IDC: Printer market fades in Australia

Third quarter sales predicted to fall.

IDC has predicted that the printer market in Australia and New Zealand will shrink 11 percent in the third quarter of this year as economic uncertainty continues to dampen sales.

The analyst firm said today that the printer market fell short of expectations for the second quarter of 2011.

While second quarter sales were up 10 percent year-on-year and 5 percent quarter-on-quarter, total shipments hit 760,000 units, 20,000 shy of what the market had hoped for.

IDC blamed weak demand for laser printers as companies sought to rein in spending amid the current economic woes.

“Weak business and consumer sentiment caused spending to be conservative,” said IDC market analyst Cheryl Looi.

But she added that this saw many vendors and retailers initiate aggressive channel promotions.

"This was necessary to encourage sell through," she said.

The analyst group cited an emerging trend of inkjet printers priced under $400 being positioned as low-end substitutes for laser models because of their “laser-quality” print output.

IDC noted that lower price inkjet printers segment performed particularly well with growth at around 15 percent year-on-year.

This helped to offset a 2 percent drop in laser printer sales caused by excess stock following a strong Q1 and supply constraints following the Japan earthquake.

HP retained its top spot in the region with 42 percent market share followed by Canon with 20 percent.

Third-placed Brother claimed 18 percent of the market following a tough three months during which its channels had to manage excess stock following a standout Q1.

Brother also reported that some supply had been damaged by the Japan earthquake while overall end-user demand was sluggish.