29% of UK households will contain a digital photo frame by 2011, according to a recent survey by Futuresource Consulting. “The Digital Photo Frame is a popular gift item and this is helping to fuel sales,” says Simon Bryant, Principal Consultant, Futuresource. “In 2007, the Western European DPF market exploded, reaching 3.8 million units. That’s up from just 0.6 million the year before, with Western Europe representing approximately 30% of global volumes.” The study was carried out online and targeted nearly 3,500 respondentsin France, Germany, Russia and the UK.

Futuresource Consulting Press Release

Digital Photo Frame consumer survey uncovers growing marketplace

With an upsurge of interest in Digital Photo Frames (DPF) and the market gaining ground, Futuresource Consulting has carried out a consumer survey across France, Germany, Russia and the UK to better understand consumers’ decision-making criteria, preferences and usage relating to DPFs.

“The Digital Photo Frame is a popular gift item and this is helping to fuel sales,” says Simon Bryant, Principal Consultant, Futuresource. “In 2007, the Western European DPF market exploded, reaching 3.8 million units. That’s up from just 0.6 million the year before, with Western Europe representing approximately 30% of global volumes.

“By 2011, we expect household penetration to reach 14% across Western Europe as a whole, with the UK and France leading the charge at 29% and 23% penetration respectively.”

The Futuresource DPF consumer research study was carried out online and targeted nearly 3,500 respondents across the four countries. Of these, just over 600 were selected as suitable candidates, either because they owned a DPF, planned to purchase or had already purchased for someone else.

“Across all four countries, design and price were foremost in consumers’ minds when choosing a DPF,” says Ian Roper, General Manager, Futuresource, “with most owners and gifters not knowing the resolution, aspect ratio or screen size of their purchases. When respondents do consider features before buying, screen resolution, USB connectivity, the ability to display different picture sizes and internal memory size were the top four considerations.”

Not surprisingly, DPFs are predominantly used in the home, with just 3% of owners displaying one in the workplace. The study also found that in France, Germany and the UK, the lounge or sitting room was the room of choice to display a PDF, though in Russia the bedroom was favoured as the primary location.

“Interestingly, nearly 70% of owners are planning to purchase additional photo frames within the next six months,” continues Roper, “so we’re going to see future market growth derived from existing users, and not just through increased household penetration.

“Furthermore, over 80% of owners and nearly 70% of gifters told us they would recommend a DPF to friends and family.”

The survey also revealed that pricing was such a key factor in the decision making process that a significant number of consumers were put off from making a purchase.

“Going forward, our wider industry analysis shows that average retail prices will fall by nearly 30% between 2007 and 2011,” says Bryant, “driven primarily by economies gained from rising volumes. However, price declines will also be offset by increasing screen sizes and improved functionality, including Wi-Fi, organiser functions, web tablet and even TV functions.”

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