Kenya leads Africa in uptake of printers helping Epson to sell 15 Million Units globally

Seiko Epson Corporation announced that its high-capacity ink tank printers have achieved cumulative global sales of 15 million units. Kenya was also named as the leading country in the uptake of ITS printers in Africa.

Commenting on the local ITS sales in Kenya, Mukesh Bector, Regional Sales Manager for Epson East Africa said, “Since setting up in this market in 2011, Epson’s strategy has always been focused on real business concerns such as the day-to-day costs of running a printer, as opposed to price. In a span of three years, ITS printers have become the most popular printers for small businesses, and have consistently guaranteed the lowest cost of printing in the market without compromising on quality. The results are evident in our growth.

“Kenya has been a huge success for us” added Bector. “To date, Kenya is the leading country in the uptake of ITS printers in Africa, with local sales last year standing at over 10,000 units. ITS printers have been especially successful with SMEs in market due to additional capabilities such as Wi-Fi direct, printing from non-traditional products such as mobile phones as well as cloud printing capabilities to ensure businesses run as smoothly as possible. With a constantly evolving business landscape, Epson is committed to investing and expanding its presence in the market and providing product solutions relevant to its consumers.”

Epson first launched the high-capacity ink tank printers in October 2010 in Indonesia. Since then, the high-capacity ink tank printers have continued to be introduced into 150 new countries and regions^*1, highlighting the positive response to this new concept.

This new type of printer has made a significant impression on the market. This is particularly evident in emerging markets where sales of the series have accounted for approximately 10% of total sales of printers (laser and inkjet printers), which equates to approximately 45 million units^*2. Epson predicts strong continued sales growth with global annual sales projected to account for nearly 40% of the total sales of Epson inkjet printers, compared to 30% and 35% in the preceding years.

Epson believes the success of the high-capacity ink tank printers is due to a number of factors. The high-capacity ink tanks are purpose-built and fully integrated, which means that they provide a mess-free and reliable solution. There’s also the convenience aspect, as the user can fill the high-capacity ink tanks and print thousands of pages without interruption (instead of repeatedly replenishing their printer with ink cartridges). Another important factor is cost-effectiveness; they can offer an ultra-low-cost per print, as the high-capacity ink tank printers come bundled with high-yield ink bottles.

Koichi Kubota, Director, Managing Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Printer Operations Division, says: “With 15 million units sold, we’re proud to say that this new concept has proven a success. At Epson, we’ve always valued the importance of offering customers a wide range of choice so that they can find a product that suits their individual needs. We identified a unique market opportunity; customers looking for a purpose-built, reliable, cost-effective and high-volume printing solution. Our innovative high-capacity ink tank printers provide the answer, and the figures testify to that.”