NEWS! - Digital Cameras, Digital Imaging, Digital Photography, Digital Scanners

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One third of US households to own a digicam this year
By Mike Tomkins
(Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 18:24 EDT)

Two new reports released today by Infotrends Research Group and PMA Marketing Research agree that digital camera ownership is currently at about one in five households in the USA - a figure that is on the brink of making digital cameras a mass-market product according to the PMA.

An article discussing the new report entitled "Path from Pixels to Prints: The Challenge of Bringing Digital Imaging to the Mass Market" on the PMA's Newsline International page states that a product is considered to have reached the mass market once 22% penetration has been achieved - and at 20% of households owning a digicam currently this is not far away at all. In fact, the Infotrends report, entitled "2003 Digital Camera Survey: End-User and Non-User Analysis", predicts that by the end of this year 30% of US households will own a digital camera.

Other noteable statistics are as follows:

45% of Internet-connected households own a digital camera
24% of Internet-connected households plan to purchase a digital camera this year
82% of digital camera owners print digital photos at home, and 81% of those planning to purchase a digital camera expect to do the same
64% of females owning or planning to purchase a digital camera believe that if competitively priced, they will have their photos printed at a retail location
78% of digital camera owners are not proactively archiving their photos, risking loss to viruses, obsolete storage media and hard-disk crashes
40% of digital cameras sold last year were 3 megapixels or more
16% of digital cameras sold last year replaced a film camera
50% of households would replace their film camera with a digital camera if it were to break
20% of photos taken in 2002 were printed, mostly on home printers
6.1% of prints made in 2002 were from digital images
The number of conventional prints made in 2002 declined by 700,000 - but the number of digital prints made increased by 1.3 million

The PMA Marketing Research report is available on the PMAI website, whilst Infotrends' 119 page report can be purchased on the Infotrends website.

Original Source Press Release:

Digital Camera Penetration Reaches 20% of U.S. Households, According to New Report by InfoTrends Research Group

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003--InfoTrends Research Group's latest study of digital camera users confirms that 20% of U.S. households now own a digital camera. Digital camera penetration is rising rapidly and is expected to reach 30% by the end of 2003. InfoTrends' study of U.S. Internet-connected households revealed that 45% of respondents own a digital camera and that 24% of Internet-connected households plan to purchase their first digital camera this year. The results of InfoTrends' surveys and forecasts are used to calculate household penetration.
Rising digital camera penetration brings waves of change for the photo industry, including changes for preferred digital photo print locations and services. Currently, 82% of digital camera users print digital photos at home and 81% of those who plan to purchase a digital camera in the future expect to print their digital photos primarily at home. Nevertheless, retail locations could become the leading digital photo print location in the future. 64% of female respondents who own a digital camera or who are planning to purchase a digital camera believe that retail locations will become their preferred digital photo printing location, if it is priced competitively with film processing.

Another topic coming to the forefront for the photo industry is digital photo management and archiving. "Digital camera users are accumulating large collections of digital photos, but few users are concerned about taking steps to archive their digital photos for the long term," says Michelle Slaughter, Director of Digital Photography Trends at InfoTrends. "The study shows that 78% of digital camera users are not proactively taking steps to manage and archive their digital photos for the long term. Consumers are not concerned about archiving because most are not aware of how easily they could lose their digital photos to viruses, obsolete storage media, or hard drive crashes. Industry players need to offer solutions that help consumers preserve their digital photos for the long term."

InfoTrends' new forecast report entitled 2003 Digital Camera Survey: End-User and Non-User Analysis is available immediately. The 119-page study with 133 figures and two sets of tabulations reveals in-depth trends in digital camera features and brand preferences, printing, storage, applications, pricing, purchase channels, demographics, user segments, and more.

About InfoTrends Research Group

InfoTrends Research Group, Inc. (www.infotrends-rgi.com) is the leading market research and consulting firm for digital imaging technologies and markets. With the largest number of analysts dedicated solely to digital imaging, InfoTrends offers the most focused coverage of this rapidly evolving market. InfoTrends helps its worldwide clientele improve the effectiveness of their strategic planning by providing valuable tools for intelligent decision-making, including forecasts, end user research, product analysis, and market trend tracking. Research is available through standalone reports, custom consulting, and through the Digital Photography Trends(TM), Internet Imaging Trends(TM), and Image Scanning Trends(TM) subscription advisory services in online format. InfoTrends is committed to promoting market growth and development through its press and media events for the digital imaging industry, and through its industry conferences. InfoTrends is a member of the CAP Ventures family (www.capv.com), a worldwide strategic consulting firm for providers and users of business communication technologies and services.

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