Hitwise Intelligence - Robin Goad - UK
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November 28, 2007
Digital photo frames more popular than cameras this Christmas
We’ve just completed our latest hot gadget list and, given the amount of coverage they have received, I wasn’t surprised to see that the Nintendo Wii is currently the most searched for console in the UK, nor that the iPhone now accounts for one third of all searches for a specific mobile phone. However, one gadget that has crept up slowly without a huge amount of fanfare is the digital photo frame – those small LCD photo frames that show digital photos either via a USB connection or memory card slot. In fact, they are now so popular that last week searches for them overtook searches for cameras – digital or otherwise.
This sudden popularity has led to flurry of bidding and optimization on digital photo frame related terms – primarily from gadget shops and sites set up specifically to cash in on the trend, but also from more mainstream retailers such as Amazon UK ('digital photo frames' was the 28th most popular search term sending traffic there over the last 4 weeks). All of the four sites charted below receive the vast majority of their search traffic from digital photo frame related terms (with the exception of RedSave - around three quarters of its traffic comes from other terms).
For those of you wishing to cash in on this trend, I can reveal that the most searched for brands are Imagin, Phillips and Kodak, while the most popular size is 6.5" – 7".
Posted by Robin Goad at 02:00 PM
Posted to Christmas | Gadgets | Retail | Search | Shopping and Classifieds | Toys
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Comments
The key for the success of the digital photo frame is wireless connectivity such that they can be updated automatically over the internet. There are a few out there today but most brands will have wireless in 2008 - see http://www.wirelesspictureframe.com for a list
Posted by: JonF at November 29, 2007 03:50 AM
Robin, this is an interesting analysis. I have a question though. When I look at the search term volume on Google Trends for "cameras" and "digital photo frames" as you do I get a very different picture. Cameras are significantly more common than what your chart suggests. Any ideas why?
Thank you for your thoughts in advance.
-Georg
Posted by: Georg Petschnigg at November 29, 2007 03:56 AM
These are very interesting results! I have a wireless picture frame and it has proven a great addition to my home. I can load my personal pictures and get a lot of excellent content using FrameChannel.
They have great content that you can combine with your personal pictures like cartoons, the Associated Press photo of the day, the Nasa photo of the day, weather, and many others. Users can even create their own channels to share with other users!
Posted by: Emily at November 29, 2007 03:59 PM
Georg - the main difference between our data and Google Trends is that we track all of the search engines, rather than just one. Google is the most popular search engine in the UK, but there are a lot of other searches taking place elsewhere.
Thanks, Robin
Posted by: Robin Goad at November 29, 2007 05:29 PM
I'm getting a wireless digital picture frame for Christmas and I absolutely CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON IT! I've had a spot cleared and waiting for months, and I'm so excited. . . . it makes me incoherent!!! I've wanted one of these for over a year, and nobody will ever know how badly!
Posted by: Mamacita at December 1, 2007 04:03 AM
i'm old-fashioned person. Camera will be always my favorite.
Posted by: Gazeteler at December 3, 2007 02:17 AM
I love digital picture frames! We received a complimentary one from Google for Christmas last year and it's in very good use to this day.
Posted by: Stace at December 3, 2007 05:40 PM
I am not sure I understand what the hype is with these digital frames. They are still pretty expensive and a lot of them are pretty low quality. I sent my parents a Frameagram from http://www.frameagram.com, it is a lot more personal and more suitable for older generation.
Posted by: David at December 4, 2007 11:12 PM
Do you know of any small (around 2") portable digital photo frames that can play moving pictures? Thanks
Posted by: Tania at August 23, 2008 11:28 AM
