Alex Li, VP, HSB (Home and SMB), Lenovo India on channel plans, future trends and scope in the marke

• Email
• Print
• ( 0 )
• 

Alex Li, VP, HSB (Home and SMB), Lenovo India shares with IT VAR News the latest products offerings by the vendor, channel plans, future trends and scope in consumer and gaming Notebooks and Tablet PC segments...

Alex Li, VP, HSB (Home and SMB), Lenovo India shares with IT VAR News the latest products offerings by the vendor, channel plans, future trends and scope in consumer and gaming Notebooks and Tablet PC segments...

ITVN: What are your latest product offerings in the Consumer and SMB segments?

Alex Li: Consumer segment: In line with our new consumer proposition of \'What\'s your idea of FUN\'? We have recently launched an all new range of products packed with many features to complement FUN. These products include the new Z-series Notebooks - Lenovo IdeaPad Z460 and Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 that offer mainstream performance and multimedia features at a very affordable price; the new variants Lenovo Y series - Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 and Lenovo IdeaPad Y560 multimedia Notebooks; Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3s \'Moon\' and \'Wind\' Netbooks, which are extremely mobile and attractive

ly designed. In the All-in-Ones segment, our latest offerings include the Lenovo IdeaCentre A300, Lenovo IdeaCentre B500, Lenovo IdeaCentre B300 and Lenovo C200; these All-in-one PCs are sleek, space-efficient and energy saving machines.

SMB segment: Lenovo understands the pulse of a SMB customer and currentlyoffers a range of reliable desktops, Notebooks tailor made for the SMB community. These include the robust ThinkPad Edge (in 14\"&15\" display),the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e business ultra portable machines, the Lenovo IdeaPad B460 and Lenovo IdeaPad V460 and the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z, a desktop that\'s ideal for the small and medium businesses.

ITVN: Which all are of your products are experiencing good demand and why?
AL: From a product category perspective, especially in the consumer segment, Lenovo is a clear leader in the All-in-one space with a market share of 76%.The Lenovo IdeaCentre

A600, IdeaCentre B500 and the Lenovo C300 have received widespread acceptance from retail partners as well as consumers.
These products are slim, sleek, stylish and affordable and can compete with traditional desktops. We expect demand for Notebooks and Netbooks to significantly increase further in the coming months.

ITVN: Tablet PCs is the latest buzz these days. What market opportunities do you see in this product line? AL: Currently, tablet PCs are generating a lot of excitement among the consumer segment and worldwide market trends indicate an escalation in the demand for tablet PCs in the coming months. In today\'s dynamic business scenario, consumers will increasingly look for alternative and easy computing devices like touch-screen and ease of mobility. Industry experts have predicted that tablets are here to stay, with further demand in the pipeline.

However, while tablet PCs have the potential t

o create a computing revolution, there is no general consensus on how things will pan out in the immediate future.

ITVN: Are there any plans for launching Android based tablet PC by the company on the lines of Google Android OS?

AL: Currently, we are not looking to launch any Android based tablet PCs in India. We will be able to share specific information on this at an appropriate time in the future.

ITVN: Where will be your focus in the coming months? Is Lenovo ready to tap the market vested in Tablet PCs ?

AL: The Indian market has recently started opening up to Tablet PCs. With the ipad and ebook readers generating great amount of interest, Tablet PCs seem to be steadily becoming a hit among the style -conscious consumers, owing to their perfect blend of style and functionality.

Currently, we have a very attractive Tablet PC in our stable - the

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, the world\'s first Touch and Tablet Netbook. With trendsetting looks, touch-screen and superb features, this 10\" Netbook is powered by the Intel Atom N450 processor and promises a magnificent experience to consumers. To list a few of its specialties, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t comes with a beautiful, meteor design patterned top cover, integrated software applications for touch features and Dolby headphone
technology. We are witnessing a healthy demand for this product and expect it to increase further in the coming months.

We will continue to focus on understanding dynamic consumer preferences and offer new, innovative products to address their requirements at appropriate points in time.

ITVN: What scope do you foresee in Consumer and Gaming Notebook and Tablet PC segments?

AL: In this Information age, technology is evolving at a rapid pace and consumers\' needs are mi

rroring this trend. In the consumer segment, Laptops in general, with Netbooks in particular, have transformed into a lifestyle statement. Netbooks are growing in popularity amongst the youth, women and mature lifestyle buyers, who consider Netbooks as their travel companions, a fashion accessory and as a perfect second-buy option.

ITVN: How do you ensure the partners\' profitability? What kind of promotional offers do you provide to partners?

AL: Lenovo understands the vitality of channel partners in our ecosystem and enjoys a very healthy relationship with them. In fact, we treat them as our natural partners-in-profit and ensure a mutually beneficial association. We have instituted a clear channel strategy and are focused on building a robust channel base in India to help us gain rapid inroads into our target markets.

Lenovo believes in creating a conducive, motivating platform to elicit the b

est possible performance from its channel partners. To help us realize this, on a regular basis, we offer attractive rebate programs and innovative initiatives to our partners.


ITVN: Seeing the current competition scenario, what is your pricing strategy?

AL: Before deciding on the price of any product, we evaluate the needs of our target audience and accordingly arrive at a competitive price for that particular product. While some consumers seek the \"cool\" factor and distinct features and are opt for premium products, other consumers may be perfectly
content with a reliable product that can meet all their computing needs at an affordable price.

Our pricing approach, with Lenovo products available from entry level to the highest level price bands, reflects our wide range of products to address varied needs of our consumers - from functionality, performance, style and entertainme

nt and gaming, to multimedia and web browsing.



ITVN: What kind of marketing and promotional activities are you coming-up for consumers in the near future?

AL: We recognize the imperative need to invest in marketing and promotional activities from time to and time and develop innovative, engaging campaigns on a habitual basis.


One such very recent campaign was \"Fun-on-Wheels\", aimed to increase focus on the young Indian consumers with Lenovo\'s \'Get closer to consumers\' strategy. The objective of this campaign was to provide consumers a \'touch and feel\' of Lenovo\'s new range of products; this enables us to strengthen
our relationship with channel partners and regional distributors, increasing sales opportunities for them. The \'Fun on Campus\' offer for students and \'Fun Online\' for the general consumers, were some of our recent initiatives specia

lly designed for consumers who like to stay connected on the go.

We will continue to develop similar interesting and exciting offers for partners as well as consumers from time to time.


ITVN: Please brief about your warranty services and also give details of service support structure especially for B, C and D class cities?

AL: Lenovo prides itself in providing a complete brand experience to its end users. As a brand, we believe that excellent service and support is an absolute necessity to maintain the trust of our channel partners. Apart from providing impeccable online support, our dedicated technical personnel are
always ready to address and resolve a customer need or issue. Our service and support span 100 cities across India and we intend to add 30 more to it in the future.

We also have a dedicated toll free number. Our customer relationship teams