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 Inside the Urban Outfitters store in Delray Beach, Fl. in June 2017. While many companies struggle to increase profits with radical innovation, others win with "re-invention." That seems to be the case with Fujifilm and its line of instant cameras. Take its very popular Instax Mini 8-- a small, boxy plastic pastel-colored "Polaroid-like" instant camera selling like hotcakes in many US markets. Everyone over 40 remembers the clunky Polaroid cameras. So much fun, but not much to look at. Then a few years ago, Fujifilm came out with a new line of an old innovation--instant cameras in a smaller, cuter format. One of the most popular is the Instax Mini 8 that sells for under $70 in brick-and-mortar stores like Urban Outfitters, as well as online through sites such as Amazon. When I first saw this adorable camera, I asked, How could Polaroid and Kodak lose out on this market? My answers to this question may be found in my June blog post on the subject....  The Memorial Day party where I first saw a pink Fujifilm Instax Mini 8. But something still puzzled me. I wondered: Why are these instant cameras selling like hot cakes now--if the Fujifilm line of instant cameras has been available for some time? The question answered itself a few days later. A friend of mine told me how popular "Retro" items are with Millennials and Generation Z. I think my friend's sister purchased her pink Instax Mini 8 at an Urban Outfitters store nearby. So that was my answer. iPhones and Facebook are not enough for young people today. They want to get together in person, snap instant pictures of each other, and keep those pictures as souvenirs--even though these photos are only the size of a baseball card. My hat is off to Fujifilm for having the patience and foresight to re-invent these cameras, and launch them in the market at the right time!
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