“We thrive at Quantum on the factors of reliability and continual growth”

Founded in 1992, Quantum Hi-Tech is one of the pioneering lifestyle and consumer technology brands in the country. From computer accessories to mobile and personal care accessories to audio devices, Quantum has over three decades offered the widest bouquet of products than any other homegrown brand in the segment. Envisioned with a mission to make electronic items utilitarian for people who value quality, Quantum Hi-Tech has its headquarters in the national capital, with pan-India service and support outlets. To discuss its product offerings, market positioning, R&D and expansion plans, Ramesh Kumar Raja talks to Arnav Mutneja, Director, Quantum Hi-Tech, which also plans to foray into the wearable segment. Excerpts:

How’s the brand Quantum positioned itself in a hyper-competitive market like India?

Quantum has been in the consumer technology space for nearly three decades now, introducing multiple products under various segments. Therefore, we have been a witness as well as a stakeholder in the evolution of the market, which has undoubtedly become super competitive. We have always focused on the mass market where affordability plays a critical role in the buyer behaviour. We have grown incomparably in terms of units sold, if not revenue. Notably, we have also reconsidered our strategies with evolving consumer behaviour and technology. For instance, we seamlessly transitioned into a hybrid sales model while successfully making the consumers aware and thereby, enhancing brand recall value.

Quantum, of late, seems to be very active with audio product line-up, besides being an established player in computer peripherals and other digital products such as mobile chargers, data cables, power banks, etc. Can you please tell us about this move?

It is true that we have been focusing on the diversification of our audio product portfolio. For example we recently launched a premium audio range labeled SonoTrix, which comprises two Bluetooth-enabled speakers and True Wireless earbuds. The audio has over the past few months witnessed a technology-driven steady growth. The significant advancements in the TWS space in particular, was one of the key factors behind our foray into hearable segment. We are set to soon unveil an entire range in each of the personal hearable and audio categories.

How do you ensure the quality of your products?

We thrive at Quantum on the factors of reliability and continual growth, which has over the past 30 years resulted in a sense of confidence among our products. While our products have been available in all price points, there has been no compromise on quality, which pretty much manifests our long standing presence in the ever-evolving market. Owing to the trustworthy pan-India customer base, Quantum integrated a hybrid sales model. Adequate focus has also been given on increasing awareness among consumers while reaffirming brand recall value.

How are your products, especially audio, gaining traction in the market? How has been the response so far, online as well as offline?

The response for our audio products has been very good, as we have already sold more than 50,000 products in the audio space in the first quarter of launch. We are currently scaling our supply to meet future demand.

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Which are the areas from where maximum demand is coming for the Quantum products in India?

Quantum has always had a pan-India presence. What began in 1992 as an offline business now has an omni-channel presence, including the online market space. From leading ecommerce giants to consumer technology stores across metros, tier 2 as well as tier 3 cities.

After sales service remains an issue for majority of electronics companies. What is your approach to it?

After sales service has been one of our USPs as a lifestyle brand in the consumer technology space. We have more than 600 service touchpoints across India, which includes both company operated and third party service points.

We have made it sacrosanct to provide seamless service for customers with minimum lead times. Customer satisfaction has always been our top priority.

There is a parallel grey market in India thriving on the counterfeit accessories and devices. How do you deal with them and what is your advice to the people to do away with those fake products?

The battle against the parallel grey market is long drawn and requires checks and balances at multiple levels. Many counterfeit products keep cropping up in the market carrying our brand name. We do our best to protect our brand by actively taking legal action against such importers and manufacturers.

What are your outreach and investment plans for India?

Quantum has very aggressive plans to invest in India for scaling up manufacturing capabilities. We further intend to strengthen the Indian supply chain ecosystem by reducing the dependency on foreign suppliers.

Please tell us something about R&D and innovation at Quantum? Any plan to expand your product portfolio?

Thorough R&D has always been an intrinsic part of Quantum since inception and we intend to bolster it further. Our focus is on driving our R&D to develop products on a need based proposition. Therefore, while we are looking at the expansion of our audio portfolio, we would soon introduce an entire range in each of the personal hearable and audio categories. We also have a plan to foray into the wearable, home entertainment and office stationary spaces.

The emergence of IoT has opened a new avenue of growth for many tech firms. Do you have any plan to leverage this trend?

IoT is definitely in the scheme of things, we plan to aggressively foray into this segment. We should see some IoT-enabled products roll out from the house of Quantum by the second quarter of 2022.

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