Photo Access' mission is to be the leader in hardware and software for Windows CE based digital cameras. We have two value propositions. We deliver one value proposition to the camera manufacturer and we facilitate the delivery of another value proposition to their customers, the consumers who purchase digital cameras. To the camera manufacturer we have the value proposition of shortening time to market, lowering costs and improving functionality. Mercantec has developed open retail electronic commerce software that enables merchants to expand their geographic reach by marketing and selling goods and services via the World Wide Web.
Japan is an attractive market for two primary reasons.
First and foremost, the majority of our direct customer prospects, the digital camera manufacturers are located in Japan. Second, Japan is the number one consumer market for digital cameras. In 1997 over one million digital camera units were sold in Japan. The digital camera consumer market in Japan will continue to exceed the U.S. for the next few years. One of the most compelling aspects of cameras enabled with Photo Access components, is that they can connect directly to the Internet.