RESULTS

Market research firm Context has compiled the results of the PC Dealer/Context questionnaire published on 3 June about dealers and printer sales.

In your experience, which of the following points influence yourDealer/Context questionnaire published on 3 June about dealers and printer sales. customers most when buying a printer? (Please rank each point on a scale of 1-4)

Printers features have less influence on the buying decision than the price, which is clearly the determining factor. Users are still not considering the benefits of expansion capabilities, which may suggest a lack of product awareness in the dealer channel.

AVERAGE SCORE (OUT OF 4)

Technology - 2.86

Manufacturer - 2.74

Printing Speed - 2.76

Colour Capability - 2.77

Price - 3.54

Options Available - 2.06

Do your customers buy printers as part of a bundle or separately?

(Please indicate in percentage)

PC Dealer/Context respondents seem to make a decisive choice to sell printers either bundled or unbundled, rather than a mixture. A small percentage of dealers said their sales are equally split and more than two-thirds said customers buy printers separately.

In your experience, do customers need advice on which printer would suit their needs or do they already have an idea of what to buy?

Almost 60 per cent of PC Dealer/Context respondents think their clients need advice when buying a printer. Dealers feel 41 per cent of customers already have an idea of their printer needs. However, printing issues such as speed, quality, colour capability and cost are so complex that few have sufficient understanding and knowledge to buy unaided. This is further illustrated by responses to question 4.

Do you think your customers are aware of the cost of ownership when buying a printer?

Cost of ownership has been a steadily growing issue over the past four years and will probably continue to grow significantly. An overwhelming majority of dealers (84 per cent) believe their customers are not aware of the cost of ownership when buying a printer. However, among those who think their clients are aware of cost of ownership, only 50 per cent find it is a major factor when choosing a printer. This also supports the findings relating to question 2.