C Sukumaran, senior director, Canon India: Short-form video content is completely dominating consumer attention at the moment – Times of India

C Sukumaran can be called a veteran at Canon, having spent 20 years with the company. Presently, holding the position of senior director, Consumer System Products and Imaging Communication Business, Canon India, he focuses on driving growth, market share and profitability for printing and imaging products. A graduate in Science from University of Bangalore, he has a keen interest in following news and research in business, economic and political arena. Sukumaran is a sports enthusiast who loves to play Cricket, Table Tennis and Volleyball. In an interaction with Times of India Tech-Gadgets Now, Sukumaran talks about festive trends this Diwali in the imaging and printing segment, how the segment has changed post pandemic and Canon India‘s overall growth and strategy.
Excerpts:
What are the festive trends that you are witnessing in imaging and printing segments this Diwali?
The festive season is the ideal time for people to go out, celebrate with their loved ones and capture memories worth a lifetime. Since this time, celebrations are back on-ground in full swing post the pandemic, the joy is doubled and the enthusiasm even more. Online content creation has witnessed a stupendous rise in the past few years and is now completely taking over our social media feeds especially through short-form video creation. Be it vloggers, influencers or brands across domains, everyone is rolling out their creative festive edits. And all of this is only made possible with the use of the best imaging technology. Keeping the same in mind, ahead of the festive season, we launched the Canon EOS R10, a vlogging companion for creators. We see immense scope coming in from Tier II and III markets, especially from regional content creators. Catering to this demand and proliferating the imaging culture in these regions, we will focus on expanding our distribution network and taking forward our experiential series such as ‘Findyourstory’ to engage new audiences.

On the printing side, ever since the onset of the pandemic, we have witnessed a massive surge in home printing and photo printing which can most definitely be attributed to the growing awareness of people realising the significance of tangible photographs. This heightened awareness, paired with the ease and advancement of technology have made photo printing an eternal phenomenon that has stood the test of time.
What are the emerging segments that you see in the industry?
The mirrorless market has gained immense popularity in India in the past few years, and we have witnessed four times more growth since 2019. We further expect more than 2X growth by year-end compared to 2021. Our newly launched EOS R7 and EOS R10, marking our entry into the APS-C Sensor Segment have been received with positive response by users. With more such launches we hope to make the mirrorless segment more economical for many more budding photographers out there.
Last year, we saw good diversification of customer segments for our products, and ever since then we have been strategically catering to these evolving customer requirements. Our RF5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye VR lens has been gaining momentum and to amplify the same, we have set up practical sessions across regions to showcase complete end to end experience, right from shooting to post-production.
During the pandemic, we also saw many religious institutions live-stream their sermons and functions which has resulted in an uptick in the demand for our products like the PRO DV Models. Some other new segments wherein we have been witnessing double-digit growth include the online education segment as a result of the emergence of virtual classrooms and in the printing segment, we have experienced a significant rise in demand for our inkjet printers in the home segment with ‘Work from Home’ and ‘Learn from Home’ culture.
How has the popularity of vlogging and short-video apps/Reels changed/evolved the industry?
Short-form video content is completely dominating consumer attention at the moment. Be it people’s reduced attention span or the constant need to consume new content and be up to date, videos are the way to create and consume. Indian creators are not just restricted to metropolitan cities anymore, but regional stars with localized content are taking India by storm. According to Bain and Company’s report, by 2025, 650 million Indian users will watch short-form video content for an hour daily. With so much content out there, there is a need and pressure on creators to generate content that appeals to the audience. In an endeavor to unlock the creativity of vloggers across India, we are taking this experiential series to top 20 towns to empower and upskill the influencer community with focused products and workshops that will help them conquer the world of creativity.
What are the trends and technological innovations that you see in the imaging segment?
Overall, there is a demand of launching innovations in imaging that are in line to offer creators functionalities such as speed to capture iconic moments, recording long and high-quality movie footage, speed and precision and advanced communication functionality.
In the last five years, we have observed expansion in the professional imaging segment fostered especially by the growth of wedding photography in Tier-II, III and IV areas. There is a growing trend wherein youngsters are picking up wedding photography as a serious profession. This has resulted in them opting for full-frame mirrorless cameras and buying professional gear. It is our continuous endeavor to cater to the ever-evolving needs of customers and bolster our presence further in the mirrorless segment this year.
Additionally, the demand for video content equipment has seen a massive increase, owing to the rise in content creation, media streaming platforms, and OTT production houses. Today, India has the world’s largest user base of 225 Mn users hooked to video streaming and in 2022, OTT (Over the Top) revenue was estimated at $2 billion. In the next 3 years, the video market is expected to touch $ 18 billion. This category is expected to grow even further in the coming years.
How has hybrid working changed the printing demand from the SOHO segment?
We at Canon, understand the needs of small businesses and home offices and are constantly bringing forth innovative products that meet their changing needs. With small and medium businesses adapting first to work from home and now hybrid working systems, we continue to witness demand for home printers that further proliferates the adoption of our connected and cloud-enabled multifunction printers that are cost-effective and offer an all-in-one solution. With a hybrid working environment continuing even in the times to come, Wi-Fi-enabled ink tank printers have become one of the essentials across homes.

In the next two years, regional penetration will be one of our core focus areas as we want to make our products and services available in every corner of the country. So far, we have expanded our regional presence by opening 300+ Canon PIXMA Zone and 1500+ OIC Signature Stores across the country.
What impact has pandemic made on demand in the photo printers/instant photo category?
Yes, we have been witnessing significant demand and foresee immense scope in the growth of photo printing as the printing culture continues to gain momentum. The last couple of years brought with it a desire to relive ‘good old days’ when more and more people turned to old photographs to find comfort. We aim to help our consumers print their fond memories with an elevated level of colour expression.

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