When presented with a list of 15 digital camera brands, US Internet users chose Canon as the top of the line, according to an Ipsos survey cited by Marketing Charts.
Canon (CAJ) was the choice for 24 percent of those surveyed, with other top contenders being Sony (SNE), Kodak (EK) and Nikon.
How it broke down demographically, was Canon was by far the highest choice among younger, educated users, with high incomes. While Kodak was preferred by older customers.
Of US Internet users, 70 percent said they owned a digital camera, with 61 percent saying they also owned a home printer which could print photos. They younger the user the more apt they were to own a digital camera, and the older respondents were, the more likely they would own a home printer.
“This suggests that while the younger digital camera owners with children in their household are using their cameras to capture family pictures, the grandparents have printers for the pictures they’re receiving via PC,” said Leslie Rich, VP with Ipsos Insight’s Media, Entertainment, and Technology practice.
The study also implies industries targeting online storage and photo sharing should benefit from this ongoing trend, as consumers embrace the digital photo industry, and wanting to share them with their social networks and online communities.
One negative side effect of the interest by consumers is the cost or replacing ink cartidges, where some companies are coming under fire for costs. Some companies have lower-cost cartridges, but aren't marketing them as options to consumers.
As a result, a number of consumers are abandoning the higher cost cartridges for refills which, according to those in the industry, aren't as high quality as the others. It seems the only option for some is to get refills or not print their pictures.
To me it would be better to market the lower cost cartridges, explaining to people they won't get the quality of higher cost ones. It's better to get some business than to have people abandon you altogether.
This will probably be of some concern to Hewlett Packard (HPQ) and other cartridge providers who stand to lose business and their reputations if they aren't careful. It's a difficult situation for HP because it's been so lucrative for them. Now that digital is going mainstream, they, along with others, will have to respond to the perceived price-gouging in some way. It won't be smart to simply ignore it until people abandon them by changing their buying habits.
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