A new survey of more than 175 office equipment purchasers reveals that 32% of buyers have plans to make a purchase or lease within 12 months. 15% expect to purchase or lease new equipment within three months.

PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release

April 8, 2009

Demand for New Office Equipment Continues, According to
Better Buys for Business Survey;
Pricing Matters More to Buyers Than Brand Reputation

MALVERN, PA. – A new survey of more than 175 office equipment purchasers reveals that 32% of buyers have plans to make a purchase or lease within 12 months. 15% expect to purchase or lease new equipment within three months.

Price (46%) and cost of ownership (27%) will most influence buyers’ next purchases, followed by service guarantee (21%), networking and interfacing capabilities (20%), and first-hand experience with a brand or product line (19%). Brand reputation (12%), feature set (10%), and speed (4.5%) were least important to respondents.

“We all know that sales of printers and copiers are down, thanks to the recession, and buyers are putting off purchase decisions,” said Steve Hannaford, Editor-in-Chief of Better Buys for Business.

“But there are still a significant number who plan to buy this year,” Hannaford said. “Purchase price is still the major consideration, and that’s reflected in steadily reducing sticker prices from the vendors. But the actual cost-per-page proposition is still something many buyers ignore, and that’s an area where most have to be educated.”

Among those planning to purchase or lease within three months, cost of ownership was cited the most important factor (58%). These purchasers found that comparative specs (58%) and unbiased reviews/recommendations (36%) were most helpful in their decision process.

Respondents indicated that color printers (38%) were the preferred choice for their next printer, while 27% plan to opt for black & white. 34% are undecided – signaling growth opportunity for manufacturers looking to penetrate the market with color products.

Respondents asked whether they had a strong preference when it comes to office printers placed manufacturers in the following order.

Hewlett-Packard
Canon
Dell
Brother
Xerox
Ricoh
Konica Minolta
Lexmark

Most respondents have a multifunction printer (74%), with 14% indicating that they’re planning to upgrade or add more this year.

About this survey

The survey was produced and administered by Better Buys for Business in March 2009 in preparation for the launch of the Color Printer Multifunctional Guide. For more information about this guide, visit http://www.betterbuys.com/newguide1.

More than 175 office equipment purchasers participated in the survey, including CFOs, Office Managers, Purchasing Directors, Controllers, VPs and Directors of Finance, and IT Directors at companies in a range of industry sectors including health care, legal, manufacturing, higher education, and technology, among others.

Better Buys for Business (http://www.betterbuys.com) is the nation’s leading provider of buyers’ guides for office equipment. Better Buys for Business awards the Editor’s Choice designation to best-in-class machines in more than 10 product categories. For daily updates on the world of office imaging and document workflow, visit Better Buys for Business news site DocuCrunch (http://www.DocuCrunch.com).

Contact
Renee Wurster Yarborough
Marketing Manager
Better Buys for Business
ryarborough@pbp.com
304-594-2707