Interaction - C Sukumaran, Senior Director - CSP and ICB, Canon India

C Sukumaran, Senior Director- Consumer Systems Products and Imaging Communication Business, Canon India talks to us about the Channel business of Canon India.

What is the channel vision of Canon India and how is it evolving its channel strategy in India?

C Sukumaran - India is a dynamic market with vast opportunities across regions. At Canon, we believe that in order to consistently reach out to our customers across the length and breadth of the country, it is imperative to leverage every possible medium to market ourselves.

Channel partners have always played a significant role in Canon’s success story. As one of our key stakeholders, they have enabled us to strengthen our foothold in the industry and reach out to a diverse range of customers. The Canon partner ecosystem is infused with strong fundamentals and over a period of time, we have nurtured our partner program management. We have a strong distribution network of 120+ distributors and 3500+ channel partners across the length and breadth of the country and we aim to continue and expand our presence.

True to our companies’ beliefs of always delighting our customers, we will focus on expanding our partner ecosystem further with a special emphasis on micro-distribution and regional outreach. Our primary objective is to increase the availability of Canon products and genuine consumables across India in the foreseeable future with the help of our valued channel partners.

How can the hardware partners of Canon compete in increasingly online commerce of the IT products? What is Canon doing to help its partners in India?

C Sukumaran - While we are ensuring easy and quick access to Canon products and services for our consumers, we are also mindful of our channel partners’ profitability and long-term sustenance in the market. Therefore, we are actively exploring new business opportunities that will help our channel partners expand their product portfolio.

Especially for our high-end products, both for printers and cameras, consumers prefer to experience the products before purchase as it involves a significant investment. This is where offline/in-store buying plays a vital role and our channel partners help in strengthening brand connect by reaching out to customers and providing an in-store experience through Image Square, PIXMA Zones, and OIC shops. We have maintained a strong regional presence through 295+ PIXMA Zones and 1500+ OIC Signature Stores. Last year, we also marked a new milestone in our retail connect by introducing Image Square 4.0, giving customers a new experiential retail experience.

To create value for our customers, we have continuously been reviewing the distribution and retail structure. We have actively helped our partners with personalised retail coverage and customized campaign support in order to help them expand their business.

As businesses adapt to the new market landscape and customer requirements, channel partners and retailers must be prepared to address the conditions of the “new normal”. Retailers will have to adopt an ‘omnichannel approach’, combining both online and offline platforms while maintaining sustained customer connections to thrive in an extensively competitive landscape.

What steps have been taken by Canon to help its partners in India to go online? 

C Sukumaran - Canon has invested significantly in developing a sound partner ecosystem that is spread across geographies. Training sessions are organized for partners from time to time to help them better understand changing industry trends as well as adapt to new realities.

We took this a step ahead during the pandemic as times were extremely uncertain for everyone and these sessions helped reassure our channel partners and assisted them in creating the new way forward. Hence, engagements with our channel partners, both online and offline, help us understand their challenges and accordingly help devise solutions to address each of their challenges. The key focus area is helping our channel partners build both scale and competencies in new technologies.

We are helping partners setup Google Business Profiles account starting with Canon PIXMA Zones. This will help our partners have a digital identity and help consumers discover their products and services.

How has the partner community of Canon fared in its business in India in 2021-22? In what direction is the partner community's business going in India in the next 2 years?

C Sukumaran - Canon’s partner programme management philosophy has been well acknowledged by the partner fraternity. We maintain simplicity and transparency to avoid complexity in the program management. Hence, we are proud to share that our partner program fulfilment is one of the best in the industry.

We are constantly working towards building a strong base in Tier III and IV markets by expanding and strengthening our channel partner ecosystem to ensure hassle-free availability of our products and services for our customers.  Also keeping up with the trend of the rise in photo printing culture, through our channel partners, we strive to provide an extensive input to output solution to our customers. We foresee that the distribution channel will continue to grow with the current momentum.

In the next two years, regional penetration is one of our core focus areas as we want to make our products and services available to the farthest geographies in the country. Moving forward, we will ensure our presence on platforms where our customers are present, aligning with our corporate motto of always 'delighting our customers’.

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