I
Industry Professional
HP has already introduced the "Simple Black" cartridge (http://printer.ink-
cartridge.com.au/hp-simple-black-cartridge-introduced) in China and India
to beat the refillers, but Epson has a complete strategy to defeat
refillers and generic cartridge manufacturers - ultra cheap consumables.
The catch? Consumers will pay more for their printers. Whilst still only
implemented in China, if it's successful there, expect the concept to
spread to all markets.
"For more than a decade, the printer industry has counted on a potent
combination of low-cost hardware that draws in buyers and high-priced
supplies that deliver some of the best margins of any business. But now,
printer manufacturers are running head-on into cost-conscious Chinese
consumers who just say "no" to expensive cartridges.
Epson, desperate to turn around its wobbly printer business, has made
low-cost cartridges the centerpiece of its Chinese consumer printer
marketing strategy. It's a very high-risk move, if it sells printers,
competitors will have no choice but to respond, and not just in China.
If Epson's approach works in China, it almost certainly will work in
other developing countries, and perhaps even in developed countries,
where consumers, although richer, are also disgusted with consumables
costs. The industry could be facing something it has quietly dreaded for
years - a consumables pricing nuclear war that melts the razor-and-blades
model and incinerates the industry's rich profit margins."
There is a free live webcast on the subject on the 16th of January by Lyra
http://www.webcastgroup.com/client/start.asp?wid=0660116073085
cartridge.com.au/hp-simple-black-cartridge-introduced) in China and India
to beat the refillers, but Epson has a complete strategy to defeat
refillers and generic cartridge manufacturers - ultra cheap consumables.
The catch? Consumers will pay more for their printers. Whilst still only
implemented in China, if it's successful there, expect the concept to
spread to all markets.
"For more than a decade, the printer industry has counted on a potent
combination of low-cost hardware that draws in buyers and high-priced
supplies that deliver some of the best margins of any business. But now,
printer manufacturers are running head-on into cost-conscious Chinese
consumers who just say "no" to expensive cartridges.
Epson, desperate to turn around its wobbly printer business, has made
low-cost cartridges the centerpiece of its Chinese consumer printer
marketing strategy. It's a very high-risk move, if it sells printers,
competitors will have no choice but to respond, and not just in China.
If Epson's approach works in China, it almost certainly will work in
other developing countries, and perhaps even in developed countries,
where consumers, although richer, are also disgusted with consumables
costs. The industry could be facing something it has quietly dreaded for
years - a consumables pricing nuclear war that melts the razor-and-blades
model and incinerates the industry's rich profit margins."
There is a free live webcast on the subject on the 16th of January by Lyra
http://www.webcastgroup.com/client/start.asp?wid=0660116073085