Trade Needs to Grasp Accessories!

The independent camera trade is still not realizing the profit opportunities from accessory sales, according to basket studies in the digital camera market. 70% of point-and-shoot buyers, and 55% of DSLR buyers leave the shop without taking any accessories, and the trade lets them go. But although accessory sales at the time of purchase could be improved, the thing to grasp is the other time-points in the camera-ownership cycle at which consumers will add accessories. Consumers will warm more to their new camera in time, after purchase. It is at that point that those who left the shop without accessories seek to add accessories to their camera. But since they have not been brought back to the shop, they tend to shop online for the cheapest offerings. The key need is for the trade to not only try to sell accessories at the time of camera purchase, but also to make sure that camera buyers do not leave the shop without being given a reason and an incentive to revisit it after a short time.
First make sure that your interaction with the customer at the time of sale is a consultation on their purchase that gives them confidence and trust in you (for which they will come back), and inspires them with the future possibilities of their new camera, for which they will need accessories. Then try offering free services like lens cleaning or sensor cleaning after two weeks, tell buyers they will get a free gift (such as lens cloths, minitripods, screen protectors, etc.) when they come back in for the service, or offer free instruction courses in that period. In these challenging times, the trade needs to play to its unique strengths, the individual personal relationships it can build with customers.
Here are some points to note:

• DSLR buyers do have a tendency to buy from brick-and-mortar stores, including independent camera shops.
• DSLR buyers are more likely to buy accessories than point-and-shoot buyers.
• Memory Cards are the number one accessory.
• For DSLR users, a lens comes next. For point-and-shoot buyers, the next accessory is a camera case.
• Spare batteries make the top five accessories too, and for DSLR users don't forget to offer lens filters (even if only to protect the lens!).
• Think laterally - it might not occur to all retailers that photo paper is a camera accessory too, particularly for point-and-shoot users!