As India’s PC market transitions into a phase of sustained growth and structural maturity, brands are recalibrating their strategies to align with evolving demand across consumer, enterprise, and emerging technology segments. In this exclusive interaction, Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal, speaks with Sanjeev Mehtani, Chief Sales Officer, Acer India, to explore how the company is building on its recent market share gains and preparing for the next phase of growth. From retail expansion and localisation initiatives to AI-driven innovation and channel partnerships, the conversation offers deep insights into Acer’s strategic priorities and its long-term vision for the Indian market.
Rajeev: With India’s PC market achieving record shipments and Acer closing 2025 with strong share gains, how do you see this momentum evolving in 2026?
Sanjeev: India’s PC market has entered a much more stable and opportunity-rich phase, and the momentum we saw in 2025 gives us a strong foundation for 2026. While overall volumes will continue to be driven by commercial refresh cycles and education demand, we see the next phase of growth coming from performance-led categories such as gaming, creator devices, and AI-ready PCs.
For Acer, the share gains in 2025 reflect the strength of our diversified portfolio and our ability to respond quickly to changing consumer and enterprise needs. In 2026, our focus will be on deepening this momentum through AI-enabled product innovation, sharper price-value propositions across segments, and wider reach through both online and offline channels.
India remains a strategic growth market for Acer globally, and we are committed to sustained investments in local partnerships, ‘Make in India’ initiatives, and category-led expansion. We believe 2026 will be less about short-term spikes and more about building long-term, sustainable leadership in the market.
Rajeev: Acer has been aggressively expanding its retail footprint. How has this retail expansion contributed to your overall sales strategy and market penetration?
Sanjeev: Retail expansion has been a key pillar of our growth strategy in India, allowing us to stay closer to consumers and influence purchase decisions more effectively. Offline retail remains critical for categories such as laptops and gaming devices, where hands-on experience, in-store expertise, and post-sales confidence play a major role. By strengthening our presence across tier 2 and tier 3 cities, we have been able to unlock new demand pockets while significantly improving brand visibility and trust.
This expanded retail network is tightly integrated with our online and channel ecosystem, enabling a seamless omnichannel approach. As we scale further, our focus remains on building high-quality retail experiences through exclusive brand stores, stronger partner collaborations, and differentiated in-store engagement to drive sustained growth and deeper market penetration in India.
Rajeev: With the new laptop manufacturing facility inaugurated in Puducherry, how is Acer accelerating localisation and its Make in India ambition?
Sanjeev: The Puducherry manufacturing facility is a key milestone in Acer’s Make in India journey. It enables us to localize production, respond faster to market demand, and deliver solutions that are better aligned with Indian consumer and institutional requirements. Local manufacturing also gives us greater flexibility to customize configurations, especially for education and government-led deployments.
Beyond supply-chain resilience, this facility reinforces our long-term commitment to India as a strategic market. It supports value creation within the country, reduces import dependence, and positions Acer to scale manufacturing as demand for AI-ready and next-generation devices continues to rise.
Rajeev: How is Acer balancing growth between consumer and commercial segments to achieve a sustained market share increase in FY26?
Sanjeev: Our strategy is built around maintaining a healthy balance between consumer and commercial growth. On the consumer side, we are driving demand through a strong retail presence, a wide portfolio spanning mainstream to premium devices, and an increasing focus on AI PCs and gaming. On the commercial side, we continue to see strong opportunities across enterprises, education, SMBs, and government projects.
By leveraging our end-to-end portfolio and localized manufacturing, we can address both segments with tailored solutions while optimizing scale and efficiency. This balanced approach allows us to mitigate volatility in any single segment and achieve consistent, sustainable market share growth in FY26.
Rajeev: As technology adoption increases across segments, how is Acer ensuring world-class after-sales support and service excellence to complement its product offerings?
Sanjeev: After-sales support is a core part of Acer’s value proposition. As technology becomes more integral to everyday work and learning, customers expect reliability, speed, and consistency in service. We have invested significantly in strengthening our service infrastructure, expanding our service-center network, and enhancing turnaround times across geographies.
We also work closely with channel partners and service teams through regular training and process upgrades to ensure they are equipped to support newer technologies, including AI-enabled devices. Our focus is on delivering a seamless ownership experience that matches the quality and innovation of our products.
Rajeev: What message would you like to share with your customers and channel partners about Acer’s vision and commitment for 2026?
Sanjeev: Our message for 2026 is one of partnership, innovation, and long-term commitment. For our customers, Acer remains focused on delivering reliable, future-ready technology that supports productivity, learning, and digital growth in an increasingly AI-driven world. For our channel partners, we see them as critical collaborators in our journey, and we will continue to invest in their growth through enablement, incentives, and shared go-to-market opportunities.
As we move forward, our vision is to strengthen Acer’s role in India’s digital and AI transformation through localized manufacturing, a comprehensive portfolio, and a strong partner ecosystem, while building sustainable value for all stakeholders.
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