Camera Case ot too long ago, it seemed relatively simple for consumers to select a camera. The Pola- roid One-Step camer

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Camera Case Ot Too Long Ago It Seemed Relatively Simple For Consumers To Select A Camera The Pola Roid One Step Camer 1 (88.53 KiB) Viewed 7 times

Camera Case ot too long ago, it seemed relatively simple for consumers to select a camera. The Pola- roid One-Step camera was very popular and it worked on a simple idea: "point and click." For those consumers who haven't kept up with advances in technology, however, selecting a camera is suddenly a big deal. In fact, it can be downright perplexing. Now, there are many product attributes that are totally new to consumers including megapixels, digital zoom/optical zoom, single-lens reflex features, and all sorts of storage media. Whereas consumers once knew that they could get 24 exposures on a roll of film, the storage capacity of today's media depends on things like megapixels. Many brands are also available, including Canon, Casio, Kodak, Sony, Panasonic, Fujifilm, and Nikon. Of course, consumers can make inferences of quality based on what they know about the company or brand. Also, the price ranges vary dramatically. For example, lower-end cameras can retail for as little as $79, while higher-end cameras can go for thousands of dollars. At the most basic level, the central question is how the camera. will be used. However, making sense of all of these differences and evaluating different models is still not easy. This is especially the case when consumers are presented with information like that shown in the chart below. Popular websites like myproductadvisor.com make the process a bit easier. By simply answering a number of questions about the way in which the camera will be used, what features are important, and what price range is desirable, the consumer can get a number of recommendations about both brands and features. Guiding consumers through an otherwise complex process of brand selection is quite valuable. However, the finall decision of which brand to buy still remains with the consumer. Sites like myproductadvisor.com are gaining in popularity.. Obviously, visiting websites for product recommendations has both advantages and disadvantages. A major advantage is that all kinds of information can be gathered in almost limitless fashion at any time of the day or night. The disadvantage is that consumers don't always know which sites to trust, and they are usually limited in the amount of conversation that can take place with service representatives. Nonetheless, these sites are popular and very helpful in the alternative evaluation process. Major retail sites such as bestbuy.com, circuitcity.com, and even walmart.com also allow consumers to view product information and make comparisons with relative ease. Of course, here the hope is that the consumer will make the actual purchase on the website. Making the evaluation process as easy as possible can greatly help the retailer gain more sales. Nevertheless, consumers still often like to shop around. Whether using a recommendation site like myproductadvisor .com or a major retail site like bestbuy.com, consumers can gather a great deal of information and evaluate alternatives all from the comfort of their own keyboards. Given that there are literally hundreds of models and features available, most consumers value this convenience highly Questions and Activities 1. What types of decision-making rules can be used for selecting a digital camera? How would they apply to this case? 2. How can consumers deal with the problem of missing information for one, or several, of the alternatives? 3. What role does the brand name of a camera play in the selection process? 4. Compare two popular websites such as bestbuy.com and myproductadvisor.com on how they present alternatives and explain differences among cameras. How helpful do you find these sites to be?