IDC Says World Hardcopy Market Picked Up in Units Shipped & Value in 2Q2013

International Data Corporation’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker reported signs of recovery in the hardcopy peripherals market. IDC data shows the total worldwide hardcopy market value in 2Q2013 was $13.8 billion, posting a decline of just -1.7% year over year (YoY. The market has witnessed its smallest YoY decline in unit shipments (-1.8%) since 4Q2011. Shipments in 2Q2013 reached 26.1 million units.

IDC is optimistic about the segments demonstrating growth opportunities, especially the higher speed monochrome segments (31-44 ppm and 45-69 ppm) and the total color laser market.

Phuong Hang, Program Manager, Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, said, “We anticipate that initiatives such as managed print services (MPS) and wider availability of digitally-based content will continue to gradually shift hardcopy peripheral devices away from the desktop and toward more shared and centralized machines. As such, vendors who concentrate on these opportunities should find the best payback for future hardcopy peripheral units and value shipments.”

While the inkjet market shrank -6% YoY, it is still the dominant hardcopy peripherals technology segment with a 58% unit share. Some 15.1 million inkjet devices were shipped in 2Q2013, 85% of which were multi-function printers (MFPs).

In 2Q2013, the monochrome laser market increased by 3.5%. Monochrome laser devices continue to rank second in both units shipped (8.2 million) and shipment value ($5.4 billion). In terms of shipment value, monochrome laser units have a 31% share of the hardcopy peripherals market unit shipments and a 39% share of shipment value.

The color laser market remained the strongest technology growth segment with 9.7% YoY growth in 2Q2013.

With regard to vendor ranking, HP continued to be the No. 1 vendor in 2Q2013 with a worldwide market share of 40.5% and 0.5% YoY growth. Canon came in as No. 2 with worldwide growth of -2.0% YoY. Epson bagged the No. 3 worldwide market share position with its unit shipments declining by -7.3% YoY. This decline represented the biggest drop among the top 5 vendors. Brother ranked No. 4 with 1.8 million units shipped and a 6.9% share, having grown 3.6% in unit shipments. Samsung was last among the Top 5 market share vendors with 1.4 million units shipped in 2Q2013 and a 5.3% unit share.