WATCH: HP’s Anneliese Olson Shares Key Growth Areas For Partners In Print

HP printers and consumables are driving big growth opportunities for channel partners.

“We are growing revenue, operating profit, market share and units in our traditional business, as well as continuing to grow supplies as people are continuing to print,” said Anneliese Olson, the vice-president and general manager of HP’s Home Printing Solutions.

One area of interest to partners is HP’s Smart Device Services platform. The devices have the ability to do preventative maintenance through machine learning and artificial intelligence, making it easier for partners to reduce service costs and ultimately boost margins.

[Related: CRN Exclusive: HP Printing President Lores On Reinventing Print, Roam Business Printing, Smart Device Services, New Security Offerings, And Closing The Samsung Deal]

Partners can also find opportunities with HP Roam, an offering that lets businesses print anywhere. The impact will mean more print and more printers sold, according to HP.

“Those are the kinds of things we do in partnership to make sure our customers are productive and delivering their best output all the time,” said Olson.

It’s all part of a printing strategy that focuses on convenience, mobility and photos, something most clearly seen in HP Sprocket.

“Sprocket has been a great example of the reinvention and transformation of print in the home as we look as what’s happening with our home customers,” said Olson.

Sprocket is a pocket-sized photo printer that instantly prints 2x3” sticky-back photos from a smartphone. The aim is to inspire people who typically don’t do much printing, such as millennials.

“Being able to unlock the power of print is what we’ve been after and Sprocket has delivered on that,” added Olson.

Investments in Sprocket appear to be paying off. The product sold out during last holiday season and has been seeing strong sales since then. Future use cases could be outside the consumer space, such as in the education sector, where students could use the device for school projects.

[Related: 10 Hot Products To Check Out From HP]

“There’s no boundaries between work and home anymore so you’re home has to be smart enough to recognize when you’re there and when you’re not there. So, our print solutions will be able to be smart, intuitive and fit the lifestyles that our customers are delivering and moving towards.”

For more of Olson’s interview, watch the above video.