RAPOO is a name to be reckoned with when it comes to computer peripherals in India. The brand, having a presence in more than 80 nations across the globe, has successfully benchmarked several products in the market which includes the 8000 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, VH150 Gaming Headset, A100 Bluetooth Mini Speaker, etc. Being dedicated to “wirelessing everything” since its foundation in 2002, RAPOO recently launched its own gaming vertical in the market which is gaining a lot of popularity. Ramesh Kumar Raja speaks to Mukesh Kumar Chaudhary, Country Head, India & SAARC, RAPOO, to discuss the company’s plans to make it big in India. Excerpts:
How’s the brand RAPOO positioned itself in a hyper-competitive market like India which already has a number of domestic and international players?
RAPOO is a global leader in providing cutting-edge wireless peripheral products. The brand is dedicated to providing its customers with high performance and high-quality peripheral products. With the cutting-edge industrial design and international-standard quality, RAPOO’s mission in India is to present innovative and state of the art technologies to enterprises and retail segments at the right value. We also aim to surpass the industry standards with every new innovation while maintaining the signature reliability of all our products.
You are mostly into computer peripherals and gaming segments and conferencing solutions, but slow in mobile accessories, especially in the age of smartphones. Do we expect some change in your business model in times to come?
RAPOO as a brand has always delivered a stylish and innovative experience when it comes to wireless peripheral products. The brand has successfully benchmarked several products in the market which includes the 8000 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, VH150 Gaming Headset, A100 Bluetooth Mini Speaker, etc. Some of the new launches in the pipeline also includes; the launch of M100 Series. It is a silent mouse which simultaneously connects up to 3 devices, and switches among them with easily. Since there is an increasing demand for accessories from consumers in the market, we shall add more product line in the portfolio. Overall, gaming shall be one of the strongest areas of our operation.
Which among them is a dominant vertical for you? How are your products gaining traction in the market?
Recently, RAPOO launched its own gaming vertical in the market which is gaining a lot of popularity. Products include different mouses, gaming headsets, keyboards, etc. We are extremely happy with our performance in the Indian markets. We have been consistently registering growth year on year both in terms of revenue as well as market penetration. In sync with the same, our network expansion too has contributed to the growth, building a strong channel ecosystem, the perfect blend of both the online and offline markets. Our sales objective for the next fiscal year is well aligned with the growing Indian market and we aim to replicate the growth percentage in double figures.
| “We are extremely happy with our performance in the Indian markets. We have been consistently registering growth year on year both in terms of revenue as well as market penetration. In sync with the same, our network expansion too has contributed to the growth, building a strong channel ecosystem, the perfect blend of both the online and offline markets” |
Which are the areas from where maximum demand is coming for the RAPOO products in India?
Our products are known for their stylish and versatile nature. We try to cater to all age groups. We’ve had demands coming from different regions and across different age categories including students, professionals and corporates who like to have stylish yet simple products with them.
Online or offline – which platform yields maximum revenue for RAPOO?
We live in a digital age where we want everything at the press of a button. All our daily activities and necessities have shifted online, whether its groceries or even working out. Online shopping is no exception. Therefore, there is much more traffic and activity online as compared to actual shops. At RAPOO too, it is the online platform which yields maximum attention and revenue for the company.
The pandemic phase might have been a blessing in disguise for RAPOO from business point of view, as online education and remote working gave rise to sale of computer peripherals and gaming products in India.
Like almost all brands and sectors, RAPOO also faced multiple challenges during the COVID times. The whole world came to a halt. But we never lost hope and motivation. During that time, the government also came out with various policies and solutions. But we made sure to constantly cater to our customers’ needs and make our bond as strong as ever. With the emerging trend and the whole world shifting online gradually during the pandemic, we explored opportunities into new product line-up like Webcams, where the market remains untapped. There are few, rather only one serious player in the market. At present, RAPOO has introduced many smart Webcam models and we want to become one of the leading serious players in this segment in near future. The whole team of RAPOO came out of this COVID period with flying colours and great motivation. The company has been successfully gotten back on track to become the leading innovator in computer peripherals.
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What is your approach to the “after sales service” which remains an issue for majority of electronics companies?
Customer service, whether pre-sale or post-sale has always been one of the top priorities of RAPOO. We thrive on giving our customers the best user experience and solving all their worries as soon as possible.
There is a parallel grey market in India thriving on the counterfeit accessories and devices. How do you deal with them?
Grey markets have been a part of our economy since the beginning. Sometimes, such markets are even essential for some economies. There is nothing we can do to stop or regulate such markets, but what we can do is to focus on our products and work day and night in improving the brand.
What are your outreach and investment plans for India?
Our plans for India are to reach out to every customer, regardless of region and age by giving direct access to resolve their service issues. We also intend to invest in product categories for video conferencing and teaching solutions to make communication easier.
Please tell us something about R&D and innovation at RAPOO?
RAPOO has reclassified wireless innovation in the Indian market with a boundless presence in more than 80 nations across the globe and is committed to offering excellent, state of the art wireless peripheral products to clients all around the world. “Wireless Your Life” is the basic philosophy that RAPOO has consistently clung to. In India, we are in the state where ‘We are now being noticed and not just seen’. Our extending product portfolio has seen a positive response among buyers and acknowledgment from the Indian markets. We are very hopeful with regards to our endeavours and are working aggressively to become one of the leading brands in the market.
The emergence of IoT has opened a new avenue of growth for many tech companies. Do you have any plan to leverage this trend?
Internet of Things (IoT) plays the role of an expert’s technical tool by empowering physical resources into smart entities through existing network infrastructures. Its prime focus is to provide smart and seamless services at the user end without any interruption. While it’s a great new trend, we at RAPOO do not have any plans to leverage this trend in the near future.
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