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Introduction InfoTrends estimates that the U.S. market for desktop inkjet cartridges and personal and workgroup monochrome and color laser cartridges will be about $34 billion at retail pricing by 2009. Most of this growth will come from color laser cartridges, but some will be attributable to inkjet. Looking at non-OEM supplies, monochrome laser cartridges are currently the largest of the three product areas, but they will be flattening out and ultimately declining at the end of the forecast period. While non-OEM vendors have had a difficult time supplying reliable color laser cartridges with acceptable quality, we believe that consumers are ready for non-OEM color laser cartridges and that the non-OEM suppliers will be able to provide appropriate products to prevent a market decline among non-OEM electrophotographic products. InfoTrends study entitled, Store Brand Imaging Supplies Study- Inkjet Supplies Edition, examines OEM, store, and aftermarket branded inkjet cartridges. The study provides in-depth research and analysis on which brands people report using, which brands they expect to use in the future, and which stores or other resellers they typically use to acquire those products. Brand Preference Many current users of non-OEM inkjet cartridges expect to shift from aftermarket brands to store brands. Store brands accounted for 40% of the non-OEM market in 2004, but this percentage is expected to reach 66% by 2009. Figure 1: Type of Store Brand Cartridges Purchased When respondents were asked to specify the store brands that they currently used, office superstore brands like Staples, Office Depot, or OfficeMax proved to be the most popular. This is not surprising, because office supply superstores have been emphasizing their store brands as of late. While the Store Brands are gaining in popularity, the study also reveals that Wal-Mart is the most popular location for purchasing inkjet cartridges overall and particularly popular with Lexmark users. Satisfaction with Store Brands Respondents that used inkjet store brands typically reported a high level of satisfaction. Store brand users were most satisfied with ease of installation, availability, and printer reliability. Cartridge price and yield were on the lower end of the satisfaction scale. It is surprising that respondents would be less satisfied with cartridge price, since that would seem to be one of the biggest draws of a store brand in the first place. This probably just indicates that store brand users would like to see prices fall even lower. Store brand users do not rate reliability and quality as highly as OEM and aftermarket users. Store brand users appear to be seeking a balance. They value a number of factors, including reliability, quality, convenience, price, and one-stop-shopping. Store brand users typically believe that OEM products are better, but their primary focus is receiving a better overall value. The preceding is an excerpt from InfoTrends’ report entitled “Store Brand Imaging Supplies Study- Inkjet Supplies Edition.” The complete document is available immediately. To learn more about the report or to make a purchase, visit our online store or contact Nicole Shown at +1 , ext. 207 or . Copyright © 2006 InfoTrends. All rights reserved. Reproduction or reuse of InfoTrends materials is strictly prohibited without prior written consent. If you are interested in referencing InfoTrends’ content, please submit your request to . |
