WHAT’S NEW
Canon has given us a few sneak peaks at what’s in store with its planned pro-level EOS R3… and there are some new RF-mount supertelephotos to go with it. Panasonic gives the GH5 a huge upgrade… and reveals the GH6 is on its way. Epson steps up the promotion of its EcoTank printers, including a new photo model. Sony unveils a new G Master series 14mm ultra-wide prime, and there are also new mirrorless lenses from Fujifilm, Panasonic and Olympus. But the DSLR isn’t done with yet – Pentax has just launched its new APS-C format flagship and it’s already a hot seller!
IT’S NOT SURPRISING that online buying in a number of sectors increased while we were all confined to quarters, but in Australia it’s still only at 13% of the total retail market, suggesting we’re still all a bit attached to “going to the shops”. In quite a number of markets, online sales now account for over a quarter of all purchases and, in China, it’s at a massive 56% (although there are other dynamics at play there).
While buying online is undoubtedly convenient, it’s not really much of an experience, although you may well think that finding what you want and having it delivered to your door a few days later is a good result. No wasted time and no waiting around while somebody else does the ordering. Fair points, but browsing – the physical activity, not just clicking through online pages – can be a pleasurable experience. For starters, you can see everything that’s on offer and, pretty importantly with cameras, you can be hands-on and there’s the opportunity to do direct comparisons online. Yes, you can read reviews – that’s what we’re here for – but these are just the starting point and nothing beats actually getting the thing in your hand, trying out the controls and menus, and seeing if everything works for you.
Bricks-and-mortar retailers will always have the experiential factor on their side, and if the store ambience and the sales staff attitudes are right, then making a purchase becomes a lot more enjoyable than a mere sales transaction. No ‘can we help?’ button online is ever going to be a substitute for a real live interaction with sales staff who are knowledgeable and helpful (and, today, a lot of training goes into this). And if there isn’t a camera store nearby, then why not make a day of it… the good old-fashioned shopping trip to the ‘big smoke’. Buy your camera (or lens), do lunch and then buy some other stuff (as an aside, how does anybody successfully buy clothes online?).
Mulling over this piece brought to mind hardware stores. Who doesn’t love a hardware store? And it’s not just a bloke thing either. I know quite a few women who prefer to be among the aisles of power tools and plumbing fittings than any emporium of haute couture. My nearest store – well, the one I choose to go – is a 30-minute round trip away and I’ll happily do it just for a box of timber screws. I know exactly where those screws are, but when I get into the store I start at the opposite end just so I can see what else might be worth buying… hmm, that might come in handy one day… good price too. I doubt I’ve ever been there and come out with just the item I went into buy. OK, so hardware stores are more plentiful than camera stores and, most probably, you’ll need one more frequently, but what do they do that gets so many of us through the door at the drop of a hat? Well, having done a bit of a study here… any old excuse, see?... I reckon they’re really clever at building anticipation, excitement and the sense that, whatever happens, this is, at the very least, going to be fun. It’s not just about the sausage sandwiches on a Saturday morning either.
And we seem to be able to take the bad with the good too. On plenty of occasions I’ve been trying to replace a broken something or other and found that a) it’s no longer made, b) you need to now buy the whole unit, c) you need to now buy the whole unit, but it’s been discontinued, d) it’s out of stock and may or may not be on backorder, e) yep, we’ve got one, but they're now hand-hewn out of diamondencrusted platinum by monks in Albania and so the price has gone up… a bit. I’ll just shrug and say something like “Knew it wasn’t going to be easy” and we all have a little laugh. So I also think that the attitude of “We’re in this with you, mate,” which is clearly drilled into hardware store staff from the day they sign on, means that, whatever the outcome, the experience still seems to have been a positive one… even when you come away empty-handed. Whatever the situation, they seem to have been there and done that… which is sort of reassuring too.
I’m not suggesting that Bunnings could sell photo gear successfully (but, to be honest, they possibly could), but there are things to be learnt from the hardware sector in terms of managing expectations and delivering the goods. It gets people through the doors no matter what, and that’s what’s going to keep real shops alive… no matter what.