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| Edited By: Ashish K Tiwari |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 21, 2018, 06:08 AM IST
This is the next step in our growth, taking forward from what we did earlier. Last year we'd launched two (55' and 48') screen sizes in the 4K curve television space. We have completed the bouquet now by adding 65' and 58' screen size in this space. The new TVs come with all the latest features like 3D, smart technology, etc, and will give us a big leap in the television technology part. This apart, there are a host of other stock keeping units (SKUs) that will be made available starting first week of May 2016. In all, we have added 14 new products to our entire range of televisions in the market.
Similar discussions were being made about high definition (HD) a few years ago and the market now offers Full-HD content. I think we are just a couple of years away from 4K content becoming reality and my view is that the sports channels will take lead in this direction.
While I wouldn't want to make tall claims, all I can say that the brand has been well received. The response to 4K has also been very encouraging. In fact, out of the total sales we generate, approximately 10-12% is coming from 4K televisions and that's a sizeable number. Interestingly, the new offerings have been planned based on the market feedback and we are expecting this percentage (of contribution from 4K televisions) to increase to at least 18% in this year. An exciting trend being witnessed in the market is that consumers are moving on from the smaller screen televisions to bigger ones and that's the main reason for us to broaden the TV portfolio with additional screen sizes. In fact, 32' is now the starting point for people looking to buy televisions in India. It is 50' in the US at present and I think in a few years from now, Indian market will see more sales from big screen televisions.
Last year our market share in the Indian flat panel display (FPD) market was 7%. We are aiming to take it to 10% by the end of this calendar year. In terms of sales, in the year 2015 we sold 6.5 lakh units of FPD and the target this year is to sell 10 lakh units. In fact, from the period between January to March of 2016, we have already registered a 140% growth over the same period last year as compared to industry growth of around 25%.
Yes, we have been successful on that front. In fact, we have taken away market share from brands like Haier, Panasonic and some smaller brands like Micromax.
On the pricing front we don't compete with Sony and Samsung because they tend to be priced higher by 20%-odd. Toshiba has now exited the space so we would now primarily be competing with LG and Panasonic.
With the technological advancements and product offerings ranging from 20' to 65' televisions, we are now in a very unique position to target consumers at all price points between Rs 20,000 and Rs 2,70,000. Our view is that a brand comes into the consideration list of the buyers when they see it not only in the stores, but also in the households. While we were earlier not in the top three when it comes to consideration list, we will now be fighting for the top 3 or 4 positions in terms of brands to be considered when buying a television.
Last year we had appointed quite a few dealers. For instance, in Mumbai we had the likes of Reliance, ezone, Snehanjali, Kohinoor etc, selling Sansui products extensively across their network of outlets. While we will continue efforts in expanding the dealership network, efforts will be made towards increasing extraction. With new SKUs getting in this year, we are looking at multi-fold increase in business from our dealership network across the country. I say this because we now have all the SKUs that are being demanded by the consumers in the market, and hence will be able to sell better.
It has been a very conscious decision to work with a handful of dealers only. We don't go to each and every dealer because the stores are generally located in close proximity and sometimes they are neighbours. This approach helps us and our dealers increase retention of customers.
