U&i is a Gujrat based fastest growing provider of mobile accessories with a wide range of categories and models. U&i currently has over 600 products in 23 product categories, with Bluetooth speakers, Bluetooth neckbands, Bluetooth TWS, and smartwatches as their hot selling products. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Mr. Paresh Vij, Founder & Director of U&i, share their company’s market strategy and future plans.
Please brief us about your company’s journey so far and future strategy.
We started 5 years back offering mobile protective covers. With encouragement from our supply chain partners, in Jan 2019, we added mobile accessories to our lineup and then rapidly expanded our product portfolio. Our already existing supply network is a great advantage for us to promote our mobile accessories pan-India. Then we thought if we had a brand ambassador, it would propel our brand image and sales volumes, so early this year, we signed up Shahid Kapoor as our brand ambassador for 2 years.
What is your strategy for Make in India?
We are already making in India several accessory products and some products we are assembling in India. But, but there are certain products like Bluetooth speakers, for which, in the present conditions of inadequate infrastructure facilities, we cannot manufacture them in India with the required quality. For such products our current strategy is to import them from abroad and pack them in India with our packaging material and branding—we call it Pack in India.
What is U& I USP and brand strategy?
We lay strong emphasis on quality and we have two quality control wings to test the quality of our products. We import the products only after they are thoroughly tested and when we are doubly sure about the quality. Next, we have technically trained professionals and marketing experts in India who judge the latest trends and needs of the market. This helps us to design and develop products that are current and latest. We are giving a 1-yr replacement warranty on all our products where most products in the grey market have no warranty.
Do you think India can emerge as a global manufacturing hub and export to other countries and become a competitor to China?
The conditions in India, as I said, are still not advanced enough to manufacture many products to become a manufacturing hub, leave along becoming an exporting hub to compete with China. Maybe in the future, India could become a manufacturing hub, but it will take time.
What about the future for the Indian brands and what is your own forward-looking strategy?
Indian brands have a very good future. As far as our own brand is concerned, we are doing very well. We have launched several products in the last two months and did well even during the lockdown. We have another 80 products in the pipeline to be launched in the coming months.
What are your channel strategy, marketing plans, and future goals?
Our main target is consumers in the mass market segment and our products are in the affordable range. Currently, we have about 50 distributors and we will add more distributors in the coming months and years. In 2020, we are aiming at a 50% market share in the mobile accessories segment in India. Later this year, we are launching several first-time-in-India products.