Olympus is quite popular in Germany.
We started ordering our groceries online during the first lockdown and only go shopping offline for the fresh groceries. Corona accelerated a behavioral change which was already ongoing. Our cities now have shopping space which isn't needed any more.
Not only supermarkets but also electronics outlets, bookstores, and a lot more large stores and chains jumped onto that band wagon in the 90s.
Its true that brands have to pay to be showcased in large stores. That started in audio visual showrooms in the 1980's and became more common from there. OMDS probably has other things they are focused on for spending their money.Do we believe some random camera salesman and a random camera store, or do we believe the actual facts.
I have a local camera shop; almost the last man standing in our province that sells a lot of Olympus gear, because the owner has seen a market, believes in the product and pushes the brand. There is always a contradiction when we base our opinions on what a random salesmen tells us.
The same dealer tells me camera brands are subject to fashion just like sports trainers. This week it is Nike that you must be seen with, next week it will be Adidas. Another dealer told me that the "fashion" for Sony is passing as the relatively new Canon and Nikon mirrorless systems reclaim users who used these two brands in the past.
Olympus and M43 have always been less popular in the USA compared to Europe and Asia I believe.
Maybe it is an OMD strategy to move towards online sales, my younger neighbours even get the groceries delivered after shopping online. The renewal of my HiFi system was done online, as nobody local stocked the isosteric stuff I wanted.
My accountant once told that in big retail outlets like supermarkets, brands actually pay to have their goods displayed, this might well be true in this camera supermarket you visited.
Here is a chart with some actual hard data, which tells a very different story. Almost half the cameras sold in the world are made by Canon. Panasonic still seem to be keeping their heads above water at almost 5%, not far from Fuji.
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Maybe... maybe not. The Olympus name is not up there with Canon and Nikon to start with. Lumix is Panasonic. Customers are told who Lumix is and customers will be told OMDS is/ was Olympus... for what that's worth.
Though to be honest, this is a problem for the camera industry as a whole.
I don't actually care what any company's market share is. What I care about is the product and what it gives me. I have bought an Olympus E-M1 Mk2 and a Leica Q2 this year alone and both were bought on-line. I make no apologies for that. The retail landscape is changing and has changed at an even faster pace over the last two years than ever before. Unless retailers have an on-line presence to increase their physical store's turnover per square foot of floorspace, they are probably in a declining business. I even buy from my local store on-line, because it is over 30 miles from home, with the next shop or couple of shops over 100 miles away.Do we believe some random camera salesman and a random camera store, or do we believe the actual facts.
I have a local camera shop; almost the last man standing in our province that sells a lot of Olympus gear, because the owner has seen a market, believes in the product and pushes the brand. There is always a contradiction when we base our opinions on what a random salesmen tells us.
The same dealer tells me camera brands are subject to fashion just like sports trainers. This week it is Nike that you must be seen with, next week it will be Adidas. Another dealer told me that the "fashion" for Sony is passing as the relatively new Canon and Nikon mirrorless systems reclaim users who used these two brands in the past.
Olympus and M43 have always been less popular in the USA compared to Europe and Asia I believe.
Maybe it is an OMD strategy to move towards online sales, my younger neighbours even get the groceries delivered after shopping online. The renewal of my HiFi system was done online, as nobody local stocked the isosteric stuff I wanted.
My accountant once told that in big retail outlets like supermarkets, brands actually pay to have their goods displayed, this might well be true in this camera supermarket you visited.
Here is a chart with some actual hard data, which tells a very different story. Almost half the cameras sold in the world are made by Canon. Panasonic still seem to be keeping their heads above water at almost 5%, not far from Fuji.
I’ve been saying this for years. Small pro cameras, small pro lenses. Fight with your advantages! Now they are on the right track with recent releases and road map, but sure hope it’s not too little too late.
Not sure if it matters any more, cameras are fast becoming niche products for the general consumers who want the best and as for the top end professional market the small size factor is not a big player.
One store. That's not exactly scientific is it?
I posted this a few months ago but will do so again. I know somebody who works in Japan and has had some interaction with JIP. I have asked him a lot about the Olympus carve out and also asked him to read a number of articles in the Japanese press about this for me. Here's my take on the Olympus camera division purchase based on what he's told me:
Well "ibis, weather sealing, durability and attempt to focus on wildlife/outdoor photographers" makes a fair bit of sense, and actually benefits a wider range of photographers. It all comes down to how they decide to pursue this with actual products and price points.
if they are talking about retirees i assume they see the market as a lucrative one and will price accordingly
Short term, that could pay off. Basically, that’s where the entire industry is moving. But it also raises the barrier to entry and lowers overall volume. It’s a peeing your pants to keep warm kinda strategy.
This is correct. I looked up Vaio website and they are indeed selling thin and light security oriented business laptops only, in 14" and 15" versions.
Peter Forsgård, until now an Olympus ambassador, has mentioned this on his social media. He did not renew his contract with OMDS as the company has shifted entirely to long zoom photography, mainly wildlife and countryside landscape. It does not match with what he wants to do I guess.
I am glad that OMDS has settled on a niche. Rich retirees in Japan, and other rich retirees throughout Asia and the world, is a very good niche to pick. Instead of selling working doctors medical equipment via Olympus, they can sell retired doctors cameras via OMDS!! Same clients, more money
. Many rich doctors with lot of GAS.
Well, you should take that to heart. If the shoe fits, well....
To a degree that is what they are doing. The higher end bodies and lenses that aim in the direction of wildlife photographers addresses the needs of the one clearly growing segment of the camera - not phone - industry. At higher prices there is bound to be more unit margin. The volume is no longer there at the lower end of the industry - at least not from what I've seen when I am out. Few young folks carry real cameras. For one, they like selfies and sharing with friends for immediate social satisfaction.I don't actually care what any company's market share is. What I care about is the product and what it gives me. I have bought an Olympus E-M1 Mk2 and a Leica Q2 this year alone and both were bought on-line. I make no apologies for that. The retail landscape is changing and has changed at an even faster pace over the last two years than ever before. Unless retailers have an on-line presence to increase their physical store's turnover per square foot of floorspace, they are probably in a declining business. I even buy from my local store on-line, because it is over 30 miles from home, with the next shop or couple of shops over 100 miles away.Do we believe some random camera salesman and a random camera store, or do we believe the actual facts.
I have a local camera shop; almost the last man standing in our province that sells a lot of Olympus gear, because the owner has seen a market, believes in the product and pushes the brand. There is always a contradiction when we base our opinions on what a random salesmen tells us.
The same dealer tells me camera brands are subject to fashion just like sports trainers. This week it is Nike that you must be seen with, next week it will be Adidas. Another dealer told me that the "fashion" for Sony is passing as the relatively new Canon and Nikon mirrorless systems reclaim users who used these two brands in the past.
Olympus and M43 have always been less popular in the USA compared to Europe and Asia I believe.
Maybe it is an OMD strategy to move towards online sales, my younger neighbours even get the groceries delivered after shopping online. The renewal of my HiFi system was done online, as nobody local stocked the isosteric stuff I wanted.
My accountant once told that in big retail outlets like supermarkets, brands actually pay to have their goods displayed, this might well be true in this camera supermarket you visited.
Here is a chart with some actual hard data, which tells a very different story. Almost half the cameras sold in the world are made by Canon. Panasonic still seem to be keeping their heads above water at almost 5%, not far from Fuji.
As far as the Olympus goes, it was bought to update a Sony APS-C translucent mirror DSLR and the feature set and quality of this camera for the price I paid is fantastic.
The Leica on the other hand is just an unique simple design that is beyond comparison with other cameras. For me and presumably many others, it is a thing of beauty and precision that is not only a pleasure to use but also to feel and look at. To own. There is a pride to its ownership even though it is not the most feature-full or best high ISO camera available by any means.
There is room for both approaches. However, to suggest that OMD drop the price of their products is not realistic. Olympus perpetually ran at a financial loss and dropping margins is never a viable business solution in a declining market. Neither is launching a plethora of new products with even more unnecessary and largely unappreciated complications. Maybe the Leica business model could teach OMD/Olympus a few things about selling lowish volumes of product at a sustainable profit margin.
Not at all. The wildlife and birding segment of photography is likely to be the only segment that is both growing and offering the opportunity of higher unit sales prices. Higher unit sales prices undoubtedly mean higher unit margins, and can justify development costs of new products. You cannot do that with low end products in a shrinking market.
I see it a little differently. Not say either is right/wrong, just how my biases have formed a different view.
That is a very good post. In the end is not necessarily about designing and producing the best products, but about creating perceptions in potential consumers; it is about marketing. I believe that, and not the quality of products was the weak point for Olympus over the last number of years. They failed to take advantage of the smaller size and superb performance of their products. Most consumers just did not know. I've said this before, but selling cameras to increase sales volume or share is much like a chain letter. But first you have to open the door , i.e. marketing.
