Business Context
A few companies in the past tried to attach lenses to the photographer’s belt, using different techniques but the Trilens is by far the most advanced technique so we can consider them as the leaders of this market even if this brand is not known from the general public or from all the photographers yet. This market is called Camera holsters. A holster is a carrying system that you can attach on a belt or on a backpack strap. This will let you access quickly to your lenses or camera.
Peak Design, which was also launched with crowdfunding, and Manfrotto, which is one of the most famous brand for camera equipment such as bags, are two of the main competitors from this market.
One of the strengths of the product is that it’s very self-explanatory. Anybody who is not a photographer can understand the purpose of the product just by seeing it which is a very good thing because it means the product is simple.
From reading customers reviews, on top of being satisfied with the product, they really liked the little touches such as the packaging or the Thank You notes inside the box.
They are a very small team but they are themselves customers of this market so they know exactly what photographers need and how to convince them that they need this product. Being a small team also gives a “family spirit” compared to very big corporations like Manfrotto where you don’t feel the human side. It can be a good argument for some customers.
They did not spend a single dollar on marketing because launching the product. They created a video that instantly went viral on social medias and gave them a lot of exposure. The video now has around 30 millions views in total. That’s how I personally discovered them back then.
Now that the brand is starting to get known, it’s a good opportunity to keep thinking about unsolved needs for photographers and to create new products.
They should also communicate more about the fears customers might have about their products, such as “Is dust going to go in my Trilens when I switch lens?…”