Digicam Returns Drop Pre-Holiday

By John Laposky On Feb 21 2011 - 6:01am

REDMOND, WASH. – Digital camera returns made within 30 days of purchase dropped dramatically in November 2010, according to an exclusive SIRAS survey provided to TWICE.

SIRAS, a provider of point-of-sale product registration services to manufacturers and retailers, said digital cameras and home-theater components showed the largest drops in return rates.

“Our reporting tells us that, compared with a typical month, digital cameras purchased in November were 27 percent less likely to be returned within 30 days than camera purchases at other times of year,” said Peter Junger, SIRAS president, citing company data that showed that return rate for cameras purchased in November was 8 percent vs. 11 percent in others. “This was the second largest drop in the 30-day return rate for November purchases, and given the large category’s high unit volume compared with home theater, the result was unexpected.”

“At first review, it’s surprising,” Junger said, “since the category’s return activity seems pretty typical, with 84.5 percent of returns being attempted within the 30 days of purchase. The category also has one of the higher percentages of return attempts being made during the 16 to 30 days after purchase, 16.7 percent.”

There is a reasonable possible explanation for the November anomaly, Junger said. “Digital cameras remain a popular gift category for consumers, with lots of affordable price points, and they’re also a popular promotional category for holiday season retail. People buying cameras in November are returning them less often than other products because they’re satisfied both with their product choice and the price they paid.

“It’s also worth mentioning that the recipients of cameras seem to be happy with their gifts,” stated Junger, “because, based on our tracking, these units are being returned at a lower rate than at other times of the year. ”