Digital Camera Ownership Increasing

This year's survey of U.S. Internet households shows the penetration of digital cameras increasing to 59% of Internet households, up from 45% in 2003.

As a result of rising penetration, the demographics of digital camera owners are shifting towards people of more moderate means. Additionally, women are increasingly more likely to own digitalcameras and to spur the purchasing decision for the household.

While the demographics of digital camera owners continue to shift towards representing the average Internet user, digital camera owners still show a greater tendency to acquire new technology than non-owners. Digital camera owners’ advanced approach to new technologies is reflected in their technology ownership and product usage covered throughout the study. For example, 26% of digital camera households have a wireless home network, compared to 16% of non-owners.

“Since digital camera manufacturers are expected to introduce WiFi-enabled digital cameras in 2005, this study shows that there is already a growing potential market for WiFi-enabled digital cameras,” says Michelle Slaughter, Director of Digital Photography Trends at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. “As the consumer digital camera market matures, it’s important for manufacturers to consider emerging sub-segments like this one to target a growing market of replacement digital camera buyers, who are initially more likely to appreciate advanced features, such as WiFi-enabled cameras.”

The study also provides in-depth coverage of digital camera users’ purchasing decisions and feature preferences. There are slight changes from year-to-year in overall preferences, but profiles of a variety of digital camera user segments show greater differences in users’ preferences. This year, the study examines differences between owners of basic point & shoot 3X zoom cameras and those who own ultra-compact or extended zoom (greater than 3X) cameras. Manufacturers can use these profiles and others to refine their strategy for various segments of the market.

InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ new report entitled 2004 Digital Camera Survey: End User and Non-User Analysis is obtainable immediately. The 90-page analysis with 80 figures and two sets of 120+ page tabulations reveals detailed trends related to digital camera hardware, printing, storage, applications, pricing, purchase channel, demographics, user segments, and more. A related study entitled 2004 Consumer Digital Camera Forecast and Analysis is also available.