Indonesians snap up digital cameras

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The latest camera technology has helped foodie and culinary TV host Sisca Soewitomo to prepare the materials for her programs without extra help from others.

"I travel frequently to various places nationwide to search for 'unexplored' Indonesian recipes," Sisca told The Jakarta Post over the weekend. "I need a camera that can help me take pictures of these foods because I'm afraid I will forget all the ingredients once I arrive back home."

Sisca said she preferred to use a digital camera because she could see the results immediately after she took a shot.

Speaking during the Sony Cyber-shot Year End Promo at Anyer Beach, Banten, Sisca said the technology in the camera had enabled her to make a sequence of pictures into a slide presentation.

With separate software, a customer could apply editing techniques to create a video compact disc (VCD) slideshow accompanied with selected music, she said.

Sisca was not the only happy digital camera user at the promotion. Marketing statistics show an increasing number of Indonesians are flocking to buy digital cameras and PT Sony Indonesia says its sales point to a 20 percent increase for this year from a 10 percent hike in 2004.

The company's digital imaging supervisor Eanni Adinata said digital cameras and accessories made up 10 percent of the total sales of Sony products.

"Sony has provided Cyber-shot in various segments with a price range of between Rp 4 million (US$435) and Rp 9 million," product trainer supervisor Heru Hendrawijaya said.

In a bid to boost sales, the firm had a customer-oriented strategy, Heru said.

"We have routinely reviewed our feedback and complaints from customers in our weekly internal meeting called the customer communications marketing meeting."

To lure customers to the brand, the company had provided discounts and given away free airline tickets. But most importantly, it had created programs involving customers and their reasons for buying Sony cameras, he said.

"We create a traveling program with the customers that also involves professional photographers to teach them how to use the cameras," Heru said.

Photographer Edward Tigor Siahaan explained the technical advantages of Sony cameras.

They had a lot of memory which meant they could capture images in great detail, he said. (004)