Las Vegas — Nikon captured the No. 1 share position in compact digital cameras unit sales in December, according to The NPD Group.
David Lee, senior VP, Nikon, chalked up the gains to a three-year-old shift in strategy undertaken to transition the company out of its film ways.
“Everyone talked about the digital transition for years, but it can take a while for companies to truly reposition themselves,” Lee said. The new strategy shifted the way the company went to market, with a focus on being more responsive to product movement at retail, he said. The company began using instant savings to drive greater sell-through, Lee added.
While the instant savings approach can pinch margins, Lee admitted, the company was in a stronger financial position than some of its rivals.
The company is in a “dog fight” with rival Canon over the top spot in d-SLRs, finishing 2008 in second place, Lee said.
Overall, the company is expecting to see industrywide declines in compact camera sales this year but still expects to see growth in digital SLRs, Lee noted.
