Based on the data from IDC, the inkjet printer market has grown by 6.9% year-on-year (YoY) in New Zealand. It is also the second-highest growth by a quarter over the last 3 years.

The overall New Zealand HCP market in 2020Q3 saw a YoY growth in unit shipments of 2.2%. However, revenue declined 17.2%. The possible reason is that laser unit shipments dropped around 8.9%.

Richard Xu, associate market analyst at IDC, states that this surge in popularity of inkjet printers is a continuation of the trend seen in 2020Q2. Following a country-wide lockdown in 2020Q2 and a second lockdown for Auckland during 2020Q3, the demand for both businesses and employees to set up home offices for remote working has soared. The lockdown periods also explain the decline in laser unit shipments, which generally require on-site technicians to install.

In 2020Q3, HP Inc. shipped the most inkjet units which were around 25,000. At the meanwhile, Canon’s shipments had the highest YoY growth. These two firms combine low prices with efficient and easy to set up machines to fulfil the increased printing demand from buyers looking to set up home offices.

Mr. Richard also claims that there is a lot of opportunities for HCP firms to establish their strengths in this diversifying space with increasingly varying customer needs.

“To the price conscious New Zealand market, inkjet machines are by far the most popular home printing choice, but as business returns to usual, laser printers are a viable alternative. In the first half of 2019, we saw a glimpse of the potential that laser printers had when it came to the SMB market. In the coming year, IDC expects to see more vendors selling laser printers for home office setups, SMBs, as well as enterprises and government,” says Xu.

According to Xu, this will be a transformational time for the HCP market in New Zealand. Products conventionally designed for consumer and SMB markets will see more uptake in the enterprise and government space as employees are given the choice to spend working hours away from the office. It will be a huge challenge for laser copier suppliers. They have to improve current items or create new products so that customers’ requirements can be met.