The Pre-Order Phenomenon

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noimmunity

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I'm kinda puzzled by the whole pre-order phenomenon. Marketing departments must be in a tizzy these days to figure out exactly the right ratio between interrupted supply, pre-order frenzy, pricing level, and maximum profit.

Is this just a reflection of the whole "proactive" angst that has invaded the high consumption markets, or is it related to something else?

In a lot of cases, "proactive" postures seem to be as much about producing certain kinds of compliance and dispositions as much as anything else.
 
From a marketing point of view I think, specially for a new item, the shortage of supply is an excellent selling strategy. Therefore the new selling strategies with early announcements what will be available on the market. This enhance the deisre, the need, the GAS :D . Personally I would never buy a camera without having had it in my hands, in the shops or maybe a friend shows me the same model. But I'm a difficult one when buying...

robert
 
Maybe it's a cry for attention. Pre-ordering means you're one of the first to have something, and also means you're the first one able to blog, youtube, or twitter about it..
 
For me, after seeing the delays with the x100, nex 7 and other recently released cameras, I decided that I would rather have my new camera when it is released rather than sometime in the unknown future.

With the ruturn policies of the retailers, it is really not much of a gamble. If the ergos don't fit, or it doesn't meet my needs, return it.
 
I think it has everything to do with the internet and the fact that it has sped up the way in which people purchase things. I must admit to pre-ordering a few things... the first iPad, the Leica X1, and the Fuji X100. The only one I felt that I shouldn't have purchased was the iPad, but I sold it for the price I paid 2 weeks later. That's the thing about buying a hot item... you can always sell it for the price you paid or more if you do not like it.
 
I wonder how much todays faster revision cycle plays a role in the pre-order. Folks enjoy buying toys, folks like the hope that something new (full frame, faster lens, high iso) will improve their photos or help them create different photos or something. Couple that with marketing that creates a sense of dissatisfaction with the old, and a sense of exclusivity with the new (limited supply), and then sit back and watch the pre-orders role in.

If a company or other companies were to offer the next great thing 2 years from now (Leica?), the toy buyers entertainment and new hope might last a little longer, and for those who use them as tools, they might not feel dissatisfied as quickly. So why rush in then?
 
MikeL said:
Folks enjoy buying toys, folks like the hope that something new (full frame, faster lens, high iso) will improve their photos or help them create different photos or something.
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Well, in some case, those things can improve your technique by offering more versatility. Also, there is nothing wrong with loving your camera... when I really like what I'm using it makes me want to get out and use it constantly.
 
I have no problem with pre-orders.
Those allow the manufacturer to get a feel of the demands,
allow the distributor to manage their inventory better,
and allow us to get a glimpse of a product earlier via those 'unboxing' videos :D
 
I wouldn't do it myself, but I don't mind other people doing that and posting their experiences, as that may help others in making a buying decision themselves.

The problem with that is, of course, the massive confirmation bias that people seem to exhibit after receiving something after a long period of waiting. Case in point: those X100 threads where people were hugely excited and enthusiastic about their camera, yet ended up selling it two weeks later.
 
That happens with pre-orders or without...

The only thing I don't like about pre-orders is the term itself...it's really just an order, after all. :)
 
The entire marketer sell and consumer purchase paradigm is fluid now. Not static as it was. This will continue to evolve. In a matter of a year or two I would predict that pre-order or pre-purchase will be a thing of the past. Something will replace it.
 
Pre-order is a measure of anticipated demand. How many units should individual retailers stock, etc. That then drives the manufacturers production, how much they try to get in the channel, etc. That then feeds into a sense of potential demand, how much marketing the product gets, etc.

If the product isn't getting preorders, buzz, etc it may be perceived by retailers, marketing as well as consumers as doa.
 
Well, the typical paradigm in postfordist production is zero stock, production after preorders. This has been going on in other industries for some time.

But yeah, it is all getting pretty fluid these days. Marketing departments must be in permanent high-stress mode.
 
I personally don't like the pre order thing. I prefer to know what I'm getting before I commit to buying it.
It always reminds me of the jag xj220 debacle when customers put down their deposits on a supposed v12 jag and ended up with something completely different.
I don't like being a beta tester of products. The fuji x pro has captured my attention though. However I wouldn't buy one until it's been out a while and I've read what it can do.
Lenses are a different story. You only ever get the feel for a lens by actually using it. I would be happier pre ordering a new lens than I would a body.
 
In '90 there was a 7 year list for rolex cosmobgraph and probably still is. I agree with cameras but pre order of luxury goods and cars was common place.
 
Shade said:
I agree with Robert, I will never buy anything without looking and holding it in my hands directly.
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Yeah, in an ideal world. But even if you live in a major city with real bricks and mortar camera shops, try finding as shop where you can hold in your hands something like one of the Zeiss RF bodies (not that I'd want one of those). I live in the capital city of a major US state, but no store here will have a display copy of, for instance a Fuji X100 or any Bessa camera.

That issue is separate from the pre-order phenomenon.
 
Pablito said:
Yeah, in an ideal world. But even if you live in a major city with real bricks and mortar camera shops, try finding as shop where you can hold in your hands something like one of the Zeiss RF bodies (not that I'd want one of those). I live in the capital city of a major US state, but no store here will have a display copy of, for instance a Fuji X100 or any Bessa camera.

That issue is separate from the pre-order phenomenon.
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NYC has all of the above... B&H and Adorama have the Zeiss and X100 stuff and Photo Village has the Voigtlander stuff.
 
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