Kingston is a channel friendly company and we believe in growing with the channel partners – Mr. Vishal Parekh

In an exclusive interview with ITVoice, Mr. Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director, Kingston Technology – India, reveals his strategies for business in India..

Vikas Gupta:- How is Kingston looking at its Indian operations? What are the top most priorities here?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- For Kingston, 2016 has been a year of accelerated growth story. We have been ranked as one of the fastest growing brands globally and we are overwhelmed with the response in India this year. Adding to which, we have streamlined our product portfolio with the launch of several first timer and innovative products in India. We were able to enrich the experience of our customers across price points and will continue working towards making the best quality products mainstream.

Vikas Gupta:- What are some of the points where Kingston products score over the competing forces in India as well as globally?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- There are several things that set Kingston apart from its competitors. Kingston’s products go through a stringent quality and performance test before they’re out in the market. Every single product at Kingston promises an unparalleled quality and performance. All our memory products come with lifetime warranty and exceptional after sales service across India. We have a wide range in our flash business too like SSDs, USBs and Wireless Drives to choose from. We not only offer a wide variety but also provide the best quality to meet diverse customer requirements. We have the know-how and we are very committed in the businesses.

Vikas Gupta:-  Has marketing become easier due to the advent of social networking sites and word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM)?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- We can’t deny it, Social Media is everywhere we go. We have already seen social media change the way smaller businesses function. Our official Facebook page has definitely helped us to create meaningful engagements across the country and sometimes even across borders. Social media sites are a very good option to listen to the communities and media almost instantaneously. This not only helps in marketing, but also in making specific changes in product and even pricing.

Vikas Gupta:- What is your Go to Market strategy? How channel helping you to grow in the market?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- Kingston is a channel friendly company and we believe in growing with the channel partners. We consider our channel partners as an important part of our growth, as they do contribute to our brand image. Kingston works with distributors to fulfill the demand from corporates, retailers, resellers, and end customers in India. We work closely with partners to develop profitable, sustainable businesses; in return rewards the channel partners with training, certification, specialization, business planning and marketing tools, as well as very competitive margins.

Vikas Gupta:- What would be the big role of channel partners in terms of pushing HyperX in India?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- HyperX is our high performance product division with products and solutions ranging from SSDs to Memory modules to Headsets to Mousepads to USBs. The Indian market is volatile and the sheer size make it a good business place for channel partners. We understand their involvement and have our initiatives and promotional drives placed in such a way that it becomes a win-win situation for all. So on a broader scale, the channel  can be a good investment for both, Kingston and HyperX in India.

Vikas Gupta:- Please share with us the essence of HyperX by Kingston?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- Since the launch of HyperX in 2002, our goal is to provide high-performance products tailored for the gaming market, so you can say we’ve been in the gaming market for over 10 years. At HyperX we believe “gamer” experience matters and we strive to improve and broaden our product offerings to accommodate gaming trends. Our Cloud headset is a great example of that as our product development team studied and searched high and low to find what they believed to be the most comfortable (and it is proven to be) headset with great sound quality for gaming. That’s not all, we are passionate about the gaming community too. Over the past years, we have sponsored over 20 teams globally and participate in global events big and small. Just like our involvement with this year’s PAX Aus ESL Arena.

Vikas Gupta:- What kind of growth are you expecting from India and how will this growth be achieved?

Mr. Vishal Parekh:- As mentioned earlier, India is a dynamic country and the customer demands are varied. Though we are the leaders, we invest resources to engage with the consumers and continuously work towards providing better satisfaction. This is clearly in line with the future opportunities there are in India. With more people inclined towards technology, we see a positive market in the time to come.