IDC’s latest “China Printing Peripherals Market Monthly Tracking Report (May 2023)” shows that in May 2023, China’s printing peripherals market shipments (except copiers) were 1.177 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 37.6%.
Among them, the shipment of inkjet printers was 569,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 35.8%; the shipment of laser printers was 608,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 38.9%. IDC believes that the current recovery of the overall printer market is not as good as expected, and the demand for both consumer and commercial markets is insufficient, IDC said.
After the epidemic ended, the consumer market maintained a short-term stability and then fell back quickly. On the one hand, the consumer market demand for printers exploded in the fourth quarter of last year, and some of the demand was met in advance; on the other hand, as students returned to school and employees returned to work, most household printing needs returned to school and office printing. As a result, IDC explained, consumer printer products declined, with consumption-based inkjet printers seeing the most significant decline.
At present, users in the consumer market are mainly K12 families and free office people. These users are more inclined to purchase products of big brands, high-cost performance, and low printing cost. After the “epidemic dividend” fades, products that truly meet the needs of users are the future development direction.
The commercial laser printer market is under pressure, and the competitive landscape continues to intensify. On the one hand, the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (manufacturing PMI) continued to slump in the first half of the year, the production and operation activities of enterprises resumed slowly, and commercial demand declined; Large-scale dealers are on the verge of bankruptcy and withdraw from the market.
Through this epidemic, enterprises are increasingly aware of the importance of digital transformation. Printer solutions can help enterprises optimize document printing management and solve office cost pain points, which will be one of the driving forces for future business growth.
Ren Mengxue, a Senior Analyst at IDC China’s Printing, Imaging and Document Solutions Research Department, believes that after the epidemic, the printer market has not recovered as expected and is facing numerous challenges. During the crisis, manufacturers and channel partners should maintain a positive attitude, seize new market opportunities, and use digital technology to help customers and themselves achieve business transformation and new growth.
