Selecting a Cost effective Inkjet Printer: HP Using Strong Arm Tactics
HP Using Strong Arm TacticsHP Offers IncentivesIn true form to free marketing practices HP has supposedly approached chain stores and offered “incentives” if they stop selling their own store brand (compatible, or Re manufactured) cartridges. In a recently published article from Business Week, Steve Hamm breaks the insider info to the general public. Rivals Say HP is Using Hardball TacticsShrinking Marketplace for Compatibles.Staples, a long time manufacturer/marketer of Compatible inkjet products has confirmed that they will be discontinuing their custom line of compatible HP products and sticking to HP brand products only.HP Streamlining ProductsHp is now taking to the industry a similar marketing practice as the newly released Kodak has and that is the bundling of their products (Inkjet Ink) with paper. By providing the Printer, Ink, and Paper, HP, as Kodak has done recognizes that they can tune their products optimally by selling all three components. See the Recent Metawatch Articles for further informationKodak enters Inkjet Printer MarketInkjet Printer Ink (A Basic Primer)Inkjet Printer Ink I (Dyes and Pigments)Inkjet Printer Ink II (Fade Resistance,Water Resistance)Inkjet Printer Ink III (Paper, Paper, Paper)Anti-Competitive Practices ?Taking into consideration the above, there is nothing wrong with encouraging other distributors of your product to select yours above all others. In addition, offering incentives for marketing larger inventories of products is also common place, and a standard marketing strategy.HPs recent bundling also does reflect their capability to increase the quality of the product being offered to their clients. The line does get crossed when one is “ASKED” not to market another competing product. In this instance HP has only offered incentives to its distributors, and as such doesn’t (in our view) cross that fine line.Customer ExperienceIn the end, having a less competitive marketplace for the consumer will lead to increasing prices, as always, and will leave the consumer less options to choose from.Although HP may be able to offer a superior product with their customization of products (Paper and Ink), superior products have been on the market for quite some time.Not everyone needs photo quality printouts for their day to day office use. I.E. We feel their is a need across the industry for a multitude of quality alternatives (Not to be confused with reliability) for the cost sensitive end user community.On Line Retailers (E Tailers)Metwatch was created as an independant retailer of inkjet products and as such doesn’t limit their selection of products or brands based on distributor incentives. Being an independant, they rely solely on the product as it relates to the consumer marketplace for their selection process.Metawatch Distributes across CanadaMetwatch sells their products across Canada via a mail order service, and therefore has a truely national perspective to what consumers want/need. By offering multiple distribution centers across Canada they are able to supply products directly to the consumer market at the lowest cost in the most expediant fashion possible.Metawatch HP Line of Remanufactured CartridgesLabels: Anti Competitive Practices, HP Incentives, HP streamlining products, Metawatch, Remanufactured Cartridges, Staples Compatible inkjet products
