According to market analysts IDC, the market grew 1.9 percent in unit terms last year.
iConnect007 reported on the data from IDC, which saw in the fourth quarter that the printer and MFP market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) grew 1.9 percent “in unit terms in 2016”, which “represents the first positive development since 2011, when the printing market started to decline”. However, it countered this by noting that “unfortunately, this positive development does not represent a permanent rebound for the regional market or promise a long-term growth trend”.
It added that “in fact, in line with global trends of digitalisation and the related reduced demand for printing”, it predicts “a decline of the printing market in the more developed countries of the region”, including Poland and the Czech Republic. The markets in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) however “are expected to stabilise and grow only marginally”.
Around 5.4 million printers and MFPs were sold last year in the region, for a value of $1.4 billion (€1.3 billion), with “over 600 printers or MFPs” sold “every hour”, and the site asked “what factors figured into companies’ considerations when purchasing a new printing device?” The analysts surveyed “over 600 companies” in the market, and “not surprisingly, hardware price ranked first”, while “duplex printing and scanning capability closely followed, reflecting changes in the market”.
In turn, with “digitalisation initiatives”, the site added that “MFPs are often viewed not only as output devices, but also as input devices — bridging the gap between the paper and digital worlds” with “functions such as scan to email, scan to folder, scan to cloud, or scan to workflow help[ing] organisations in transition from paper to digital”.
Focusing on Russia, IDC found that the market “stabilised in 2016 as vendors, channels, businesses, and consumers adapted to new economic conditions”, and it forecast “single-digit growth in the short term, backed by the slowly-improving economy and necessary replacements of old devices”. Additionally, this growth “will also be supported by import substitution, ruble stabilisation, and expanding business contacts with partners in Asia and Latin America”.
Ilona Stankeova, Research Director with IDC CEMA’s Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions, commented: “The ongoing digitalisation of paper-based processes in business, together with the increasing preference for electronic documents among both businesses and consumers, are expected to be the major inhibitors for sales of printing devices in developed CEE countries.
“We expect a slow overall market decline in mature CEE countries like the Czech Republic or Poland, resembling the trend in the US and Western Europe. That said, pockets of growth will exist, mainly for smart MFPs with advanced functions or low-cost-per-page devices.”