Canon continues as top-selling camera brand

April 20, 2011: Canon has been ranked the No 1 brand in Australia for digital cameras in 2010.

This is Canon’s fourth year at the top of the league table. It is holding the lead with 19 percent volume (units) share and 31 percent value share for 2010, according to GfK retail audit data (which excludes internet and online sales).

(Co-incidentally, Canon also leads the world in cameras sales with a 19 percent share, according to a report from Bloomberg Japan, based on IDC data. See separate story)

‘In value terms, almost one in every three dollars spent on a camera in Australia in 2010 was spent buying a Canon…’

GfK data ranked Canon at the top of the Australian DSLR market in 2010 with 56 percent volume share and 59 percent value share, a 6-point increase in units and 5-point increase in value compared to 2009.

Canon also held the top position in the compact camera market with 16 percent volume and 21 percent value share.

Not unrelated is Canon’s investment in marketing, particularly the lead it has established in online communications. The World of EOS photographic website boasts a subscriber base of 50,000 from this month, and has already received close to 6 million unique visitors in 2010 alone.

‘We’re very pleased that in a year that brought some challenging business conditions and fierce competition, Canon’s Digital SLR and compact cameras continue to remain the people’s choice in Australia,’ said Jason McLean, director, Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia.

‘In value terms, almost one in every three dollars spent on a camera in Australia in 2010 was spent buying a Canon, which is a significant achievement.’

Canon’s general manager, Sales and Customer Leadership, Brydie York, says that the potential for future growth is strong:

‘While the compact market is a mature one, there’s healthy growth with consumers upgrading more quickly than ever before. Expectations around high image quality, creative expression and capturing true-to-life images effortlessly continue to influence consumers to upgrade to the latest technology, and this is where Canon stands out in the buyer’s mind.

‘Our retail partners play a crucial role in Canon’s continued success, and the recent ‘Jet with Canon’ in-store promotion contributed to increasing Canon’s market share of the total digital camera category by 4 percentage points in value terms during the key selling period of December.

‘While achieving number No1 is a great result, we see market share as an outcome of everything else we do, and not a strategic driver,’ said Ms York. ‘We’re focused on making meaningful contributions to the categories we participate in and take our leadership role very seriously.

‘The challenge for us is to continue to innovate and build engaging programs that enhance the retail experience and drive consumer loyalty.