According to the Nikkei Market Share Survey 2011, 9.74 million digital cameras were shipped domestically in Japan in fiscal 2009 (April 2009 – March 2010). At 20.5%, Canon held the top market share—an accomplishment the company has achieved the previous seven consecutive years.
Canon also held a firm grip on the market for ink jet printers primarily used in the home. Of the 5.99 million ink jet printers shipped domestically in Japan in fiscal 2009, Canon accounted for a 44.9% share.
Canon's after-sales service is the secret behind the high market share of its products. For Canon Marketing Japan (hereafter "Canon MJ"), which is responsible for Canon product sales, it is no longer about just the sale of new products, as after-sales services for products that have already been sold to and used by consumers are an integral part of its business.
"I think consumers who use and trust Canon brand products naturally expect that our after-sales service will be just as good. One of our most important marketing activities is to promote our strong line-up of after-sales services that meet these consumer expectations," emphasizes Canon MJ CPS Planning Office Manager Koji Aoki who is in charge of after-sales services for Canon's consumer products.

Printers are the one Canon product that consumers typically want repaired the quickest. While a digital camera can be replaced temporarily as most mobile phones now have digital cameras, generally there is no such readily available replacement for an ink jet printer. For example, a problem that comes to light when printing holiday greeting cards will cause the consumer a great deal of inconvenience if the printer is not quickly serviced and returned. Moreover, since it is a large and bulky item, many consumers in Japan cannot simply bring a printer in to a repair center.
In November 2007, Canon MJ launched its Haya-Mente ("expedited repair") service, which aspires to repair Canon's consumer products as quickly as possible.
Printers for which a repair request is made by 10:00am are picked up after 2:00pm on the same day by a Yamato Transport sales driver (SD) from the customer's home. The printer is shipped the same night to Canon's repair center located just north of Tokyo in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, with the repair normally completed the next day. The printer is then shipped on the day the repair is completed and delivered to the consumer at the appointed time the day after that.
Using this service, a printer can be picked up, repaired and returned in as little as 3 days. For products shipping from outlying islands and more rural areas, the printer normally can be returned within 5 days.
All the customer has to do is make a telephone call or send an email requesting a repair and have the product ready at the front door at the self appointed pick-up time. No packaging materials or invoice is required as the Yamato Transport SD will bring the required packaging and prepare the invoice on site. Generally, the consumer is notified that the printer has been repaired by early evening the following day. Once a delivery time that fits the consumer's schedule is appointed, all that is left is to pay cash on delivery for the repair charges.
Actually, the Haya-Mente service features two options tailored to consumer demand, Haya-Mente Pick-up, where a Yamato Transport SD collects the product and Haya-Mente Drop Off, where the consumer brings the product into a Yamato Transport sales outlet. The latter option costs 300 yen less since it does not require pick up. This service was established for consumers who wish to send the product according to their own schedule.