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Rina Chandran

Mumbai , Oct. 7

KODAK India has identified four consumer segments to be targeted by it with the offerings and sees good potential at the mass end as well as in the premium segment.

About 90 per cent of Indian homes do not own cameras, and even in the urban areas, close to 66 per cent of homes do not own a camera, so there is scope for entry-level products at various price points. At the same time, consumers are also looking for high-end digital cameras and camera phones, according to Mr Richard Fleming, Business Manager, Consumer and Professional Imaging Group, Kodak.

"If you only provide a commodity product, the consumer will only pay commodity prices, and consumers are no longer happy to `settle for' anything that's given to them," Mr Fleming said. "Their aspirations are international, and even amateurs expect high-quality products and services. So they are willing to spend if we give them a reason: the right product at the right price." While the Indian market was largely price-driven, the consumer was prepared to pay for a superior product, as in the case of Kodak Max, the premium film, which now accounted for about 50 per cent of Kodak India's revenues, he said.

The company has identified four distinct consumer segments that it will target its offerings at: the social photographer, the price-sensitive amateur, the everyday consumer and the premium segment. These segments are at different stages of development; the mass segment, for example, is so huge, that Kodak India is using international research resources to study it. At the same time, digital is evolving so quickly, that while there is a big opportunity, there is also a big risk.

"There are very few product categories that have this opportunity, and the challenge is deciding which opportunities to go after: it's like being a kid in a sweet shop — there's so much to grab," Mr Fleming said. "But we don't have unlimited resources, so we have to ensure we have the right people to execute the challenges."

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