this model uploaded more items than users of the iPhone 3G.
The number of items being uploaded each day from each of the iPhone models exceeds the number of items being uploaded from the most popular point-and-shoot camera, the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS. Users of this popular compact camera, however, upload more items than users of the iconic iPhones.
The total number of items uploaded on the above mentioned day in January from the top five camera phones totaled 42,550 items. By April 30, however, that number had grown to 52,562 items and 90 percent of the items were uploaded from one of the iPhone models. Users totaled 8,258 in April, up from 8,034 in January. This data indicates that on the given day back in January each user uploaded, on average, 5.3 items, growing to 6.4 items per user on the above mentioned day in April.
For more information on the models mentioned above and more visit the Camera Finder page on the Flickr website.
