Camera sales rocketed 8% in December, boosted by consumers buying more expensive models to take pictures of the snow, according to GfK Retail and Technology UK. And over the New Year, sales were up 30% on the same period a year earlier, in value terms.
‘We’ve all seen the photos of wintry scenes and frolicking in the snow proliferating online, and clearly this has tempted many to dip into the photo market and purchase a new and upgraded camera,’ said a GfK spokesman.
Though sales revenue shot up, the number of cameras sold fell 7% in December.
The firm claims that consumers are now prepared to spend more on cameras, signalling a ‘clear vote of confidence in the future of the photography sector as an aspirational market’.
‘Value sales for digital cameras as a whole were up by 8% compared to December 2008, yet in the New Year week (ending 2 January) they rose by a staggering 30%,’ the spokesman said.
The average buyer spent 13% more on a fixed lens camera in December than the same month in 2008 and ‘an enormous 30% more on a changeable lens camera’, according to GfK which said this largely reflects price increases sparked by exchange rate fluctuations.
GfK added: ‘December 2009 proved a strong month for the sales of digital cameras, with sales in the Christmas and New Year week in particular outperforming just about every other consumer technology product.’
Picture credit: Chris Cheesman
