One constant trend in our headlines over the past several years is the continuing decline of consumer camera sales.
Attributed to everything from an overcrowded market to the popularity of smartphones, trying to figure out what happened to a once healthy and booming market segment has been the hobby of more than a few industry analysts.
And November 2020’s numbers give them yet another wrinkle to pore over as, in a rejection of recent tradition, the figures actually weren’t that bad – especially for a year like 2020.
So, what are we looking at in terms of good news? Basically, the volume of cameras shipped during October and November of 2020 dropped but the value of those cameras shipped stayed about the same year over year. This means that the industry made about the same amount of money shipping out fewer cameras, to keep things simple.
What many people are highlighting is that this is one of the first times in a long time where things have been relatively stable in the industry. It’s not a huge recovery by any means but more of a leveling out in an industry that had posted nothing other than drops for years.
PetaPixel reports that SLR cameras amounted to 278,000 units and mirrorless cameras were around 387,000 units. Looking ahead, December 2020’s numbers still aren’t out and, if November is any indication, the figures for the holiday season could be a pretty interesting read indeed.
What do you think of November’s CIPA numbers? A positive sign for the industry or do you expect the bad news to continue where consumer sales are concerned in the future? Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section below.
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