OEM recognises potential in providing further office imaging solutions to mid-market and government sectors.
Express Computer reports that Canon India is looking to expand and promote its office imaging solutions to SMBs and the government in India, as it predicts that these sectors, like large corporations, will become increasingly digitised and begin to adopt Document Management Services (DMS).
In terms of targeting the government, Canon is reportedly looking to tap into the market at state level, as e-governance at the centre and state level becomes more prevalent, with K Bhaskar, Senior Director, OIS, Canon India commenting: “We deal with the government through a specialized team that takes care of pre-sales and gives demos. Secondly, we try to get in touch with consultants, who are often hired by governments for their opinion, in order to generate more interest around our product offerings.”
However, Bhaskar added that vendors may experience problems with the government sector due to its longer purchase cycles, stating that “in some cases, it can go up to one year as compared to a three or four month cycle in the SMB sector.”
With SMBs said to be showing interest in “consolidated printing offerings rather than isolated and scattered hardware-oriented printing infrastructure”, Canon states that in order to target the sector it is “redefining its partner reach and focus”, with Bhaskar noting that the main problem with the sector is that the company “can’t sell directly” to it, but instead must establish “a strong partner network”, adding that “we have 546 service locations in India and building a strong partner ecosystem for SMBs is a key focus area for us in the coming year.”
Bhaskar added that by 2013, Canon aims to have increased its partner network by 30 percent as more SMBs become interested in printing solutions, with the OEM looking to “pull rather than push customers” through the used of online orders, after-sales services and consultations.