Global hardcopy peripherals shipments drop 15.5% YoY in Q4 2023

Worldwide shipments of hardcopy peripherals totaled 21.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q23), a decline of 15.5% year over year. As with the prior quarter, the decline was caused by constrained demand and the tightening of financing conditions. Shipment value during 4Q23 also fell 11.7% to $9.7 billion, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker. For the full year 2023, both units and shipment value declined year over year at -8.4% and -1.4%, respectively.

Notable highlights from the quarter include:

• Every geographic region saw a year-over-year decline in shipments, ranging from -5.9% to -30.6%. Among the three largest geographic markets, the United States fared the best, declining just 6.1% year over year. Western Europe was down 11.8% and China saw shipments decline 30.6%. China’s economic recovery continues to be slower than expected, resulting in deeper than expected overall IT spending as the country continues to face challenges to its economic future.
• While all the top 5 companies experienced year-over-year shipment contraction, Brother had the best quarter with a year-over-year decline of 7.5%. The vendor was able to gain users from the small business segment as their recently launched entry level A4 color laser models with competitive pricing were well received.

IDC