Putting my money where my (research trend) mouth is.

By Leigh Marriner / Added-Value

I just had the pleasant experience of looking at Added Value Cheskin’s analysis of trends in the digital photography market back in mid 2005, when many people were still using film, before the iPhone. I wish I had taken action on our analysis of what consumer’s unmet needs were and our identification of product opportunities. I could have been rich, maybe, if I’d followed up that analysis with some targeted investments.

Our accurate predictions included:

Richer social interaction as members of online communities reinforce sharing behaviors with photos (ie. Pinterest)

Convergence is here to stay in both devices and software (e.g. phones will include good cameras)

Growth in camera phone images taken spontaneously & viewed on phone screens (i.e. Instagram and Facebook)

New mobile imaging services (storing, sharing & viewing) will enhance the appeal of mobile devices (ie. Instagram, Pudding)

Online access provides the opportunity to share experiences and create “social communities” around photos ( i.e. Flickr)

Consumers are looking to simplify the taking and sharing of photos (i.e. camera phones)

Our most recent predictions were in the mobility space, and we were pretty accurate there as well. Stay tuned.

For more information at http://www.added-value.com