Clicking their way to success

Highlighting consistency as the philosophy of Nikon, Hidehiko Tanaka, MD, Nikon India, shares the retail journey of the company.  

Subhro Prakash Ghosh (SPG): What are the retail formats of Nikon available in India?
Hidehiko Tanaka (HT): Presently we have about 800 POS, and by the year end, there will be around 1,200. We have opened two DSLR zones in Delhi and Mumbai and recently we have opened our first exclusive zone which is for compact cameras. We are aiming to have 100 by the end of the present year. 

SPG: What are the prospects of photography industry in India?
HT: Last year, the market was about one million and this year we expect 1.3 million. It’s near about 30 per cent increase. 
 
SPG: What is your next move in retailing?
HT: Now we have about 70 shop-in-shop touch points and by the year end we aim to have 200. 

SPG: What is the USP of Nikon? Could you tell us something about the brand philosophy of Nikon?
HT: The quality of the lens is our USP. I believe, the philosophy of Nikon is consistency. The first SLR camera which we introduced in 1959 was F-Mount, where you mount the lens. Since then, we have not changed the mount. There were innovations like photo-exposure, photo-focus, APS and Tista. So, the lens which was launched in 1959 can be used in digital cameras. While as a manufacturer, we are also changing the mounts, so you cannot use those old lenses to the latest models. 

SPG: What is the price range of Nikon cameras? Do you have any special pricing strategy for Indian cameras?
HT: The price range starts from Rs 7,000 and goes up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh. 

SPG: Luxury is the in-thing in the Indian market. How do you market your high-end products in India? Who are the customers – professionals or amateurs?
HT: Those people who care about the quality, they will be able to recognise the quality of the Nikon cameras. We are targeting at both the categories. 

SPG: Do Indian consumers have any special preference? How much awareness they have for photography?
HT: As you know, India is diversified into so many states and in each segment and category we have our target consumers. If we see its market size, it is contributing 1 per cent or less than 1 per cent on the entire global market. It’s surprising to see that the price range in India is very high and due to the high import cost it adds on to the prices. So, I would say due to high price range our products are usually targeted for the upper middle class and high net worth individuals. 

SPG: Considering the presence of other major brands of cameras, how do you position Nikon in the market? 
HT: I can not rank Nikon, but I must say, Nikon is well-known as a professional camera and about the durability and quality of the products we have a very good quality service. We have now 15 service facilities and three branches across India.