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China Presents Rare Growth Opportunity for Hard Copy Imaging Market Despite Economic Slowdown

(Weymouth, MA) February 2, 2009 . . . The Chinese hard copy imaging market is the largest of the four countries in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) region, in terms of unit placements and hardware revenue. It is also the most mature of the BRIC countries, but it remains a growing opportunity despite its longevity. In fact, according to a new multi-client study from InfoTrends entitled Emerging Markets Multi-Client Study: China, total printer and MFP placements in China are expected to exceed 10 million units by 2012.

As the market for traditional office copiers, printers, and MFPs continues to show signs of flat growth in unit placements and increased erosion of profit margins in developed markets such as the U.S. and Western Europe, vendors must find new sources of revenue. Emerging markets such as the BRIC countries present thriving markets for these products, but these countries also have unique idiosyncrasies ranging from governmental regulations to purchasing requirements of customers. Knowledge of these country specific variations is vital to gaining access to these markets. This study is designed to provide a comprehensive view of the Chinese office document technology market, highlighting opportunities for solutions, hardware, and supplies vendors as well as resellers and distributors. InfoTrends has also conducted in-depth studies for Brazil, Russia, and India as part of this project.
The market for page printing devices in China is currently dominated by single-function printers, but the shift to multifunctional hardware is well underway. In fact, MFP placements in the page printing category will achieve significant growth. This growth will in turn compensate for declines in sales of monochrome single-function printers over this period.
Although the Chinese market is undeniably weighted toward monochrome devices, this study indicates that businesses in China may be ready to incorporate color printing into the mix. As traditional barriers to adoption such as color equipment costs are addressed, China will start to make the move toward color. In fact, InfoTrends projects that total placements of color page printers and MFPs are projected to rise at a CAGR of over 30% between 2007 and 2012, albeit from a very small base.

InfoTrends’ Group Director Jon Reardon commented, “Lower prices for color hardware will help spur this growth, but vendors must continue to educate the Chinese market on the value of color for certain documents. In addition, although a significant number of respondents to our study indicated a desire for color, just as many stated that color was either strongly controlled or not needed at all. While the opportunity for color is certainly emerging, hardware vendors should be careful about pushing color hardware prices down too quickly in China.”

Research for this study consisted of a telephone-delivered structured survey (303 respondents in China) as well as in-depth interviews with end-users, vendors, channels, and government regulatory agencies. In addition, these studies include valuable forecast data in terms of hardware, supplies, and software solutions from InfoTrends’ Digital Peripherals Solutions, Communication Supplies, and Network Document Solutions Consulting Services. The results provide essential knowledge for vendors that wish to expand their profits by tapping into these up and coming markets.

Clients have the option to purchase studies on individual countries or as a bundled package. For more information please contact Scott Phinney at ext. 123 or via e-mail at .

InfoTrends, a Questex company, is the leading worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry. We provide research, analysis, forecasts, and advice to help clients understand market trends, identify opportunities, and develop strategies to grow their businesses. Additional information about InfoTrends is available on the Web at www.infotrends.com

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