Epson partners with the channel for great results

Epson’s Authorised Reseller Partner (EARP) Programme is a fast, easy way for Epson resellers to reap the rewards of business performance, boosting their own profitability while growing market share for the brand’s range of document printers, scanners, projectors, point of sale devices and large format printers.

 “Our long-term strategy involves working with carefully selected partners who have a clear understanding of how our products and technologies benefit their customers,” says Werner Obermeyer, Channel Account Manager at Epson South Africa. “We are firmly committed to our two-tier model, working with specialist resellers alongside our network of authorised distributors.”

The programme caters for many categories of partners, with Epson’s broad range of products, it allows the brand to form relationships that are based on specific industries. Due to its international status, Epson is bound by European Union Anti-Competitive regulations, making sure that all its players are on an even field when it comes to competing for deals.

Epson Authorised Reseller Partner Programme members are rewarded in the form of quarterly rebates, and these rebates are earned based on actual performance against set targets. Quarterly activities and promotions are also available to Authorised Reseller Partners, and these activities and promotions often include additional rebates to be earned throughout the quarter.

“We work hard to keep the programme fresh and exciting, and often run monthly competitions that encourage members to learn more about Epson products,” says Obermeyer. “We’ve also honed our systems so that payments (where they are due) are effected quickly and efficiently, with money being transferred in less than four weeks after the period in which rewards were earned.”

Epson Authorised Resellers are able to register on the Epson Partner portal, where Epson marketing collateral is available, such as case studies, updates on activities and promotions during the quarter, and importantly, registered partners are able to track their quarterly sales and achievements on the portal.

The programme has grown exponentially in the last few years, but, according to Obermeyer, there is always room for more members! He ascribes this growth to the fact that the channel trusts Epson, and that the programme offers tangible rewards that are beneficial for the growth of Epson’s business – but also excellent for the growth of the resellers’ businesses.

“Epson is investing heavily in growing its market share in South Africa, with a particular emphasis on its range of ink tank system (ITS) printers during 2015,” he says. “We are always on the lookout for new partners and resellers, and are excited to grow the number of resellers and salespeople who benefit from the programme.”

The key ITS printers that are part of the programme are the multi-functional Epson L355 and L550 printers, for home and business use.  These printers offer affordable, low-cost printing and come with four 70ml individual ink bottles in cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The L355, for example, can print up to 12,000 mono pages or 6,500 colour pages with the ink provided at purchase. 

Infosource ranked Epson as one of the top three brands in the standalone inkjet printer category, and it tripled its market share in the Inkjet Single Function Market Segment on unit and value share, according to GFK. Epson projectors have held second place in terms of market share for the last three quarters, while its scanners dominated more than one third of the market, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). The brand still dominates the market in the dot matrix segment, according to IDC.

If you would like to join the Epson Authorised Partner Programme, or would like to learn more about it, send your details to werner.obermeyer@epson.eu