Kyocera moves into online retail to meet home office needs

• COVID-19 has made it likely that most companies will continue to support and encourage flexible working arrangements, and it is expected that many workers will continue to work from home.
• The role of the printer is likely to become more important for consumers than ever before. People are now shopping for reliable printers they can use at home.

Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa’s (KDZA) move into retail has long been on the cards and the timing couldn’t be better. Consumers will now be able to order Kyocera printers, which are known for their robust and innovative technology, from online store Takealot.

“We have a strong portfolio of printers and multifunction printers (MFPs) for all markets ranging from the SOHO to large corporates,” says Greg Griffith, Hardware Product Manager of Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa.

“We want to be able to service all sectors of the market and we have been looking to expand into retail for a while. The current global crisis has made it imperative that we are able to sell directly to people who now need to set up their office at home or need to cater for home schooling.”

Griffith says the expansion into retail will encourage the growth of new market opportunities. “The rationale for the move is the result of much analysis of internal sales data and external channel data, confirmed by external market research. The decision was made long before the pandemic; however, with the massive growth of working from home, we are excited about being able to support this new trend.”

Greg Griffith

---

The move from a business-to-business (B2B) into business-to-consumer (B2C) offering will introduce the brand to a broader market, elevating overall brand awareness within this broader market.

In the first phase, consumers will be able to choose from eight products suitable for the small office home office market. These are the Kyocera FS-1060dn, P2040dn, P2040dw, P2235dn, P2235dw, P5021cdn, M5521cdn and the M5521cdw. Whether mono or colour, these A4 laser printers have a sufficient range of features needed for the home office user. We believe we bring a competitive range of printers to the market; the overall running costs are lower than many other units, which means that consumers save more in the long term.

It is important to note that while we are entering this new route to market, these Working from Home devices are also available via our national dealer channel network as well.

“Kyocera has attained first place in the southern Africa market share for A4 copier/MFPs for the last two years, only operating on a B2B basis. However, the route to the B2C market is online, especially at this time,” says Griffith. “We partnered with Takealot because the company has a solid track record and it’s a trusted online purchasing portal in South Africa that offers consumers speed of delivery and the convenience of shopping from the safety of their home.”

For more information on our Working from Home range, go directly to Takealot.