According to IDC data, the hardcopy peripherals market saw an 11.1 percent rise in 3Q2015 alone, apparently due to “government demand”.
CXO Today reported on the quarterly analysis from market analysts IDC, which found that the printer market in India grew by 11.1 percent in 3Q2015, reaching a unit shipment figure of 984,337. IDC added that India is in fact “the only country in APeJ (Asia-Pacific excluding Japan) that has grown year-on-year” throughout the quarters in shipment terms, which makes it an “attractive destination for investments and service opportunities globally”.
In the overall market, HP dominates with 43.2 percent shipment share, followed by Canon with 18.8 percent and Epson with 18.1 percent. The analysts believe that as HP and Canon “are well-known brands in the printer industry”, they have built up a “strong channel base which is helping them to lead the market”, thought Epson is “catching up fast” thanks to its InkTank range. Ricoh occupies fourth place overall thanks to “growth from their increased online sales” and retailer deals.
The increased figures are said to be down to “government demand”, with increased sales in the government segment helping boost laser printer shipments by 6.8 percent compared to the previous quarter. Another reason given for the increased figures was “stable channel business”, while HP continues to dominate laser with 50.4 percent market share, with Canon and Ricoh second and third.
In the copier-based laser market meanwhile, “very high” growth of 43.6 percent was recorded, which IDC added was again “primarily due to strong government buying”, while Ricoh leads the market having seen “strong” growth of 111.7 percent in the quarter, and Canon fell to second. Inkjet was said to be “very strong” thanks to increased demand for Epson’s InkTanks, with highest demand from SOHO and SMB segments, while the festive season is said to have “also contributed” to the growth.
Riyaz Ahmed, Market Analyst for IDC’s Imaging, Printing and Document Solutions (IPDS) Group in India, commented: “Reducing the cost of printing has increased the adoption and usage of printers. Till now SOHO and SMB segments were extensively adopting/using these InkTank printers, but in future home users are expected to be another major segment for this.”
Interestingly, earlier this week an editorial piece demanded the Indian government make the printer and cartridge market fairer for third-party companies.