Best bets on cordless peripherals to increase marketshare

Stanley Glancy / Mumbai

Sandeep Parasrampuria

With the Indian customer increasingly becoming quality conscious, the desktop peripheral market has seen a growing demand for high technology cordless products. Sensing this trend, Mumbai-based Best IT World India (Best), the proprietors of the ‘i’ brand series of computer components and peripherals— including imotherboard, iball, ikey, and iSound—has launched a series of cordless devices in the Indian market.

Said Sandeep Parasr-ampuria, director of Best IT World India, “More and more people are now demanding cordless products as they provide more flexibility and greater easeof-use. Also, cable clutter, which is a pain area for most customers, has been done away with the introduction of cordless products.” With the price of cordless devices on the wane, Parasrampuria expects demand for such products to rise in the coming months. “Though low-value products account for a major part of the our business, our customers, especially in the metros, are looking at quality, technology and aesthetic value.”

As with earlier products, Best will continue its strategy of providing customers with high-value products at a low price. Said Parasrampuria, “There are myriad products available in the market today. Our strategy is to become the preferred desktop peripheral brand by providing value to customers. The iBall, for instance, has a ball on top instead of a scroll button, which can even be converted into a trackball if needed.”

Best also holds the distinction of being the first company to introduce office technology in keyboards. This technology, according to him, not only improves office efficiency but also cuts the time taken to do mundane everyday tasks. Currently, Best has five different products on offer that incorporate office technology.

Other than cordless mice and keyboards, the company plans to launch a series of new products, including cameras, UPS devices and USB hubs, every 2-3 months. Best is also looking at OEMs for bundling these devices. The shift from being a distributor to becoming a vendor will help the company cross the Rs 100 crore mark by the mid-2005, said Parasrampuria, The company has also shifted focus from the home consumer to corporates, as bigger orders generate higher revenues. In fact, Best already boasts of ICICI Bank on its client roster. The company is also in talks with call centres in the country to promote its range of speakers and headphones. In keeping with the focus on corporates, Best recently completed the process of setting up around 12 offices across the country. Parasrampuria feels that in order to capture marketshare it is important to metamorphose from being a regional player to a national one.