Rise Above Research recently chatted with Gary Pageau, editor of The Dead Pixel Society imaging industry news website, about our views of the imaging industry. A wide range of topics were covered during this 30-minute discussion.
Some key points from the interview include:
- 2020 has been a rough year for the digital camera, smartphone, and photo printing markets, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic being a major factor.
- The positive and negative effects of COVID-19 include:
- Lower sales of digital cameras
- Fewer photos captured
- More online printing versus retail photo printing
- Cocooning which may be causing an increase in photo book and wall décor orders
- More smaller retailers now offering online photo services.
- Mobile imaging dominates the capture market today. Smartphones account for about 90% of the photos captured globally.
- The next wave of imaging is on the horizon, that may involve a wearable or glasses-type device that incorporates an image sensor and offers augmented reality and artificial intelligence features.
- Image capture is a form of communication now and not just for preserving memories.
“The camera is the new keyboard, the new language in how you communicate with each other and access the digital world.” (Snap) - Photo output vendors should tap into the 8 trillion photos captured in the last decade. Some photos from the past may now contain special memories and be print-worthy. In addition, there are many new photo merchandise products, like metal prints, to choose from that were not widely available 10 years ago.
Click here to listen to the entire interview.
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