Western Europe Inkjet Printer and MFP Forecast, 2023–2027
Shipments of inkjet printer and MFP devices will continue to contract over the forecast period despite demand for consumer and business devices remaining strong. The drive toward digitization and the rise of the millennials and Generation X in the workplace are among many factors leading to reduced demand for print devices. However, the inkjet market will remain the largest market going forward in terms of shipments.The home consumer market has historically been the main market, but as it continues to contract, leading brands are shifting their attention to office markets with business inkjets, including monochrome devices, ink tank devices, cartridge devices, and A3 devices. These devices are available under different price plans but contracts within the inkjet market are becoming popular, especially subscription and print-as-a-service contracts, where users select flexible payment methods to simply pay for what they print.The main route to market will be the indirect channel as two leading vendors specifically focus on these areas. However, some vendors are now seeing more sales via direct channels since some subscription services are restricted to their own websites. Nevertheless, the choice for consumers and businesses for selecting devices and ways to pay for them has never been greater, and this can only benefit users as well as brands as they must find unique selling points (USPs) in a highly competitive market.Consumer markets will remain important as the potential for long-term supplies revenues remains solid, but the markets are changing with the introduction of a greater number of ink tank systems and competition from third-party supplies. The latter is among the reasons for the advent of subscription services as users are compelled to return old cartridges in return for new ones. This also benefits the collection and recycling of such used cartridges rather than having them end up in the hands of the third-party suppliers that often refill them.The highlights from this forecast report are as follows.The long-term growth rate for the inkjet market is negative. It will decline at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5% for a 2027 market size of 10.0 million units.The business inkjet market will increase at a CAGR of 6.2% for a 2027 market size of 2.3 million units.Consumer markets will contract at a CAGR of 5.4% for a 2027 market size of 7.7 million units and will be 3.5 times the size of the business inkjet market.Overall MFP shipments will decline at a CAGR of 3.3% for a 2027 market size of 9.7 million units while printer shipments will decline at a CAGR of 3.8% for a market size of 340,000. Therefore 97% of all shipments by 2026 will be from MFP devices.This IDC Market Forecast quantifies the Western European inkjet market in detail, analyzing details issues, trends, and product advances. It contains IDC's review and forecast of the Western European inkjet market for 2023 to 2027."The four main inkjet brands are trying to gain competitive advantage in a declining market through different ways and means with new devices and payment plans to suit every home consumer and business user whatever their print requirements and page volumes are. Inkjet is still a main source of revenue and profit for some, and it will remain the largest volume segment in the hardcopy market over the forecast period," said Phil Sargeant, senior program director, IDC Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions.
Please Note: Extended description available upon request.
IDC Market Forecast Figure
Executive Summary
Advice for Technology Suppliers
Market Forecast
Market Context
Drivers and Inhibitors
Drivers
Ink Tank Printers can Make Printing More Affordable
Increased Demand for Sustainable Printing can Help the Inkjet Market
Simple Subscription Services can Help Secure Revenues
Inhibitors
More Millennials and Generation X People Are Using Digital Devices