Changing Regional Dynamics of the Barcode Printers Market
VDC’s annual coverage of the barcode printer market is pointing out to a significant regional trend – the growing dominance of Asia-Pacific. According to our recently published estimates and forecasts, the Asian market is expected to continue to account for a larger share of the overall revenues derived by printer vendors the world over – having outpaced EMEA in 2008, and slated to take over North America, when it comes to barcode printer investment, in 2015.
This stupendous (acceleration in) growth can be attributed to a number of factors including:
- Infrastructure Development – Geographic demand for barcode printing solutions is shifting as vendors increasingly move their manufacturing operations base to emerging country markets, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Our market estimates indicate that APAC accounted for over 39% of the revenues that barcode printer suppliers derived from sales to the Industrial/ Manufacturing sector in 2010, a higher share than both Americas and EMEA.
- Adoption of Global Standards – VDC expects the growing number of standards & compliance regulations across industry verticals to have an impact on barcode printer sales. Organizations are looking to leverage traceability to generate operational efficiencies, in addition to meeting government & industry mandates. Barcode solutions providers are tapping into growing opportunities within the perishable goods supply chain, for instance.
- Dealer/Distributor Model – This is among the fastest growing distribution methodologies in emerging country markets, and is being heavily leveraged by barcode printer vendors in the APAC region to drive sustainable growth. Dealer/distributors (including VADs) sell to resellers who best understand local market ‘environments’ and are a valuable source for customer feedback. They also provide suppliers with access to a growing number of VARs and System Integrators. VDC’s latest research indicates that this channel is accounting for an increased share of suppliers’ barcode printer revenues.