RESEARCH the state of the industry report
A market in TRANSITION
After the utter turmoil of 2020 and constantly changing goal posts in 2021, what’s the state of our industry this year? OPI and Martin Wilde Associates provide some answers
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ollowing on from a hugely disruptive initial COVID period that was marked by lockdowns in many parts of the world, 2021 was very much a year of transition for the business products market. Office workers were trying to get back to the office, continuing to work from home (WFH) or embracing a bit of both – hybrid working. In terms of products, there was a deceleration in some of the pandemic growth around PPE and WFH items that had been seen in the previous 12 months. This was accompanied by something of a resumption of office-related product consumption, but still against a backdrop of workplace digitisation and secular declines in several ‘traditional’ categories, plus the ongoing shift towards e-commerce. This dizzying concoction of product trends has been further complicated by significant price increases and – in many cases – severe supply chain shortages, as well as changes in some key distributor ownerships. As such, now more than ever, business products leaders need to have a clear and informed perspective on what is happening – and will continue to happen – in the market.
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WHAT’S NEXT? Where is our market going in terms of products and distribution? What are the underlying trends at work in the industry and which new factors are coming into play? Most of all, where is our sector going in the future as we emerge from COVID-19 and some type of ‘normal’ life slowly returns?
It is these kinds of questions that The View From The Top: The State Of The OP Industry 2021-22 seeks to answer, providing, as it does, unique insights into the state of the industry in North America, Europe and Australia. From offering data and observations of the industry today to forecasting which products and distribution channels will grow in 2022 and beyond, this ninth annual market research study by OPI and Martin Wilde Associates (MWA) serves as the authoritative sourcebook for the global OP industry. It is based on the results of 55 in-depth interviews with senior executives across various channels in Australia, Benelux, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the US (see Fig 1 and Fig 2).
Fig 1: Respondents by region Source: MWA (percentages rounded)
Australia: 7% Benelux: 9% US: 18% Canada: 9%
France: 16% UK: 29% Germany: 11%
