Tenda has committed to delivering easy-to-install and affordable networking solutions, offering innovative, cutting-edge products to ease people’s intelligent life.Innovation always remains the soul of Tenda technology and they aim to offer top quality products at a competitive price point. In recent times, company introduced various range of wireless routers as per your requirement for better connectivity and user experience. Tenda offers wide range of products like home networking, business networking, switch, broadband CPE, gateway, powerlines, mobile broadband, IP camera etc. Frank Rao, General Manager, India & SAARC, Tenda India outlines his overall marketing strategy and partners plan for year 2018 with DT.
DT: What have been the crucial milestones of your company during year 2017?
Mr. Frank: 2017 saw many reforms in IT Sector and overall Business flow in India, with the impact of Demonetisation and GST, clearly hovering the business environment there was a speed breaker in Tenda's and overall Networking markets growth in India. but apart from all this Tenda came up as a strong brand where we have built up the Professional team in 2017, we have also started concentrating on the Marketing aspect of the brand as we know it is a vital requirement in the current scenario. On global front, Tenda launched its first ever True Mesh Networking unit, which we are soon going to bring in India and stir the market with it.
DT: What were the major challenges for your company? How do you fought those challenges?
Mr. Frank: Indeed though Technology has remained exceptional and people are upgrading their smart devices, a foremost hurdle we observe is the acceptance of people on investing money on the router. As far as price is acknowledged, yes, the cost is an important part but Tenda’s strength of having its own manufacturing unit with ample resources, help us to attain and sustain the affordable price segment with best quality products in this fiercely competitive market.At present we are operating pretty good and planning to invest more on marketing front to educate our customers and to maintain and build up the brand notable and distinguished Identity in India.
DT: How GST changed your business affair in year 2017? What were your preparation to adopt this biggest tax reform?
Mr. Frank: Implementation of GST is making business environment in India very healthy and fair process compared to previous reforms. Competition is getting generalised which is eliminating unfair means. In long run, once market is well versed with concept GST will play and important role for Tenda to make it business boom in coming respective years. We understand that Governments initiative and thus started preparing for it as soon as we got the details, the biggest Tax reform in history of India was not something to be considered as childs play, we revised almost entire price system to suit the market scenario and tried our best to support our partners and maintained the market MOP so that customers and partners don’t feel big chaos due to GST.
DT: What's your channel strength currently in India? How do you plan to boost channel strength in year 2018?
Mr. Frank: Channel Partners and brand can sell more by joining hands to provide the consumer with the better technological products by understanding their requirement, This way partners can sell a better product to the consumer giving both parties benefits on advancing technology and in this it is evenly important to join hands with the Global Brand which gives them technically competent products to service that customer to have better Experience. This way everyone will be having a win-win situation. For maintaining channel strength, we at Tenda prefer to closely cooperate with those determined channel partners who are also ready to put their efforts in Tenda products in his respective region. We make sure that Tenda’s partners get easy sell whenever they are pitching out our product to the consumer, with our continuous Investment in branding which results in customer knowing Wi-Fi, uses of Wi-Fi and how our products can help them in their day to day life. This invariably leads to demand. Not to forget, we make sure that our partners are promoted prominently across channel magazines and our official Facebook page, which gives customer trust on our partner and bonds our relation with our partners. To provide lucrative benefits Schemes and offers are introduced from time to time according to market requirement and status.
To put it in simple words Tenda’s channel strengths are products design, R&D support from HQ, one of few networking manufacturer and reasonable price to products. With intensive support to our partners and building an everlasting bond, Tenda will surely boost the channel strength positively in 2018.
DT: What will be major products/solutions you will be launching in year 2018?
Mr. Frank: In 2018, you will witness Tenda focusing on Mesh Products, which we believe are future of networking being a perfect whole home WiFi set for large homes & offices. Also as you are dual-band is getting more generalised you will see more AC Standard products from Tenda.
Apart from Wireless Market, you will see Tenda strengthening our presence in surveillance market, with our POE & other switches. We will make sure through proper marketing and promotion we educate our users with a vast portfolio of products Tenda is offering from Wireless home units all way to a wide range of networking switches.
DT: Please share your current revenue and market growth rate. What is target for year 2018? How do you plan to achieve this set target?
Mr. Frank: Due to confidentiality and financial rules we can’t disclose this kind of information. But would like to mention in 2017, due to Demonetisation and GST, all India IT Market was down compared with 2016. Nevertheless, since Sep 2017, the market is gradually improving. We firmly believe that in F.Y. 2018, Tenda India business will see 25% growth and our target of 2018 will be to top the current year by a huge margin.To achieve this forecasted target, we are in process to expand our Tenda India local sales and marketing team, and open more service centers and will invest more marketing fund on Branding also.Meanwhile, all the coming new products will accurately target our customers to provide the right and considerable product as well as service.
