Instax sales rise in a market dominated by smartphones

Amid the surge in sales of smartphones with built-in cameras, instax cameras have found a growing market in today’s younger generation.

Takuya Maeda, Fujifilm Philippines’ division head for electronic imaging and photo imaging, does not see the smartphone’s popularity as a challenge but an opportunity for growth in instax camera sales.

“Smartphones cannot provide the same quality or the same function as instax,” he says. “Pictures taken by a smartphone can be edited or shared [that] easily.”

Nelson Perez, Fujifilm Philippines’ division manager of photo imaging and electronic imaging, says photos produced by instax cameras are more valuable than those taken by smartphones or digital cameras.

“The moment you share it (picture) with them, it becomes more emotional and appealing to people. It’s something that you cannot repeat,” he says. He says a memory is piqued when the person touches or sees a printed photo.

To market instax cameras in a smartphone-dominated world, Fujifilm Philippines is showing creative ways for people to enjoy instax photos by using them in travel scrapbooks, shoe labels, clocks, as well as recipe books.

Perez says people can do a lot with the photos, like writing remarks on their borders. Fujifilm has also developed many kinds of templates and other photo-related goods like washi tapes for young people to enjoy and create their own style.

“Your creativity is your limit,” Perez says.

Maeda says instax camera sales worldwide are increasing because the purpose of taking photos has changed. Before, photos are only used for keeping memories, but now they also serve as communication tools.

“Sometimes, they use the photo as a present, [to] communicate emotions, happiness. The picture is also good [for] DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects,” he says.

Fujifilm Philippines says it has sold 25,000 instax cameras in 2014, a year after they were first introduced in the Philippines. The company is also aiming to double the sales to 40,000 this year.

Perez says some people think instax cameras are just part of a fad. But since they introduced the brand in different colors, instax cameras now have also become a fashion statement for both men and women, aged 15 to 30.

But Maeda says the number of instax camera users among the younger generation in the country is still small compared with other countries like Japan.

He admits one of the challenges in marketing instax cameras here is the price of the instax film. A camera costs between P3,699 to P7,999. Instax films cost between P360 to P680, depending on the number of sheets.

“People think the price of the camera [is] okay but the film is very expensive,” he says. “What we can tell [people] is that memory is priceless.”

The art of printing

Filipinos love taking photos whether through cameras or smartphones. They prefer to buy more memory space for their laptops and other gadgets where they store their precious memories.

But Fujifilm wants to bring back the fun in photo printing.

To create the market for printing, Fujifilm Philippines recently opened the Wonder Photo Shop in UP Town Center. It is the first store established outside of Japan. Another is set to open in Nuvali before the year ends.

Maeda says the company wants to open between 20 to 25 Wonder Photo Shops in key cities across the country.

At the Wonder Photo Shop, people can instantly print photos using different templates. Customers can have fun using the printed photos to make scrapbooks and albums. The shop also sells stickers and other accessories.

Maeda says they choose strategic locations for their Wonder Photo Shops.

“We just pick locations where the young generation [is]. UP Town Center has a route to a school, to younger families,” he says. The company plans to put up the future shops in places where the young hang out, such as in bookstores, malls, and schools.

Fujifilm Philippines is also bringing in a new album software made in Japan within this year to help customers choose the best pictures for their album. Lay-outing photos in an album is now easier with the software.

After the software chooses the photos, the customer is free to personalize the album by placing texts or stamps. The customer can also replace or remove unwanted photos from the album.

Maeda says the albums will help preserve memories.

“I was thinking of the younger generation, they might not have an album. I think this is a big problem,” he says. He says they also want to target working mothers who don’t have time to make albums to show to their kids when they grow up.

“One of Fujifilm’s missions is [to help] Filipinos generate memories,” he says.