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Logitech’s Successful Tryst with India : By -Moninder Jain Director – South Asia, Logitech

by VARINDIA 2010-04-02

Since the opening of its economy, India is fast emerging as a significant market in terms of investment on technology. This was cottoned on to by Logitech way back and made its foray into the Indian market. The move has stood the Swiss digital lifestyle peripherals major in good stead.

A lot of companies can provide devices for controlling computers, but it takes a company with global reach to help the technology used in the devices to penetrate the nook and corner of the world. No vendor can better exemplify that ability than Logitech, which is a leading maker of mice. The company also offers PC speakers, cameras and headsets both as a direct seller to manufacturers and as a business partner to distributors and resellers.

Over a period of time, $2.1-billion dollar company Logitech has evolved from a keyboard mouse company to a desktop connectivity solution provider that includes webcams, keyboards and mice, gaming devices, Bluetooth devices and dongles, headphones, etc.

“Logitech has slowly metamorphosized from an IT peripheral company to a digital device interface company. We are investing significantly to position the Logitech brand that goes with the consumer’s lifestyle needs. In the next few months, we plan to roll out a bouquet of non-IT peripherals in home and personal entertainment,” says Moninder Jain, Director – South Asia, Logitech.

As there are lots of players offering PC peripherals, with a high level of product evolution leading to the more competitiveness of the market, it becomes a difficult proposition for the customers to select the right one. However, Logitech is one such company that rises to the end-users’ expectations. How India fits in the Logitech’s scheme of things can be ascertained from what Moninder says. According to Moninder, India is a fast-growing market and one of the key markets marked for top investment by the PC peripheral-maker this year.

“In 2007, Logitech will invest in building up the customer database and putting in place analysis tools for the same. With many years of presence in India and with leading market shares, almost all the PC users are likely to have at least one Logitech peripheral,” says Moninder.

Logitech is making significant investments in people, infrastructure, training and education, and partner enablement, to take its business in India to the next level. The company continues to drive innovation in these all the digital lifestyle interfaces categories.

“Our recent launch includes innovative products like Logitech diNovo Edge. It is the first Bluetooth keyboard with a Mediapad, combining functionality of a number pad and wireless PC remote control. It redefined how a mouse and keyboard are used to access information to synchronize handheld devices with the PCs as well as enjoy PC-based forms of electronic media,“ says Moninder.

The current year has seen the launch of the company’s breakthrough web camera, Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision that delivers True-to-Life Video with Twice the Image Clarity.’“With the Ultra Vision, we have redefined performance at the high end by combining the most premium lens on any webcam with the new RightLight 2 Technology,” adds Moninder.

In the mice space, Logitech has made revolution in PC navigation with two advanced mice - Logitech MX Revolution and Logitech VX Revolution cordless laser mice for notebooks that transform the experience of finding and manipulating the vast amount of digital content on a person’s computer or on the Web. Today, we have products across the following categories: keyboards, mice, speakers, headsets, cordless presenters, MP3 peripherals like headphones and speakers, gaming devices for PCs & game consoles, etc.

Logitech has received honours like Golden Rhino Awards, 2007 CES Innovations awards where nine Logitech products were named 2007 CES Innovations award- winners for excellence in design and engineering and the prestigious 2007 iF (International Forum Design) awards for excellence in consumer product design of Logitech Wireless DJ(TM) Music System, Logitech Harmony 1000 advanced universal remote, Logitech Z-10 Interactive Speaker System and the Logitech AudioStation – high-performance speaker system for iPods.

The hot selling products of Logitech are many.

“Our web cams, especially the QuickCam Ultra Vision and QuickCam Sphere are doing very well in the market with the improving broadband and Internet penetration. Other hot selling products include speakers, iPod peripherals, Harmony Universal remotes and desktops. All our products in the gaming category are also experiencing good growth,” says”Moninder.

A Cut above the rest

What sets Logitech apart from its rivals is that its products offer value, high quality standards, very aesthetically designed range, ease of use and best service support for its consumers. “We also give our customers 2–3 years replacement warranty that lends reliability to the brand. We constantly introduce new features, designs and technologies which take the game to a higher level versus competition. It is difficult for competitors to catch up with us in tech innovation,” says Moninder. “By promoting our brand and emphasizing its key attributes, we hope to continue to be the brand of choice in our space of webcams, speakers, mice, headsets, keyboards and gaming devices and other digital interface devices we may introduce,” opines Moninder.

Channel Initiatives

Logitech has right partnerships in place in India. “We expect our partners to target an exponential growth and then work backwards to arrive at actions that will help them realize bigger targets that seemed impossible,” says Moninder.

In India, Logitech has sales representatives in top 14 cities of India, which also include the markets like Guwahati. The company has initiated focus-marketing activities in the eastern market starting with the first brand shop in e-Mall in Kolkata. The brand shop will be operational from July this year.

The company has roped in Ingram Micro, Rashi, Savex and Neoteric as its distributors in India. “All our distributors have unique strengths from a capability and resource perspective that gives Logitech an unmatched distribution advantage in India,” says Moninder.

Of late, Logitech has launched a programme named Golden Dozen offer, a Shop Audit programme. Covering 39 cities and 830 outlets across India, the programme is designed to help the retailers stock fast-moving products and do up their shops with branding materials provided by Logitech.

During this programme, those channel partners purchasing a Logitech Golden Dozen product bundle of 12 products, gets a 24-carat Gold coin on the spot free. The Logitech Golden Dozen product bundle includes 5 Internet Pro Desktop Black or Internet 350 Desktop, 1 Webcam (QuickCam Go or Family or Easy or Chat or Messenger), 1 G1 Gaming Desktop, 1 Speaker (1 R20 or S200 or M30 Speaker), 1 Notebook Mouse (any corded Mouse including Fun mice or any cordless), 1 PC Headset and 2 Cordless Desktops (EX 90 or EX 110 or EX111).

A third-party agency is appointed to visit these retail partners and audit the shops for the sales and merchandise done across the country and award 0.5-gram gold coins to shop-owners that have prominent Logitech branding at eye-level in their outlets. The dealer who wins has the best-decorated outlet in each city will stand to win a 1-gram gold coin.

In addition, the company runs similar channel sc hemes for every region, depending upon the product focus and the need and requirement of the market.

In short, partner programmes are a critical component of the growth plans of Logitech. As far as motivation of the partners is concerned, the company makes honest best in the direction. Logitech Registered Dealers (LORDs) have been taken on trips to Switzerland (our country of origin) and to our factory visit in China. “We will continue to have monetary and non-monetary incentives to keep our channel partners motivated,” says Moninder.

Finally…

The goal for Logitech is clear in the future. According to Moninder, “The year 2007 will be dedicated to a strategy where PC users have more than just one Logitech peripheral. This year, we will also encourage our channel partners to follow a ‘Closer to Customer’ outlook that will help them achieve sales that so far looked out of reach.”

Logitech has for several years now proven themselves to be a substantial player in the Peripheral space, having created a niche market at the mice market. Apart from providing technologically superior and robust products, the company provides perfect after-sales service.