Consumers who make up the single largest segment of the nation’s digital camera market are again naming Eastman Kodak Co. as their brand of choice.

The company’s cameras were ranked No. 1 in the $200-to-$399 category in the annual survey by J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing and information services firm based in California. More than half of all U.S. digital camera sales occur in that price segment.

Kodak cameras in the category received top ratings in four of the six factors that determine overall satisfaction: cost, connectivity, ease of use and picture quality. The other two factors are functionality and appearance. Kodak also took top honors in the $200-to-$399 category in 2004 and 2005.

In addition to delivering praise, the survey provides some cautionary information for Kodak and its competitors, which have previously said that sales are leveling off after years of meteoric growth.

Only 26 percent of customers say they would buy the same digital camera brand in the future, down from 35 percent a year earlier. Overall satisfaction has fallen slightly from the 2005 survey, J.D. Power said.

Those sentiments could be due to the increasing sophistication of customers, said Mary Hadley, general manager for digital cameras and accessories at Kodak.

“Our assumption is that as the category skews to the second-time buyer, consumers are definitely becoming more discerning,” Hadley said.

The results are important to Kodak as it navigates the most challenging transition in its history. The company is trying to re-create itself as a leader in consumer electronics after more than a century as the pre-eminent name in chemical-based photography.

J. D. Power’s rankings are among the top endorsements a company can receive. The firm annually surveys millions of consumers about their experiences with a wide range of products.

Kodak was also evaluated in the $199-and-below segment, where it ranked third, and in the $400-to-$599 category, where it ranked fifth.

The $200-to-$399 segment, however, is the company’s largest, encompassing more than 20 models. The ratings are a nice pat on the back and a sign that the company is on the right track, Hadley said.

“We know that if we make customers happy, we have a greater chance of having them come back as second-time purchasers,” she said.

BRAND@DemocratandChronicle.com

This entry was posted on Friday, August 25th, 2006 at 7:37 pm and is filed under Digital Camera. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.