While printer sales continued to rise in Q2, there is uncertainty about future growth and the continued shift to managed printing looks certain to continue unabated.
► Shipments up 13% - total value of sales rises 31%
► Higher demand expected for remote management
Sales of printers soared last year with IDC recording shipment growth of 13.4% year-over-year in calendar Q2 globally. It was the fourth successive quarter of growth. While the shipment growth was driven chiefly by increased demand for low-end devices, shipment values were up even more – by 31.2%. This, said IDC, was due to businesses returning to the office. Laser device sales were also up significantly.
However, the analyst did not release any information about the future prospects for print device sales. In the wider market, there has been a shift towards managed print, and with hybrid working now expected to be the norm, there may be even more demand for third party management of consumables replenishment and device monitoring and maintenance.
IDC said almost 22.9 million devices shipped worldwide in Q2 and the total market value was $10.2 billion. HP Inc remained the overall market leader in Q2 with a 39.7% share, followed by Epson with 21.3% and Canon with 17.5%. Component shortages affected some vendors more than others.
