The question of selling direct or via a channel is one that garners a different response from each person answering it. What works in one industry, for one company, may not necessarily work for anyone else or in any other industry.
"In the colour printer market, however, a channel policy based on the three pillars of quality product, quality partners and quality support has been proven to produce a win-win situation for all involved with Oki. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in sales and loyalty," says Neil Rom, MD of Printacom, sole importer of the Oki range of printers.
He refers specifically to Oki`s progress in Europe and specifically in Norway, where the brand has seen its market share soar to 38% overall, and take the number one slot in the colour printer sales segment in Q1 2003 - according to IDC figures.
"Oki`s sales manager in Norway attributes this tremendous success to their channel," adds Rom. "Over the past two years, Oki Norway has worked hard to develop this channel, resulting in it being solely responsible for 50% of the sales in Q1 2003."
Taking the Norwegian market as an example (its printer market is growing at a similar rate to SA`s) Rom believes that taking the time and effort to cultivate a quality channel can only lead to success.
Similarly in SA we have been working hard to develop a loyal and proactive colour channel to promote Oki. Our channel partners are privy to sales and technical training as well as access to demo equipment and corporate sales assistants to help them close deals in their customers.
This is clearly showing rewards as Oki locally is showing good market share gains in the colour laser segment of the market. Similarly, the focus on building a local channel has also paid off, with BMI-TechKnowledge showing that Oki dramatically increased its market share in the colour laser market in SA in Q1 2003.
"Oki, through Printacom, now commands 8% of the overall market and the company has risen to second place with 12.8% of the market for lasers producing 10 pages per minute or more," Rom says. "Our market share is growing month-on-month, notching up an astounding 45% growth in Q1 sales."
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As a division of the MB Technologies Group, Printacom is the sole importer of the Oki range of printers to the South African reseller channel.
With Oki ranked among the top three printer brands worldwide, Printacom focuses on offering high-end internationally recognised business printing solutions to corporate companies. It is this performance and reliability that attracts 60% of the market share in the high-end dot matrix market in SA.
Oki has achieved many local channel accolades over the past months, these include: - Channel Champion 2002, Okipage 14ex Editors Choice award and the Lab`s Choice award for colour.
More information about Printacom is available at: http://www.printacom.co.za.
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