The Central and Eastern European (CEE) hardcopy peripherals market (HCP) recorded a 1.5% year-on-year decline in unit terms in 2011, while increasing 0.6% in revenue terms. According to fresh data from market research and advisory company IDC, 8.63 million units were shipped on the CEE HCP market last year with a total value of $2,013 million. IDC expects total CEE market growth in 2012 to be slightly below 4% in volume and around 2.5% in value. Market growth will be driven primarily by increasing demand for multifunction peripherals (MFPs), both inkjet and laser, and devices based on color laser technology. IDC does not expect the CEE market to reach pre-crisis levels (prior to 2009) in the next two or three years.
"The market stagnation in 2011 can be attributed primarily to unfavorable economic conditions, as both businesses and consumers were rather cautious about spending. In addition, high growth rates in 2010 were attributable to most markets expanding after a severe decline during the 2009 crisis, which hit CEE heavily," says Mitri Roufka, research director with IDC CEMA's Imaging & Hardcopy Devices Department.
The seven largest country markets in the CEE region posted mixed results in 2011. Russia, CEE's largest HCP market (accounting for 48% of total CEE shipments and 47% of revenue), recorded only marginal growth of 1% in unit terms. Shipments to Poland declined by 3.2%; the Ukraine market fell by 2.6%; and the Romania market declined 1.6%, while the Czech Republic and Hungary were up 2.8% and 1.3%, respectively, and Kazakhstan grew strongly by 13.7%. Other countries in the region - Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Belarus - all showed significant declines in their HCP markets last year.
From the technology and product point of view, the inkjet segment shrank by 11.2% year on year across CEE and was responsible for the overall decline of the market in 2011. Meanwhile, the laser segment continued to perform well, expanding 7.9% in volume and 4.7% in value compared to the previous year. This was primarily due to a strong preference for laser devices in Russia, where 64% of all shipped imaging devices are laser-based. The share of laser technology in other key CEE markets - including Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia - also increased significantly in the past few years, exhibiting combined growth from 30.9% in 2009 to 39.9% in 2011.
"It is interesting to note that, for the second consecutive year in CEE market history, shipments of laser devices exceeded those of inkjet devices," says Roufka. "Laser is the preferred technology in most organizations in CEE, although a correlation exists between company size and preferred printing technology: The smaller the company, the higher the share of inkjet printers it is likely to have.
HP, Canon, and Epson were the top three vendors in the inkjet segment in CEE in 2011, with a combined 95% share of all inkjet shipments. In the laser segment, HP, Samsung, and Canon were the top three vendors in terms of unit share, while HP, Xerox, and Canon led in terms of revenues.
About the research
IDC's Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker delivers timely intelligence and an inclusive database detailing changes and trends in the Central European PC market. The tracker enables users to view data by volume, value, country, year, quarter, vendor, brand, processor brand, and channel. It also includes easy-to-read summaries that analyze volume and value by form factor, vendor, and end-user segment.
The IDC IT Buyers' Pulse Report presents a comprehensive overview of IT strategies and execution plans, and measures technology adoption levels in businesses and public institutions in CEE. The study is based on an unprecedentedly large and representative survey, with 1,660 organizations, both private and public, interviewed across nine CEE countries in the summer of 2011. For more details, visit www.itbuyerspulse.com
"The market stagnation in 2011 can be attributed primarily to unfavorable economic conditions, as both businesses and consumers were rather cautious about spending. In addition, high growth rates in 2010 were attributable to most markets expanding after a severe decline during the 2009 crisis, which hit CEE heavily," says Mitri Roufka, research director with IDC CEMA's Imaging & Hardcopy Devices Department.
The seven largest country markets in the CEE region posted mixed results in 2011. Russia, CEE's largest HCP market (accounting for 48% of total CEE shipments and 47% of revenue), recorded only marginal growth of 1% in unit terms. Shipments to Poland declined by 3.2%; the Ukraine market fell by 2.6%; and the Romania market declined 1.6%, while the Czech Republic and Hungary were up 2.8% and 1.3%, respectively, and Kazakhstan grew strongly by 13.7%. Other countries in the region - Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Belarus - all showed significant declines in their HCP markets last year.
From the technology and product point of view, the inkjet segment shrank by 11.2% year on year across CEE and was responsible for the overall decline of the market in 2011. Meanwhile, the laser segment continued to perform well, expanding 7.9% in volume and 4.7% in value compared to the previous year. This was primarily due to a strong preference for laser devices in Russia, where 64% of all shipped imaging devices are laser-based. The share of laser technology in other key CEE markets - including Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia - also increased significantly in the past few years, exhibiting combined growth from 30.9% in 2009 to 39.9% in 2011.
"It is interesting to note that, for the second consecutive year in CEE market history, shipments of laser devices exceeded those of inkjet devices," says Roufka. "Laser is the preferred technology in most organizations in CEE, although a correlation exists between company size and preferred printing technology: The smaller the company, the higher the share of inkjet printers it is likely to have.
HP, Canon, and Epson were the top three vendors in the inkjet segment in CEE in 2011, with a combined 95% share of all inkjet shipments. In the laser segment, HP, Samsung, and Canon were the top three vendors in terms of unit share, while HP, Xerox, and Canon led in terms of revenues.
About the research
IDC's Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker delivers timely intelligence and an inclusive database detailing changes and trends in the Central European PC market. The tracker enables users to view data by volume, value, country, year, quarter, vendor, brand, processor brand, and channel. It also includes easy-to-read summaries that analyze volume and value by form factor, vendor, and end-user segment.
The IDC IT Buyers' Pulse Report presents a comprehensive overview of IT strategies and execution plans, and measures technology adoption levels in businesses and public institutions in CEE. The study is based on an unprecedentedly large and representative survey, with 1,660 organizations, both private and public, interviewed across nine CEE countries in the summer of 2011. For more details, visit www.itbuyerspulse.com
