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However, in the time between camera purchase and a consumer buying a photo-finished product or uploading a photo to a social networking website, camera usage can be difficult to define and quantify.
Research suggests that there are 3.5 billion cameras in use across the globe and in excess of one trillion personal digital photos stored on PC hard-drives, portable devices and 'in the cloud'. However, in the time between camera purchase and a consumer buying a photo-finished product or uploading a photo to a social networking website, camera usage can be difficult to define and quantify.
With this in mind, Futuresource Consulting recently carried out consumer research into photo-sharing habits in the UK, Germany and France. The study focused on the images that ultimately have a high personal value to the consumer: those that are shared, as opposed to the billions that remain dormant on computer hard drives or memory cards. Survey questions were also included to pinpoint the features that consumers will look for in their next digital camera.
The research showed, beyond doubt, that consumers are embracing many new ways to share their personal photos; printed media continues to play an important role in photo sharing, though digital dominates. Some of the key trends mirrored the trends found in previous waves of research, with the vast majority - around 90% - of respondents across the UK, France and Germany sharing images with friends and family. Respondents continued to use a wide variety of methods to share their images, with females more likely to be sharing than males. The main method of sharing for French and German respondents was via laptop or desktop PC, while UK respondents mainly shared using websites and E:.
In terms of image capture, approximately a third of respondents in each of the territories used a cameraphone to capture up to a quarter of the images that they then went on to share. This varies quite considerably with age, with respondents aged 55 or older the least likely to be capturing images with a cameraphone, with over a third using their digital camera for all of their image capture. Respondents aged 16 to 34 are more likely than any other age group to be capturing 75 to 100% of their images with a cameraphone. Notably, a quarter of respondents in each country are capturing all of their images using a digital camera only.
This is just a small insight into the Futuresource study. For more information or to make a purchase, get in touch with Simon Bryant at Futuresource Consulting on +44 (0) 1582 500 100.
Futuresource will be hosting the Futuresource Entertainment Summit in London again this year, taking place on 16 and 17 June. Topics will include the rise of digital content delivery, convergent devices vs. dedicated devices, and the business opportunities presented by new home entertainment technologies, platforms and delivery systems. For more information visit fes2011.com/.
Futuresource Consulting (futuresource-consulting.com) is a specialist research and knowledge-based consulting company, providing organisations with insight into consumer electronics, digital imaging, entertainment media, broadcast, storage media, education technology and IT. With a heritage stretching back to the 1980s, the company delivers in-depth analysis and forecasts on a global scale, advising on strategic positioning, market trends, competitive forces and technological developments.
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