The camera phone has disrupted and usurped the market for standalone cameras
Without a doubt, the camera phone has got so good that impromptu, spur of the moment photos that needed a separate camera device can now be captured by the smartphone. The smartphone is now always with you because you want to have it for phone calls, instant messaging and social networking. And instead of being in the shape or a brick or a half barbell, it is slim enough and small enough to be in a pocket or a handbag. The intimacy and proximity of phone beats having to carry a separate camera around.I have several standalone cameras and a mobile phone. Having a good mobile phone camera does not take away from my urge to fondle and shoot a standalone camera. But I have always loved photography as a pursuit of creativity, of art, of therapy, of relaxation. The majority of the public aren't like that though. They're quite happy to use their phone for all their photos. And that means that major amounts of money flow into mobile phones, not standalone cameras. Oh, by the way, one of the unspoken topics is that mobile phone prices are heavily subsided by phone rental plans, easy credit terms and high volume of sales. That's why standalone cameras appear expensive or incur substantial discretionary spending.
Where goeth the rest of the spending if most of the money has gone into Mobile Phones?
The money left over for sales of standalone cameras is significantly reduced. You would imagine that each camera company has teams of data science analysts poring over KPIs, dashboards and stats figuring out candidate buyer demographics and strategising. But maybe not. Sure, the bean counters in those companies are frantic. But the strategists and decision-makers, I think they're mired in corporate mud. They must be because these camera companies are bleeding badly and continue to bleed.
The loss of volume sales to cell phones is Start of Analyses, It is Not the End
You've got to target the right buyers for the right sustainable product income. That, amidst competition from the within the industry, keen on absorbing whatever ground you give up on. That's the challenge.Pulling the plug on the camera business? That's not an exhibition of management skill.
