其他服務業Business News

Deliveries of such equipment to Russia in 2022 for the first time in five years amounted to less than 100,000 units.

Sales of cameras with instant printing in 2022 decreased by 32% - from 138,700 to 93,700 units. We are talking, for example, about devices brands Fujifilm, Kodak and Polaroid. This follows from the statistics of the National system of digital marking of goods "Honest Sign", which was reviewed by "Vedomosti".

A source at one of the online electronics retailers confirmed a drop in sales of such cameras in 2022 compared to 2021, citing similar numbers. According to him, less than 100,000 units were sold in a year. According to another Vedomosti source close to a major retailer, deliveries to Russia last year fell below 100,000 units for the first time in five years.

In monetary terms, sales also declined, according to the statistics of "Honest Sign". Thus, in 2022, compared to 2021, sales fell by 14% to RUB 590 million. The most popular brands among Russians were Fujifilm (91.40%), Kodak (4.5%), Lomography (1.4%), Polaroid (0.27%), Canon (0.18%). Primorsky Krai became the leader in sales of instant photo equipment in 2022, where there were 10.8 units of production per 1,000 people, followed by St. Petersburg (3.5 cameras) and Moscow (2.2), according to a company study.

The fashion for lomography (photo with instant printing) is gradually fading away, now this technique is more of a niche product party, says Revaz Yusupov, Deputy General Director of the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies. The drop in demand is also due to smartphone pressure on the photography market, he adds: today, the photo quality of some smartphones can compete with professional equipment, not to mention instant cameras.

“Instant photos are mainly a wedding segment,” says Yanina Yavorskaya, managing partner of the Ezhevika event agency. – Holidays in this segment have decreased against the backdrop of NWO. Many, for example, only signed, postponing the celebration until better times. And although business activity in the capital is on the rise, at conferences, client events, corporate parties, such equipment is rarely used.

According to Yusupov, many buyers chose this category of cameras as gifts. And in the last year, against the backdrop of a reduction in the range and a decrease in the availability of some brands in retail and on Internet sites, users have switched their attention to smart speakers, which are approximately comparable in price to instant cameras, the expert argues.

But marketplaces, on the contrary, do not notice a drop in demand for instant photo equipment, although they see a shift in buyers' interest in cheaper toys for children.

At Ozon, unit sales of instant cameras in 2022 remained at the level of 2021, but there was a redistribution of demand within the segment, a representative of the marketplace said. “While in 2021, “adult” cameras of well-known brands dominated the preferences of Russians, in 2022 the range of the online platform has significantly expanded with children’s instant cameras. Last year, devices from the Lumicube, Print camera and Leilam brands, which produce mainly children's equipment, firmly entered the top 5,” he lists. At the same time, Fujifilm brand cameras were the invariable sales leader on Ozon, and Kodak gadgets closed the top.

Sales of this category of equipment at Wildberries grew by 114% year-on-year in monetary terms and by 180% in units, a representative of the online platform said. “Among the most popular brands of such equipment buyers are Fujifilm, Kodak and Polaroid, they are purchased by enthusiasts and amateur photographers who are ready to spend money on their favorite hobby. And more budget models are often chosen by parents as a gift for children, ”he gave an example.

For instant cameras, as well as for smartphones, tablets, printers and many other categories of electronics, the demand has really decreased, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of Telecom Daily. Cameras have been affected by the fact that such gadgets are used more as entertainment than as tools for professional work, he argues. Those users who already had a powerful camera on their smartphone are more likely to use it, and more experienced users will prefer to buy a quality unit. The demand for instant cameras has been hit hard by a general decline in the standard of living of the population, when users began to spend less money on entertainment, and the situation is likely to continue in 2023, he predicts.

In 2023, the demand for instant cameras will continue to decline and will not exceed 60,000 units, predicts Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics. It can be stated that the development of digital image processing technologies, including the use of neural networks, makes instant printing a limitedly demanded option, he notes.

Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/business/articles/2023/04/04/969352-spros-na-fotoapparati-dlya-momentalnoi-pechati-upal-na-tret?utm_campaign=newspaper_4_4_2023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=vedomosti