PRINTITRESELLER.UK 37 PRODUCTS Sharp experimenting with different channels,” Cort said. “Our brand repositioning includes an adjusted look and feel designed to convey a modern digital technology business.” One Sharp Sharp’s broader transformation is driven by the consolidation of its three major business units – print, display and IT services. With the full acquisition of NEC Display Solutions now complete, it is focused on unlocking cross-selling opportunities and delivering a unified technology partner proposition. “We’ve now got three substantial businesses, all owned by Sharp,” Cort said. “The value is achievable in two ways – as individual businesses, and through the One Sharp proposition – cross-selling across our customer base. It’s easier to sell more to an existing customer than win a new one.” Sharp expects its customer profile to shift further into the larger SME and enterprise space. “You need businesses that can afford to buy these services,” Cort explained. “That’s one of the challenges in IT services, the cost of professional services, so you need companies that can afford that.” “This is now the face of Sharp in a new era. It truly marks the next step in our journey to becoming a truly digital experience business,” he concluded. www.sharp.co.uk While Sharp is adopting a future cloud-first approach, it recognises that some customers still require on-premise solutions. Job Accounting II remains in the portfolio and is being refreshed to match the look and feel of the cloud services. “Customers who want to stay on‑premise can have that new, modern experience, and if they want to migrate to the cloud in the future, it’s an easier transition,” Cort said. A new generation of decision-makers Sharp is also rethinking its marketing strategy to reflect changing buyer behaviour. Millennials now make up the majority of decision-makers, with Gen Z entering the frame. Cort said this shift has transformed how customers seek information. “A year ago, this would have been Google searches and then speaking with supplier experts,” he said. “Today, the new kid on the block is GenAI, which carves away a level of expertise the customer would have spoken with the supplier about. Even newer, the Gemini release takes GenAI beyond expert advisor to buyer.” This has reshaped the traditional marketing funnel into a continuous loop of inspiration, exploration, community and loyalty. Customers now draw influence from platforms far beyond LinkedIn, including TikTok, Reddit and emerging social channels. “Throughout this year, you’ll see and administration and integration with Sharp’s broader Synappx and IT service offerings. “With Synappx Manage, we’re taking the long-established onpremise Sharp Remote Device Manager (SRDM) and moving it into the cloud,” Cort explained. “A key benefit is the management of devices from a single instance, helping with service optimisation while continuing to improve the user experience.” The roadmap for Synappx Manage includes AI-driven enhancements and future integration of Sharp’s display products. It does supports third-party print devices to the extent that data is available. “You can update firmware on Sharp devices, you wouldn’t be able to do that on another vendor, but you can still build third-party devices into reporting and usage,” Cort said. Sharp Services Platform All three Synappx cloud services are built on the Sharp Services Platform (SSP), the company’s proprietary platform for the deployment of all Sharp cloud services globally. “An ecosystem approach enables us to bring solutions to market quicker, share the advantages of new technologies like AI between services, and deliver consistent enterprise experiences,” Cort said. “SSP is the backbone of the cloud infrastructure, and then we build our cloud applications on top of that.”
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