Acer has further strengthened its position in the Indian market in 2019 owing to excellent market understanding and robust product strategies. To further reinforce the brand’s performance in 2020, Acer has geared-up for a very aggressive channel and product strategy. Chandrahas Panigrahi, CMO and Consumer Business Head, Acer India reveals his business plans with DT.
Q: How do you see the brand’s overall business growth in CY 2019?
A: FY 2019 is very significant for us. Acer India crossed an important milestone in FY 2019 by becoming the number 1 brand for 2 years running (as per IDC). We set up a paradigm into the Gaming industry with the launch of multiple gaming devices with unique and ultra-advanced features that are at the forefront of technology. Our consumer business has been growing at 10% year-on-year while gaming alone contributed to 15% of its revenues last year. India has set its footprints with an improved bandwidth as a large community of hardcore gamers. The country is emerging as a sizeable gaming device market, offering a huge opportunity for us. We have ended the year with a 26% market share in the PC Gaming Segment in India.
Q: What will be your overall business growth or target revenue for CY 2020?
A: At Acer we always believe in innovating and we believe that FY 2020 is going to be a big year for Acer India. Having established a market for gaming, we are venturing out and have identified the next big market for creators through our ConceptD series which is made for Designers, engineers, developers, and artists; who are often trapped within imposed limits by the lack of tools needed to break through. All of this along with our continued dominance in the Gaming and Thin & Light series will certainly help us achieve our business objectives.
Q: What will be your key focused products line-up /verticals in the year 2020?
A: 2020 will be another exhilarating year for us. Our main focus is to further strengthen our gaming vertical since the current Indian gaming industry is growing rapidly and has become an essential growth driver for us. Having said that, the gaming industry is slated to grow at a steady 10% over the next couple of years valued at over $180 billion. We will be continuing to launch products which are unique to the market. Acer has always been a technology player that has introduced world to newer technology and continuing the same.
Q: What will be your channel strategy to drive substantial growth?
A: Our channel strategy is always aimed at providing a clear vision to our partners by streamlining processes, providing the right sales and marketing materials, progress reports and many others. In addition to these, we also look at specific regions, the potential to grow and acceptability of our products into those existing ecosystems. Our partners have trusted Acer as a brand who offers a powerful and stylish range of gaming laptops and desktop. With their support, we have become the No.1 PC gaming brand in India for 2 years running establishing our gaming leadership. In 2020, we are looking at adding more partners across India who can help and support us in our journey to become the top technology brand.
Q: How do you provide better service support to your loyal customers?
A: Acer’s commitment to support is completely based on customer satisfaction. We have strived to assure quick and efficient service of all our products across the country. Reporting and feedback is also a vital part of our communications. Today we have over 200 service support centers infrastructure network set across India.
