Inkjet printer shipments grew by 5.5% year-on-year with a contribution of 55.3% to overall India HCP market, the highest ever recorded. Growth in inkjet printer shipments was led by Ink tank printers which recorded year-on-year growth of 12.9%. While the overall laser printer market declined year-on-year, due to the government's efforts on enforcing restrictions on the refurbished copier market, the laser copier market registered a healthy year-on-year growth of 37.5%.

“Shipments in 2018 Q3 were driven primarily by the online channel segment in preparation for the sales events in the run up to Diwali. Unlike the previous years, 2018 was marked by the increased focus of eCommerce players on the printer category. Having realised the success of mobile phone, accessories and the various white goods categories in previous such online events, both HCP and eCommerce players were fairly confident of replicating it with printer category as well this year,” said Bani Johri, market analyst, IPDS, IDC India.

Government's strict regulation on the refurbished copier market through tight monitoring and increased seizing of illegal units at major ports gave an impetus to the original copier market. The refurbished market has always been an eyesore for original copier vendors, and with its partial closure, they are getting ample opportunities to expand their customer base by targeting the users of these machines with attractive pricing schemes.

“Post-festive season, market is expected to continue the year-on-year growth momentum in 2018 Q4 owing to strong consumer and SMB demand. Ink tank printers will continue gaining traction and compensate for decline in shipments of laser printers. Government's continuous efforts on crackdown of reconditioned copier market should also translate into strong demand for original laser copiers,” said Nishant Bansal, research manager, IPDS & PC, IDC India.