India printer, copier mkt dips 5.9 p.c. in Q4

MUMBAI, INDIA: The combined serial inkjet and page printer, copier and multifunction product (MFP) market in India totaled 641,274 units in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2011, a 5.9 per cent decline compared to the Q4 of 2010, according to Gartner, Inc.

“The Q4 of 2011 did not meet expectations when compared to the previous quarter,” said Amrita Choudhury, research analyst at Gartner. “Inkjet and page products registered mixed sales as organizations controlled purchasing of print devices and looked for services rather than products.”

HP remained the leader in the Indian printer, copier and MFP market with 53 per cent of the market share, though it lost share by 2.7 percentage points as compared to the Q4 of 2010.

Canon followed with 21.8 per cent market share, while Epson and Samsung followed with 9.8 per cent and 7.9 per cent, respectively.

In the A4 MFP space, which includes inkjet and page technology, HP maintained its leadership position at 52.2 per cent market share in the Q4 of 2011, followed by Canon, Epson and Samsung with 20.6, 10.9 and 8.6 per cent market share, respectively. Epson strengthened its MFP portfolio as A4 MFP shipments increased 56.2 per cent compared to the Q4 of 2010.

In the A3 flatbed copier MFP segment, Canon led the market with 24.7 per cent market share, followed by Ricoh with 19.4 per cent in the Q4 of 2011. Konica Minolta further increased its foothold in A3 MFP space as it achieved 15.1 per cent market share, while Xerox had 11 per cent market share in the Q4 of 2011.

The page printer market marginally declined about 1 per cent in the Q4 of 2011. HP continued to dominate the segment with 54.1 per cent market share in the Q4 of 2011 as sales grew by 16 per cent as compared to the Q4 of 2010.

Canon’s market share totaled 29.8 per cent in the Q4 of 2011, and its sales declined approximately 25 per cent compared to the Q4 of 2010. Samsung recorded growth of 6 per cent, and it accounted for 11.2 per cent market share in the Indian page printer market.

The inkjet printers market experienced a decline of 24.9 per cent compared to the Q4 of 2010. Apart from weak consumer confidence and cautious consumer spending, penetration into the home segment stagnated as the technology matured.

The growing proliferation of electronic media, such as smartphones and tablets, as a means of communication also contributed to the dismal outcome. In this segment, the market leader HP witnessed a shipment decline of 35.6 per cent compared to Q4 of 2010. HP’s share of the market declined from 71 per cent in 4Q10 to 61 per cent in 4Q11.

Epson commanded 31 per cent market share, as its sales grew 16.7 per cent; Canon saw a decline of 34 per cent compared to the Q4 of 2010, but it did not have much effect on its market share, as it shrunk to 8 per cent from 9 per cent in 4Q10.