How Integrators Can Win Back The Projector Lamp Business

While projectors are no longer the display technology they once were, there are various opportunities for integrators to make money through this technology by offering replacement lamps to end users still utilizing lamp-based projectors.

CI Staff

You’ve heard it before: the projector business is on a decline. Ask any dealer, integrator or reseller, and they’ll tell you that projectors are being increasingly replaced with LCD displays and video walls in classrooms, corporate offices and government facilities.

With this in mind, why would an integrator stock their inventory with projector components such as projector lamps, if they sell the product less and less frequently? Isn’t that a backwards-looking strategy, opposed to a forward-looking strategy?

Far from it! It is this inaccurate perception that’s causing individual integrators to miss out on thousands of dollars each year in additional revenue. The reality is that while the projector business is declining, the pace is not rapid enough for integrators to completely abandon the category.

Projectors have been sold and installed for decades, and the highest volume of those sales have occurred in the past ten years. Therefore, there are millions of end-users using projectors every day, many of which are completely new to the technology, and will be using their projectors for many years to come.

Over this duration of time, the lamps within the projectors burn out and require replacing. What does the customer do when they need a replacement projector lamp? Currently, they turn to one of many web companies that simply sell projector lamps as a spare part along with batteries and chargers.

This process virtually eliminates the integrator, deeming their role irrelevant after the original sale is made and robbing them of any additional, after-the-fact profit on the product that they sold. Because of this, hundreds and thousands of dollars are going to third party websites for replacement projector lamps that can and should be supplied by the integrator.

Also See: Lights Out: How Integrators are Missing Opportunities in the Lighting Sector

By overlooking what seems to be a “backwards-looking” opportunity, integrators are missing out on enormous profits that the projector lamp business offers after a sale has already been made. It’s foolish to ignore such a significant customer demand that is going to remain relevant for years to come. The solution is plain and simple: projector lamps burn out, and customers need replacements. Integrators should capitalize on this opportunity by becoming the supplier.

This current projector lamp replacement process- which virtually eliminates the integrator’s role- can and will be changed. Integrators can change the process by adding inexpensive projector lamps to their inventory, enabling them to sufficiently profit off of long-term sales to customers.

They can reach out to former customers and let them know that they now supply replacement projector lamps at a cheaper price than third party websites. They can change the process in the future by implementing replacement projector lamp plans at the time of a sale.

It’s time to begin generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue. Whether integrators sell replacement projector lamps in a plan before a future sale, or reach out to former customers who are still working with their projector systems, it’s a forward-looking strategy that they won’t regret.

While the future may be bright with LCD Displays and video walls, projector use is happening now and the customers who made recent technological investments need their integrator’s support. It’s a win-win situation, and it’s easier than ever for integrators to jump right in.

David Weatherhead has been in the integration industry for over 20 years. Before he became president of integration firm Advanced, he served as business manager for AV distributor Maverick Presentation Products in the UK. There, he launched the specialist AV distributor Hotlamps into Europe, positioning the company as the leader in the channel and growing the business to over $20M in sales. David now also serves as president for both APG Displays, a specialist videowall and ultra-large format display distributor and rental company serving the USA and Canada, and Projector Lamp Experts, a new leading distributor of OEM and Platinum projector lamps that supplies dealers, resellers, distributors, and service centers across North America and Europe.

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