Digital Photo Frame Market Info

Digital Photo Frames – the Christmas Gift of the Year?

In the August edition of PCRetail, GFK, a highly-respected market research consultancy, have recently published a thought-provoking piece about the digital photo/picture frame market. The article tries to establish if digital photo frames really are going to be the Christmas gift of 2007.

By examining the market trends of the last few years, GFK see if they can foresee the future of the digital photo frame. Interestingly, the article draws attention to the fact that:

“Six million cameras were sold in 2006, 82 percent of all mobile phone and smartphone devices purchased so far in 2007 contain at least one camera, while new phones entering the market are continuingly come with improved picture quality.”

With the above facts and figures in mind, the path for digital photo frames to enter the market were clearly firmly laid.

Christmas ‘boom products’ of late include the small photo printer, which the article argues could of been knocked of the top sales spot by the introduction of the digital photo frame at the end of 2005. The article continues:

“Either way the great sales performance of digital photo frames last Christmas came at a time unexpected to most, sales reported around 3,000 units up to September 2006. However, what then followed was a volume explosion each month up to December when 90,000 units were sold, which is a value of almost £1 million.”

Digital Photo Frames - Suitable in many places

Photo: digitalframesdirect.com

GFK confirm that during last year the most successful channel of distribution for the digital photo frame was the mass merchandiser, reaching a 46 percent volume and 52 per cent value share. However, post-Christmas the computer shop and consumer electric store channels started to increase their presence in the market and by May accounted for 45 per cent and 29 per cent of total sales respectively, with the mass merchandiser channel losing the top spot.

As the article concluded, and the author presumed, expectations remain high for the digital photo frame in the run up to this Christmas and with the love of photos having no boundaries Digital Frames Direct Managing Director, Rob Austen, explains why he thinks the digital photo frame is the next big thing:

“A lot of the digital photo frame’s popularity is because it gets people’s photos off their PCs and out where they can enjoy them as everyone seems to have lost the knack of having things developed. They also allow people to a make presents very special because they can pre-load favourite photos and personalise it to a level that most presents can’t achieve. For many they are just a way of innovatively showcasing their most fond memories but for those who realising its full potential are using it for so much more, such as branded corporate gifts, visual aids , promotional tools and even as educational devices. In the 21st century we are continually fascinated by gadgets and gizmos and the digital photo frame is definitely the gadget of 2007.”

This article was written by Hina Alvi in October 2007. She works as Media & Press Officer for Digital Frames Direct, an UK digital photo retailer and wholesaler.

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A Digital Photo Frame

Photo: digitalframesdirect.com  

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