SUPPORT your camera stores... NOT the internet !

[ManWearPants]

For many, price is still the main thing unless is ah gong's money. If HK and BKK can sell photographic equipments much cheaper than SG, then something is wrong. If shops in hdb estates and those located in orchard road are selling at same price, then something is wrong. If shops hiring locals and shops hiring foreigners both tell you fixed price, then something is wrong. If consumers buying online, after payment charges, shipping fees, Custom duties, cost of no warranty, etc find it more worth it than visiting the local store, then something is wrong.

What is TS concern here? Shops not making enough or salesman not earning enough?

 

[kei1309]

i still buy from the shops. much as i love the internet, it's killing human interaction.

getting a hands-on and feel of the camera is important. you need to know whether it fits in your hands, how you would like the configuration of the buttons and dials.

 

[elgkh]

i still buy from the shops. much as i love the internet, it's killing human interaction.

getting a hands-on and feel of the camera is important. you need to know whether it fits in your hands, how you would like the configuration of the buttons and dials.

I like hands on also, but I've handled more cameras at ClubSnap outings and manufacturer roadshows, than in the shops.

 

[kei1309]

I like hands on also, but I've handled more cameras at ClubSnap outings and manufacturer roadshows, than in the shops.

there are benefits of always heading down to the shops

 

[Halfmoon]

I feel all shops are just a batteries to the blood suckers landlord.........

And the landlord discard them when they finished sucking all the power.... sounds familiar?

 

[nitewalk]

i still buy from the shops. much as i love the internet, it's killing human interaction.

getting a hands-on and feel of the camera is important. you need to know whether it fits in your hands, how you would like the configuration of the buttons and dials.

I love human interaction so i buy in BnS. :bsmilie:

 

[milez]

I feel all shops are just a batteries to the blood suckers landlord.........

And the landlord discard them when they finished sucking all the power.... sounds familiar?

Very true. So very true. Retail industry is really is a very sad state. Apart from the big names.

 

[milez]

Thank you for your kind comments. What would you deem an e-commerce bandwagon? From a customer's perspective, would you regard a site such as Jessops / Park Cameras / DD Electronics to be reliable, and the first place you will buy cameras from?

I've thought about that over numerous occasions and being a girl, I purchase almost all my clothes online, but I think that for a big-ticket item, I would much rather go to a store to touch and feel before I make my purchase. Plus, the added uncertainty of the online arena stemming from situations such as the closure of Jessops and the disappearance of DD Electronics has led many to feel unsafe when purchasing cameras online.

With that being said, Click! has two physical retail stores, and is also the co-owner of all three Leica stores in Singapore. If we were to create an online portal, would you (as a customer) have more confidence in purchasing from our would-be online site? If so, would there even be a difference from ordering online through a shopping cart and sending a PM to me directly to reserve the Leica M? Would you much prefer the personal touch I can offer you here or on Facebook, as opposed to a cold, computerised process of purchasing a camera / lens through an automated shopping cart?

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts

Lynn

Good to have a real life proprietor discussing this with the online community, existing customers and would be customers alike. On this subject, my personal opinion could be very different from many here. But I guess I represent a portion of the public under certain age group, profile, etc.

Before delving into details, I am very sure you or your business partners have done sufficient due diligence on this. Yet, a tangible feedback from online community is sort after. Perhaps it indicates your reservation about your due diligence. Or perhaps are just trying to cover all bases. My personal opinion is, brick and mortar model for a middle to upper big ticket item will always be safe. After all, who wouldn't want to touch and feel what they buy before committing to it? Especially when it cost some people's few months salary... In the case of Leica cameras. I believe Jessop themselves probably thought about the same thing. But, since it is considered a big ticket item, buyers will be more careful about finding the best deal in the market. In today's context, buyers will be going to the physical shop to touch and feel the real thing. While shopping online for the best deal. Of course the best case scenario for all buyers would be, physical shops matching the best price they can find online or overseas (incl shipping). However, if buyers can't, the trade off would be what is the difference in price between brick & mortar compared to the best price available online. If the difference is large enough, the online option will be more attractive. Otherwise, most buyers will almost always buy from a physical shop and bring home their goods after paying for it.
A physical shop with expensive retail space to pay for, and high overheads for trained sales staff to man the stores, will never be able to match the pricing of online stores. In order to fend off pure online competition eg. eBay, Amazon, (both reputable traders) not to mention many more from US, I believe a hybrid model is best. Maintaining a physical store to serve customers who prefer this option, but limit it to cheaper location (saving rental cost), but keep a high profile presence online thru advertising and serve new breed of customers who prefers to buy things online (the next generation will know how to shop better online than going to the actual mall). Meantime, be very aggressive in online marketing, e.g. Place your ads in google, Facebook, twitter, yahoo, clubsnap, dpreview, or any conceivable website, blogs, which channel traffic to your e-store.
Design of your website must be first rate. Regularly updated with latest news, updates, launch dates, etc. Sophisticated database system for customer order of every single item available in your inventory e,g. Lens, filters, tripod, bags, accessories, etc. must be available. More importantly, database to maintain your customer profile, to keep them updated with new stuff, etc.

The last thing you should worry about is competitors knowing your pricing. Because they will know eventually. In the Internet world, every information is published on twitter, and forums almost immediately. Being transparent is very important and your customers will appreciate it. Therefore maintain competitive pricing is key to this market. And for some who don't mind paying more, good customer service is the ultimate guarantee for return customers.

Good luck!

 

[donut88]

Thank you for your kind comments. What would you deem an e-commerce bandwagon? From a customer's perspective, would you regard a site such as Jessops / Park Cameras / DD Electronics to be reliable, and the first place you will buy cameras from?

I've thought about that over numerous occasions and being a girl, I purchase almost all my clothes online, but I think that for a big-ticket item, I would much rather go to a store to touch and feel before I make my purchase. Plus, the added uncertainty of the online arena stemming from situations such as the closure of Jessops and the disappearance of DD Electronics has led many to feel unsafe when purchasing cameras online.

With that being said, Click! has two physical retail stores, and is also the co-owner of all three Leica stores in Singapore. If we were to create an online portal, would you (as a customer) have more confidence in purchasing from our would-be online site? If so, would there even be a difference from ordering online through a shopping cart and sending a PM to me directly to reserve the Leica M? Would you much prefer the personal touch I can offer you here or on Facebook, as opposed to a cold, computerised process of purchasing a camera / lens through an automated shopping cart?

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts

Lynn

Look at Groupon biz model. They have both online and physical presence. They started with online only and quickly realised a physical store still plays an important part. Its a hybrid. One cannot do without another.

 

[donut88]

Hi bros n Sis out there

We all are passionate about photography ? - YES !
People who work in Camera Stores are like us, enthusiasts and sometimes pro's doing sideline work - YES !

Please SUPPORT your Camera Stores and fellow photographers ( their staff ) IGNORE the internet when you can get it from the stores direct.

WHY You ask ?

Cause this may happen :

The UK's biggest high-street camera retailer, Jessops, has gone into administration, putting 192 stores and 2,000 jobs at risk. The company's website is not accepting orders and administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers has said vouchers and returns would not be honoured at present. The company, that has been slow to respond to competition from internet retailers, was rescued in 2009 by HSBC, which bought into the company in return for writing off some of its debts. However, increasingly stringent credit terms imposed by suppliers (a common move when there is doubt surrounding the future of a company), and predictions of further falls in camera sales led to the administrators being called.

The move follows the collapse of the country's (UK ) largest independent photographic chain, Jacobs, in June 2012.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/01/09/Jessops-Britains-biggest-camera-store-enters-administration

Too bad. Change is constant. Got to keep innovating

If the shop wants to stay alive, then think of new ways of enticing customers

 

[donut88]

Thank you for your comment! What would you regard as an acceptable hybrid for a camera store?

Lynn

I'm not a expert in biz.

Just look closely at current camera shops that have hybrid models and even Groupon.

My sense is that Cam biz is so competitive in SG. your products need to stand out from the mass numbers of shops. Focus on a niche market of consumers and give a great buying experience.

Don't try to sell too many models. You can sell all brands, but not every model. You will realize that there are diff kinds of customers for diff models. Focus on niche group of customers.

Treat everyone the same, be it online or walk in. No diff in pricing online or walk in. Online comes with option of delivery or self collection. But you can offer better terms or points for customer to order online. This will push up your online traffic.

Not sure if I do make sense or not. Its late, my brain is hibernating.......

 

[Dfive]

Thank you for your kind comments. What would you deem an e-commerce bandwagon? From a customer's perspective, would you regard a site such as Jessops / Park Cameras / DD Electronics to be reliable, and the first place you will buy cameras from?

I've thought about that over numerous occasions and being a girl, I purchase almost all my clothes online, but I think that for a big-ticket item, I would much rather go to a store to touch and feel before I make my purchase. Plus, the added uncertainty of the online arena stemming from situations such as the closure of Jessops and the disappearance of DD Electronics has led many to feel unsafe when purchasing cameras online.

With that being said, Click! has two physical retail stores, and is also the co-owner of all three Leica stores in Singapore. If we were to create an online portal, would you (as a customer) have more confidence in purchasing from our would-be online site? If so, would there even be a difference from ordering online through a shopping cart and sending a PM to me directly to reserve the Leica M? Would you much prefer the personal touch I can offer you here or on Facebook, as opposed to a cold, computerised process of purchasing a camera / lens through an automated shopping cart?

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts

Lynn

My first thought is to sell Leica M at $6-7K then you'll have many sales ! I for one.

Thx.

 

[kei1309]

Look at Groupon biz model. They have both online and physical presence. They started with online only and quickly realised a physical store still plays an important part. Its a hybrid. One cannot do without another.

Groupon was a marvel when it first opened.

but studying its business model, it's not a viable option for many businesses. when you talk about marketing, Groupon can either hurt the business, or help it grow.

 

[ManWearPants]

Thank you for your kind comments. What would you deem an e-commerce bandwagon? From a customer's perspective, would you regard a site such as Jessops / Park Cameras / DD Electronics to be reliable, and the first place you will buy cameras from?

I've thought about that over numerous occasions and being a girl, I purchase almost all my clothes online, but I think that for a big-ticket item, I would much rather go to a store to touch and feel before I make my purchase. Plus, the added uncertainty of the online arena stemming from situations such as the closure of Jessops and the disappearance of DD Electronics has led many to feel unsafe when purchasing cameras online.

With that being said, Click! has two physical retail stores, and is also the co-owner of all three Leica stores in Singapore. If we were to create an online portal, would you (as a customer) have more confidence in purchasing from our would-be online site? If so, would there even be a difference from ordering online through a shopping cart and sending a PM to me directly to reserve the Leica M? Would you much prefer the personal touch I can offer you here or on Facebook, as opposed to a cold, computerised process of purchasing a camera / lens through an automated shopping cart?

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts

Lynn

For me, I see retail fronts as nothing more than a warehouse with inventories to sell on the spot. My profile is a knowledgeable customer whom has done his homework. I usually do not trust the sales person as they may be skewed towards selling the product that offers them more profit / commission/ reach dealership quota, etc. Also the general impression I get is sales person are reluctant to share their selling experience on any particular product. If I seek an opinion on a particular product, I don't want to hear so much as the specification, but more of the experience of other customers who have bought the item before. I have yet to hear much from the shops but if you refer to the forums, not every product is without problems.

If I want to see or touch an equipment, I can go to the showroom.
If I have to service my equipment after purchase, I have to go to the service center.
So the retail shop only executes the sales.

What other value does the retail shop adds to my buying experience? most are fixed price and if you go from one shop to another, most price are quite similar. The only 2 things distinguish them - able to purchase on the spot and local warranty protection. However, there is no loyalty to any particular shop.

Why do I want to buy from that one shop? exclusive dealership like in the case of Leica. But in the case of mass market brands, then probably only relationships. However, relationships should go beyond just executing the sales. Maybe the retail can also act as a service center collection points, whereby they attempt to understand problems faced by customers and help customers send in equipments for servicing. Other things I can think of is that retails could also be BnS points offering to sell off high ticket items for some customers. So frequent loyal customers may get calls from the shop that they have a one month old item Leica from another customers, etc.

Regarding personal touch. Are you able to tell me the impact the different sensor of Leica M-E and Leica M10 has on the picture quality or how the Summicron-M 35 Asph and the version before renders differently?

 

[hanz170]

Haha... then need to ask Leica to lower price, not us!!

Bingo.

You hit the bullseye, manufacturers need to price appropriately, in a connected world everyone will know where to get the best deal of the day, evenfor big ticket items, if quality is somewhat constant, there is really nothing stopping consumers from getting cheapest most convenient option. Good luck.

 

[elgkh]

I think for each person, there is a threshold above which they will not purchase from the Internet. It could be that this threshold tends to be higher in Europe, than here.

 

[Reportage]

It all depends on the user. If the user base are frequent flyers visiting various places like Korea, Taiwan and etc etc where camera equipment prices are more competitive, the chances they will buy locally for warranty purposes is slim. At the very least, they will get quotes from Malaysia shops. Heard can get significant discount for Nikon lens there and there is international warranty if not wrong.

 

[ManWearPants]

M-E sensor is CCD, like the M9. The Leica M10 will be using CMOS because of its ability to shoot video. Picture quality can't be determined cos we've only tried it at Photokina, but that was when nothing had been completely finalized yet. For the 35mm ASPH, it is an improved version and presents sharper results than its previous version

Lynn

Thanks. Will look for you if ever I am buying into Leica system.

 

[Errz]

M-E sensor is CCD, like the M9. The Leica M10 will be using CMOS because of its ability to shoot video. Picture quality can't be determined cos we've only tried it at Photokina, but that was when nothing had been completely finalized yet. For the 35mm ASPH, it is an improved version and presents sharper results than its previous version

Lynn

can try leica lens on my nex-7 boh .kekeke.

 

[Halfmoon]

Thanks. Will look for you if ever I am buying into Leica system.

Better make appointment..... hot babe very busy and hard to catch hold....