Q3 Review of Business Displays

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Futuresource Consulting have released a report into business growth in digital signage in the third quarter of 2009.
 
The report found that projectors, large format panels and interactive whiteboards all saw strong sales growth on a global level. Vendors and channel partners also reported an increase in activity and heightened end user demand from a number of sectors.
 
Below is a summary of the findings:
 
Projectors

• Global volumes reached nearly 1.6 million units, representing a 24% growth on Q2 (please note: this does include some consumer sales)
• Sales to the education market were especially strong
• Strong sales levels were achieved despite suppliers being affected by some significant stock shortages in the industry.
• The US and China led the way with 435,000 and 270,000 projectors sold respectively, accounting for 45% of all projectors sold worldwide
• There was also rapid growth in the emerging markets of Latin America, Indonesia, Russia and other Eastern European countries.
• As total cost of ownership becomes an increasingly important factor for many end users, the proportion of projectors with networking functionality is increasing rapidly - 26% of all projectors sold in Q3 had LAN functionality.
• The short throw & ultra short throw category continues to gain traction, especially in the education segment. The combined short throw category now represents 9% of total global market volume.

Flat Panels

• As with the projector market, volumes increased greatly for the commercial large format flat panel market in Q3
• Q3 saw commercial grade monitors reach just under 200,000, which represented a 29% increase on Q2 and significant year on year growth of 13%
• In terms of specification, entry level 720p products have continued to dominate.
• The 46” segment has also witnessed strong sales, with the screen size increasingly hitting competitive price points.

Interactive Whiteboards

• Q3 was the largest quarter ever for Interactive whiteboard sales, with 24% year on year growth.
• All regions experienced strong growth, not from any big tenders but via sales spread across a wide range of countries, from France and Germany to China and Japan. This spread is a strong indication for future sales growth, as the industry is becoming less reliant on specific tenders, but on many countries showing eagerness to invest in technology.
• Futuresource forecasts for the USA, which still accounts for half of world sales, to show expected growth through into 2010, whereas previous forecasts showed 2009 as the peak year.  This is due to the accelerated speed of adoption and the expected impact of stimulus packages.