Antec targets Tier II, III cities to make strong foothold in India

With a mission to expand in the Indian market, Antec, a global company in high performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-it- yourself market, is leaving no stone unturned to mark its presence. In an exclusive chat with Kevan Li, Business Head, Antec, India, Bhawna Satsangi finds out the strategy of their business to penetrate in the Indian region.

Being an industry pioneer and market leader for quiet efficient and innovative products like P280 and SOLO II enclosures, Antec has been recognized as the power supply manufacturer with the lowest return rate. The company is ranked as number one in US for its products and services.

What is the focus of Antec in India?

Antec is one of the oldest brands in the world present from 1986 in California. We have equipped the higher end price point so in India we have come up with certain products which are the entry level products. We have the product range varies from Power Supply (in India we call it Switching Mode Power Supply, SMPS), CASES. In each of the range we have entry level products.

What is your strategy to market your products in India?

Presently we are meeting all the channel partners, doing rounds of meetings in different regions of India, aggressively working on advertisements. I believe education is one of the main important criteria because unless and until we understand what this product is for, why this product has a premium price then how do you compare and benefit, and how you can offer better solution to the client. Now-a-days, all channels have one stop shop, they sell everything under one roof in small margins but offer better solutions to the client. Apart from selling the product you should have solution as well.

Are you targeting only metro cities or tier 2 or tier 3 cities are also on the list?

We are targeting all the cities be it metro or tier 2 or 3 cities. We have divided it into four regions. We call them as A, B, C, D. Right now we have two to three resellers and around 2000 dealers country wise. We have plan to increase more from the remotest region of India.

What kind of training do you give to the channel partners?

We give them the product training. We let them know about the product of the company, what kind of price they can talk and then whenever they require any feedback they can call in time.

How is the response of the channel partners?

The response from the partners so far is very good. Even though market may not be good at present but we are seeing lot of growth and expecting good revenues in the near future.

What are the advantages that the channel partners will get while associating with Antec?

Now-a-days there are so many brands so the first thing we tell them that we are very clean on channel policy, we ensure that the channels get quiet a healthy margins from our products but it may vary from city to city, we are also running schemes for them like free gifts from the house of Antec, we are also working on foreign trips for our partners but that will take time.

What is your market share from India?

Currently for the high end products we are incurring 10-15% revenues. We are keen to increase the percentage by the next quarter. The future of Indian market for our products seems to be very positive. Ten years back there was no advance technology but with the advancement in technology and people becoming tech savvy, the requirement is getting higher and higher.

Which product you are selling in good numbers in India?

For case we are doing well in X1. We have high end products we have GX 700 which are selling in good numbers in the market.

Are you also planning to add more products to the existing product line?

We are planning to add the products in near future but I think coming too many is not a solution. Antec products are high end and have got lot of products for the Indian market. We will be adding products in CASES and power supply along with accessories.

How do find accessories market for gaming, PC upgrade and Do-it-yourself?

Gaming in India is still not big but I feel big increase in the internet. People are using more internet today. Now the young generation especially they are passionate about technology so I see big growth here in the future.