Why GoPro Is So Optimistic about HERO5
Although GoPro missed revenue estimates in 4Q16, it was still the firm’s second-best-performing quarter in revenue, primarily driven by HERO5 sales.
Nov. 20 2020, Updated 10:43 a.m. ET
Top selling cameras for GoPro
Consumer Tech (QQQ) firm GoPro (GPRO) launched its HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session in September 2016. Although GoPro missed revenue estimates in 4Q16, it was still the firm’s second-best-performing quarter in terms of revenue, primarily driven by sales of HERO5 products. The HERO5 cameras are waterproof, voice controlled, and cloud-connected.
The HERO5 Session was the second-largest selling camera in the United States in 4Q16, whereas the HERO5 Black was the largest selling camera in the US and Europe. HERO5 Black is currently available for purchase at a price of $399.99, whereas the HERO5 Session is priced at $299.
Features of the HERO5 product line
One of the important aspects of the HERO5 line of cameras is the auto-upload feature for photos and videos to GoPro Plus. GoPro Plus is a cloud-based subscription service that lets users easily access, share, and edit GoPro content anywhere with a smartphone or a personal computer.
The HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session are improved products eliminating several previous pain points. Both cameras come with the feature of voice control while HERO5 Black also has a touch display.
As stated earlier, production issues in 3Q16 negatively impacted volumes of HERO5 Black. Although the HERO5 Black faced minor manufacturing issues, the firm quickly rectified those issues and ramped up production.
In the next part of this series (below), we’ll look more closely at GroPro’s service-enhancement strategies.
