The printer market has bounced back after being gutted by the pandemic.
The latest quarterly analysis of the printer market across Western Europe in the fourth quarter, from Context, shows that printer sales had a good ending in 2022 as marketing campaigns drove higher-end products.
Context said that revenues and volumes of sales exceeded expectations.
The analyst found there was a 12.3 per cent year-on-year increase in unit sales and a 27.8 per cent increase in revenue during the period for printer hardware. There were also efforts on the consumer side to get entry-level stock shifting through distie warehouses more quickly.
SME-sized channel partners ended 2022 in a strong position and Context has seen that continue into the first days of January. Sales have been buoyant across both public and private sector customer bases, and higher sale prices have driven increased revenue.
Consumers have also been prepared to buy hardware again, with sales going through retailers growing steadily through Q4.
Context analyst Antonio Talia said: “These factors helped the market perform significantly better than Context’s most optimistic scenario for the quarter. Poor market performance in 2021 means the comparatives are favourable, but the product mix has changed over the last year.”
“In Q4 2022, there was more emphasis on high-end consumer printers and mid- and high-end business devices – particularly expensive multi-function laser printers – than in 2021.”
Context found that the consumables market declined by 18.2 per cent year-on-year in unit sales and 11.4 per cent in revenues. A drop-off in sales of ink cartridges, which still make up 80 per cent of the sales across Europe, and toners was largely responsible. Users are continuing to shift towards refillable ink bottles, which are resonating because of price and sustainability pluses.
