Canon India, one of the leading digital imaging organizations in the country, is planning to strengthen its retail presence in the eastern region for its Consumer System Products Division. The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with Mr. C Sukumaran, Director, Consumer Systems Products (CSP), Canon India in an exclusive conversation who shed light on the different aspects of the expansion plan.

Ink jet printers and laser printers are the two kinds of printers, revealed Mr Sukumaran. The company for the ink-jet printers wants to expand from 850 retail outlets to 1500 retail outlets for the eastern region. E-commerce also adds to consumer reach. TV shopping is also available. The company will like to reach out to places wherever the touch points of consumers are present.

Laser printers on the other hand are used by the Government and large public- sector enterprises. There the company works with System Integrators. At the moment there are 15-20 such Sis and the company wants to double it in the next two years. With such expansion, they can reach out to deeper Government bodies.

Additionally, with an intention to further strengthen the sales support, the company is planning to introduce 20 PIXMA zones in the Eastern region in 2019, which will serve as a one-stop shop for all printing requirements.

In 2018, Canon India launched six new Ink Tank models which redefined the inkjet business which had lower running cost and were high on ink. The cost per print is now as low as nine paisa per print with the launch of the new Ink Tank models. Canon India grew the highest in the Ink Tank category in 2018 and is targeting to consolidate its leadership position in the segment.

According to Mr. C Sukumaran, Director, Consumer Systems Products (CSP), Canon India, “We continue to be the industry leaders specializing in crafting consumer centric technological innovations in India. East is one of the most dynamic and growth led market for us. The contribution of the region in the overall growth for 2018 stands at a whopping 13% with Kolkata, Guwahati and Patna being the top cities, that contribute the most to Canon’s overall business in the eastern market. Moreover, the ink tank category grew by 84% in the east specifically.Having collaborated with 950 retailers and over 100 plus distributors, across the region, Canon’s distribution stands strong in the market and we will continue to penetrate in tier III and tier IV markets by keeping Kolkata as the base market for East India.”

Canon has more than 200 service centres across India and covers over 90% pin codes, giving the company a vast reach. To further strengthen the customer service, Canon is now planning to launch 80-100 PIXMA Zone experience across markets in the next two years. So far, the company has launched three zones in Delhi, Chennai and Ludhiana.

We hope Canon continues to expand and provides great printing options to the consumers.