Canon Australia reveals strength of digital camera sales in 2009

Sydney, 26 October 2009: Canon Australia today revealed unparalleled growth in the digital compact camera and digital SLR camera categories for the period January to September 2009 despite consumer concerns around the Global Financial Crisis.

This in turn led to an unprecedented 11 consecutive months of record breaking year-on-year sales.

“In spite of a tough economic climate and general fears of constricted consumer spending, Australians did not reign in their purchasing when it came to digital compact cameras and digital SLRs,” said Kenji Kobayashi, Managing Director, Canon Australia.

“Over the last 12 months, Canon has continued its solid investment in the digital still camera category both from a brand and a consumer engagement level. Consequently, we have been able to sustain our lead in the market with significant gains this year,” said Kobayashi.

While many companies experienced downturns in revenue and market share during 2009, Canon’s Australian sales value in the digital compact camera and digital SLR categories have grown by 5% and 67% in value, respectively, when compared to the same period in 2008[1].

“This is a very strong result and testament to the relevance of our brand and our products,” said David Goldman, Assistant General Manager – Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia. “Capturing and sharing great quality digital photos has become an important social communication tool and sales figures over the last year highlight the significance of these devices in the daily lives of Australians.”

Across Canon’s three digital camera brands – EOS, IXUS and PowerShot – growing sales have seen the company’s market share steadily increase, reinforcing Canon’s leadership in these categories.

“Our marketing strategy focuses on developing long-term and engaging relationships with consumers and their trust in our brand is illustrated by the growth in market share we have experienced,” said Goldman.

One example of this marketing approach is the World of EOS which was launched in May this year and has already attracted nearly 2.5 million page views with the average time spent on the site being 6.24 minutes – nearly twice the industry average.

“Many companies are gearing up for the forecasted resurgence in consumer spending – given our strong results over the past 12 months, we are well positioned as we approach this period of relative prosperity,” commented Goldman.

[1] Source: GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Camera – Compact/SLR, Retail Sales Value, Jan to Aug 2009 vs Jan to Aug 2008.