Canon becomes extra-aggressive, to appoint more partners

In a bid to increase its channel focus, Canon India is putting in place a dedicated sales team for channel business beginning this July. According to
the company, this will help it to be closer to the market and offer value-added services. "We want the channels to sell a good number of the
range of Canon products. We are also empowering the channel community and ensuring quicker dissemination of information to them," says Canon India
senior marketing manager (printer group) Rajeev Singh. The company is increasing its Premier Partners from 110 to 150 by December 2004, while
Canon Empowered Partners will grow from 2,300 to 3,000 in the same time frame.

According to Singh, all these initiatives are directed towards achieving a high marketshare across the products. By 2007, the
company aims to enjoy 30 percent marketshare in all categories such as laser, scanners,
digicams, AIOs, etc. 

"We are working towards being a Rs 700 crore company in India by 2007," claims
Rajiv. According to IDC, Canon has gained 34% marketshare in inkjet printer category. We want this to happen in every product segment," he
emphasizes.

The company recently launched 20 new products and is conducting roadshows across the country to showcase its offerings. It
is also increasing its retail focus by opening more Canon retail stations and stores across the
country.

In India, Canon has a strong presence in north and east with a stronghold on 40 percent market share, while west makes up
for 25 percent and south 20 percent. To have more focus, the company has divided each region into two
markets such as South 1 and South 2. While South 1 comprises of Tamil Nadu and
Kerala, South 2 accounts for Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, each region is divided into two markets across the country.

Canon India achieved a turnover of Rs 230 crore in the last fiscal, out of which the printer group contributed Rs 80
crore. "This year, we are projecting an overall revenue of Rs 260 crore and printer group is likely to
be Rs 110 crore," says Rajiv.

CyberMedia News

S Gopikrishna

Chennai