Jabra Sees Multitudinous Opportunities in the Indian Market

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Intro: Ann Goh, a graduate in Marketing & PR from the University of Curtin, Perth, joined GN Netcom in April 2009 to lead the commercial activities for the company’s Mobile Division in South East Asia, with specific focus on building the “Jabra” name as the leading brand in wireless communication devices, growing channel presence and market share in the region.

Goh is in- charge of the following markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

In 2010, Goh spearheaded the development and growth of business in India. Prior to joining GN Netcom, Miss Goh has an extensive 5 years of product marketing and strategic channel management experience in the telecommunications and consumer electronics industry. In an exclusive interaction with ItVAR News, Ann Goh, Regional Sales Manager, South Asia including India, Mobile Division at GN Netcom (Jabra) gives an insight about the recently launched product HALO2, the potential of Indian market, plans for enhancement of LFR Presence, pricing policy and other vital details.

ITVN: Kindly shed some light on the recently launched product HALO2. Moreover, what is the USP of your products which differentiates your products from the competitors?
 
Ann Goh: Jabra recently launched 3 new products in the music category – for music loving users -- that sets Jabra apart from other music headsets and cater to consumers with differentiated lifestyles and preferences in how they consume music on-the-go. Jabra Halo2 is our latest addition to our Stereo Bluetooth portfolio.  
Jabra Halo2
 
Targets consumers – mainly professionals, executives - who want to enjoy good music quality and to be free of wires while  they go about their daily routine and activities

Halo2’s design moves away from conventional big, bulky wired over-the-head music headphones. Instead the design is sleek,  neat, compact (not showy)

Halo2 users would be particular about quality of music and Halo2 delivers that by incorporating AM3D Virtual Surround Sound  and Power Bass. [AM3D Virtual Surround Sound works by creating an artificial 3D environment -- as if audio output is  emanating from speakers placed around the user.  

ITVN: Seeing the potential of the Indian market, what are the Potential Growth Opportunities and Key growth initiatives for Jabra in India? Are you facing any kind of challenges in relation to the Indian market?

AG: We definitely see growth opportunities in India like never before. With the growth of smartphones at a phenomenal rate, handsfree devices are becoming a necessity to have when it comes to answering calls on the go or even enjoying some entertainment while you are driving. With our new distributor that is India’s largest distributor, we believe that we are able to expand our breadth in channels and also dive deeper to develop potential channels that are able to grow. One very common challenge we face on a daily basis is the pricing. However, we are doing the best we can to have a competitive pricing for the local market.

ITVN: What are some of the top priorities for the Company in India?

AG: The key priority for 2012 in India would be to develop the channels fully for the Key Metro Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

ITVN: What are the Growth Drivers?

AG: Riding on the mobile music trend, we believe that one of the key growth factors will be music entertainment. And we will have products that will cater to every segment for the music lovers.

ITVN: Are you planning to further intensify your channel strength?

AG: Yes. We are in the midst of expanding our resources locally. We will be hiring a National Sales Manager locally to oversee the channels on a daily basis and also selectively arrange for outsourced manpower in cities that require attention. We will also be developing more below the line campaigns like in-store branding, promotions etc to drive the sales.

ITVN: What are your immediate plans when it comes to enhancement of LFR Presence?

AG: We are still developing the plans for LFR, they should formalize when we have our National Sales Manager on board. That will be the first project for him.

ITVN: How do you ensure profitability for your partners at the fullest?
 
AG: Margin is definitely a key business driver for all our partners at every tier. And in order for us to ensure the pricing in the market is stable, we adopt a single distribution model in each city to ensure there is no pricing conflict and hence protecting the margin for the channels.

ITVN: What kind of pricing policy are you insisting upon seeing the current competition scenario?

AG: To add on to what is mentioned above, single pricing policy, we also look at pricing our products competitively against the competition. As a Global leading brand in handsfree devices, we believe that quality and ease of use is a key purchase driver for our products, hence, our products may not be the cheapest you can find, but it will definitely be of a good quality product that you will enjoy using.