The rapid changes in product mix and pricing in the super-competitive projector market demand equally rapid tools for measuring those changes, so that manufacturers can continually adjust their pricing and other marketing and selling tactics to stay abreast of the competition.
According to
the Reseller Tracking Service, the trends in unit demand and price levels at the level of detail needed to take action in terms of both shorter-term pricing and promotional tactics and longer-term product planning.
The Reseller Tracking Service surveys fifty of the largest and most sophisticated North American resellers of front data/video projectors to the professional market.
Comparing the September 1997 and September 2002 issues of the Reseller Tracking Service shows just how dramatically the professional projector market has changed in five years:
Five years ago, the average projector had a brightness of about 400 lumens. Today, the average brightness is about 1700 lumens.
Five years ago, the average projector weighed 16 lb. Today, the average projector weighs 8 lb.
Five years ago, the average selling price of a projector was $5,400. Today, the average price is $2,800.
Five years ago, VGA resolution accounted for 11 per cent of the sample, SVGA for 78 per cent, and XGA for 11 per cent. Today VGA is gone, SVGA is 39 per cent, and XGA is 61 per cent.
The best-selling model in September 1997 was the InFocus LitePro 720, a 12 lb. 450 lumen SVGA model with an average selling price(ASP) of $6,150, while the best-selling model in September 2002 was the NEC VT45, a 5.6 lb. 1000 lumen SVGA model with an ASP of $1,530.
William L. Coggshall is the president of Pacific Media Associates, a research firm that specializes in the large-screen displays business, covering all technologies that can produce a 25-inch (diagonal) or larger picture on a wall or screen from an electronic (video or computer) signal. Coggshall was one of the founders of Dataquest Inc. (now Gartner Dataquest). Headquartered Menlo Park, Calif., you can visit them on the Web at www.pacificmediaassociates.com.
Note: The Reseller Tracking Service was launched jointly by Dr. Candace Petersen, now Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Strategy at InFocus Corp. and Pacific Media Associates.