Low pricing is an integral part of competition in China's digital camera manufacturing industry. The majority of the 30-plus domestic makers are marketing products at prices lower than 1,000 yuan (US$121), while most overseas products sell for more than 2,000 yuan.
The cheapest Chinese digital cameras are carrying price tags of around 600 yuan.
Shanghai Founder Yanzhong Science & Technology Group Co. Ltd., one of the leading digital camera manufacturers in China has rolled out a PhotoPower200 2 million-pixel camera, capable of storing 160 pictures, for 699 yuan.
Legend Group, another leading digital product maker in China, is selling cameras priced lower than 1,000 yuan, which are equipped with liquid crystal displayers.
The group announced its strategy to focus on the low-end market and said it plans to invest 130 million yuan in five years in the development of digital cameras.
Domestic camera makers are using low pricing to gain an upper hand on overseas rivals, analysts said, as the local makers are not competitive in techniques and brand awareness.
Last year 185,000 digital cameras were sold in China, of which domestic products accounted for 10 percent, according to data from the China Electronics Enterprises Association.
The volume is nearly 10 times that of 1997.
(eastday.com October 25, 2002)
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