CES 2012 marks the beginning of mainstream Wi-Fi integration in cameras and camcorders. Canon, Kodak, Samsung, and Sony are among those in the game with wireless introductions, a move that could very likely score with consumers and an imaging segment that has been struggling.
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In the high-tech world of James Bond, Q equipped the MI6 operative with all manner of category-stretching products – from a pen containing an explosive charge to vehicles that fire missiles. And while, unlike the Polaroid in the 1989 film Licence to Kill, it will never shoot deadly lasers (firmware updates have their limitations), Pentax’s Q camera, which shares its name with 007’s gadget guru, will also blur category boundaries.
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NPD has released its Consumer Technology Black Friday week sales data, and based on my analysis I think the most reasonable conclusion is to view the results as a glass being half full. Yes, the overall sales (in dollars) were down, but the pockets of strength we saw were surprising, and in my view encouraging, at least if are willing to look beyond Dec 25th.
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Black Friday results for imaging were less than we had expected, and really a disappointment in a sector which has, for so many years, been an exciting holiday electronics driver.
Not only were point-and-shoot camera unit volumes down, but DSLRs declined in units for the first time ever in our weekly data, although just by one percent, despite a lower average price of $618. NPD’s Consumer Technology Holiday Snapshot report revealed that a quarter of those who were intending to buy a DSLR this holiday season were going to put off their purchases. Digital picture frames, 5 inches and greater, were still up 10 percent in units, and were one of the few categories of unit growth over Black Friday, but down seven percent in dollars.
It’s clear that on top of the recession, saturation is playing a large part in the lackluster performance specifically for the point-and-shoot digital camera segment. Three quarters of U.S. households have at least one digital point-and-shoot camera. Retailers and manufacturers need to find ways to reignite a passion among those who may be waiting to trade up. They have to be more aggressive and creative in messaging to consumers, not just about buying cameras, but about all the connections consumers can make with their personal images.
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Consumer Technology | Liz Cutting, Senior Imaging Analyst | 
January 11, 2012 12:53 pm | 
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