*NEWS*IRELAND:MULTI-FUNCTION TO DOMINATE

[Anonymous]

Multifunction to dominate
Devices to outsell stand alone ink jet printers in 2005
Katrina
Timmis, Epson’s channel manager for Ireland, said that she expects
multifunction devices to outsell stand-alone ink jet printers this
year. Epson, one of the stalwarts of the computer printing industry,
continues to be number one in the photo printing area, number two for
multifunction inkjet devices and number two or three for consumer
scanners.
Epson have been very active recently launching 13 new
products in September alone. Many of the products are incremental
improvements on existing products. Ink technology has improved again
with Epson’s new Durabrite Ultra incorporating a gloss in the ink as
well as retaining all the features (durability, waterproof and smudge
proof) that made Durabrite such a success. Longevity has been extended
to 120 years of light fastness compared to 80 years for Durabrite ink
and smudge resistance has been improved.
Other notable new products
are the scanners that are both faster and support better resolutions.
Epson’s strength on the printing side continues with inkjet technology
or micro piezo print head technology as Epson prefer to call it. On the
laser side HP continue to be, by far, the most dominant player in the
market place.
Epson’s route to market is through two distributors
(Sharptext and Micro Warehouse) for hardware and two distributors
(Sharptext and Datapac) for consumables. Timmis said that dealers
appreciate having a choice of suppliers. There has been a significant
shift in the last five years from hardware to consumables as hardware
prices have fallen and a large proportion of user spend has shifted
from hardware to consumables. Epson devotes much effort to positioning
consumables both to generate revenue and to ensure that the printing
experience is maximised for the users.
Like many inkjet vendors
Epson is conscious of the consumers’ perception of the high costs of
ink. To combat this perception Epson market multipacks with complete
sets of cartridges that in some cases can save consumers up to 40 per
cent. Another product offering is Picture Packs that contain a
combination of inkjet cartridges and paper. In the UK Epson has a
web-based option for consumables but Timmis said that the logistics
would not work for Ireland. She thinks that consumers like the
flexibility of being able to purchase locally, especially as 65 per
cent of cartridge purchases are “panic” purchases.
One of the strong
selling points for Epson is technical support. This operates at all
levels including retailer and consumer. Retailers are encouraged to
have demonstration units and to be trained to use them and to
evangelise the benefits of the Epson products. At the consumer level
there is telephone support, e-talk on-line trouble shooting and web
support. Unlike some competitors Epson does not charge for technical
support at the end of the first year or whenever the warranty runs out.
Timmis sums up the benefits of selling Epson as being the profitable brand that is easy to sell and market

[Author]

November 17, 2005 at 11:10 AM