CRN.de has conducted a series of interviews with members of the monitor industry, from key companies in Germany. They include:
- Sebastian in het Panhuis of Asus (http://tinyurl.com/od8ckdw);
- Markus Korn of Samsung (http://tinyurl.com/noa7mv5);
- Michael Vorgberger of LG (http://tinyurl.com/nuf52rk);
- Dominic Mein of BenQ (http://tinyurl.com/ofzshh3);
- Lutz Hardge of AOC/MMD (http://tinyurl.com/nab495s); and
- Stephan Peters of NEC (http://tinyurl.com/p7f9yp8).
Many different points were made, but the interviewees all agreed that UltraHD will be the most important monitor feature in the immediate future. Panhuis also sees 2560 x 1440 replacing 1920 x 1080. As well as this, large sizes such as 27″, 32″ and 40″ are expected to be popular. Businesses are increasingly investing in large-format monitors for signage, information boards and projector replacements.
Adding value in features is becoming key; Panuis, Vorgberger, and Hardge all mentioned this. “Quality over quantity” to beat the declining monitor market was Panhuis’ adage.
Almost every interviewee was asked about vertical markets. These can be a “pillar” for resellers, said Hardge. Gaming, education, retail, quick service restaurants, transport, finance and DOOH were all named as important areas. Hardge and Peters differed in their viewpoints, however. Hardge said that verticals do not need bespoke solutions; he gave several examples of places where off-the-shelf products could be used. Peters, meanwhile, said that custom solutions should be a focus when selling to vertical markets.
