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Sharp outlines channel vision at Inspire
Vendor uses Lisbon event to outline where it views growth coming from and how it can support its partner base
Sharp Inspire Expo 2026, held recently in Lisbon, was packed with sneak peeks at the latest product updates, and unveiled the company’s strategic vision for the channel, including its unified services offering, Sharp DX, and promised further investment in its European Technology Support Centre in Warsaw.
The firm also described SharpOne, its unified digital platform to support dealers and internal teams across Europe. Designed to provide dealers with faster access to information and tools, the platform unifies sales, marketing and service resources together in a single place.
Speaking at the event, Alexander Hermann, president of information systems for Europe at Sharp, said: “We put stability at the heart of our global growth and market strategy, and our well-established dealer network. We combine support knowledge and long-term commitment with our dealer partners, so they, in turn, can connect with customers, people and technology to trust in Sharp solutions. Through the depth of this relationship, we ensure local expertise on a truly global scale.”
Hermann said that because the market is consolidating and merging, channel partners may be concerned that their role may become less important, and that the focus will shift to mega dealers and large accounts. However, he explained: “We are as much at home with small to medium-sized companies as we are with our very large partner organisations, and we remain fully committed to this approach. It builds resilience and belief and agility in our business.
“Together, we are now able to address a greater range of pain points for a wider range of customers, large or small,” said Hermann. “Pain points in complexity, in security, and, of course, also in cost. We can be that one-stop shop that makes running the business so much easier, wherever our partner may be in Europe.”
SharpOne, which pulls together legacy platforms PartnerNet and the original SharpOne, contains up-to-date product information, marketing news and events, and Hermann said the updated Sharp partnership will be more efficient, and make it easier for partners to do business with the company.
Sharp used the phrase “one-stop shop” frequently at the event, and Hermann said that the services will cover the entire customer journey, understanding customers needs, and designing the customer solution, and integrating it. “We can also take over the full responsibility for managing such an environment,” he said. “It prepares customers for the next stage of their digital maturity, and gets them ready to evolve from AI assistance to human-led AI powered operations. Our role is to make these frontier technologies accessible, secure and integrated.”
A new dawn
In Lisbon, Sharp said its IT services arm, Sharp Digital Experience (DX), heralded a new dawn for the company, unifying its services business across Europe. It is the sum of various acquisitions over the past five years, including Complete IT in the UK, ITpoint in Switzerland and Apsia in France.
“Sharp DX is not just a brand,” said Hermann. “It’s a backbone of Sharp’s future digital experience and AI-powered customer value. It’s the purpose for which our IT service business has been evolving. Sharp DX is the next step in this journey.”
Roland Singer, vice-president of Sharp DX Europe, added: “We are now so much more than an IT seller or system integrator. We are a fully managed service provider, a digital one-stop shop. We take care of our customers’ entire environment, meaning they only have to deal with one single point of contact, one trusted technology partner. Of course, no one can do everything alone. By combining our services, with our own products and the powerful ecosystem of others, we guarantee the availability of even the most complex environment. In fact, we enjoy high-level partnerships and accreditation with many of the world’s biggest providers, such as IBM and SAP.”
One of these relationships was announced at Inspire Expo. Sharp DX said that it has achieved all six Microsoft Solutions Partner designations of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, which includes Security, Modern Work, Business Applications; Digital & App Innovation (Azure); Data & AI (Azure) and Infrastructure (Azure). It said the accreditation would help implementations, reduce risk and ensure solutions in highly regulated sectors are carried out effectively.
There were many product innovations on show in Lisbon, for example, the expanded Synappx solutions ecosystem, which is now the latest version of its cloud-enabled print management product, and Sharp Europe also previewed its AI-powered Document Automation, Synappx Cloud Capture, which will launch in April.
It also unveiled its largest MFP range, with the MX-B428W, which will launch in May, and previewed its High Speed A3 Colour MFP and Entry Level A3 Mono MFP, coming in the summer.
Alongside product and services news, Sharp Europe was keen to offer the channel some insights into its future marketing direction, where decision-making is increasingly being influenced by AI.
Changing customer demands
Jason Cort, director of product planning and marketing at Sharp Information Systems Europe, said customer demands had changed.
“Our customers and decision-makers have transitioned,” he said. “Whilst Millennials now compose the majority, Gen Z are entering the decision-making arena. A consequence of this shift means a change in how our customers make decisions, and where they find knowledge and expertise. A year ago, this would have been up to searches, but supplier experts today believe the new kid on the block is GenAI.”
Sharp believes this means buyers are already far better informed when they begin to make buying decisions, and that this should be reflected in marketing campaigns.
“The traditional marketing funnel has been reimagined,” said Cort. “The order in which we consume media today is a continuous loop of inspiration, exploration, community and loyalty. Alongside our core media outlets, customers now draw influence from a wide range of social media, and emerging decision-makers and influencers, explore, learn, engage in platforms well beyond LinkedIn, where Sharp has historically built out its presence.
“Now they live in TikTok, Reddit and a host of new emerging platforms. Call it a cliché, but we need to fish in the right pond. So, throughout this year, you’ll see Sharp gradually experimenting with and exploring different channels to support this.”
