U&i brand (a sister concern of RC Group) was launched in Gujarat by Mr Paresh Vij and Mr Navin Vij. RC Group has been in the market for over a decade as the largest manufacturer of mobile covers and protective cases in Asia. Within 1 year of its launch, U&i brand currently boasts over 800 products in 23 product categories in their array. U&i has signed up Shahid Kapoor, the Bollywood actor as its brand ambassador. Today, the brand stands aloft in the Indian market as a brand that offers world-class products at the most affordable prices. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Mr. Paresh Vij, Founder & Director of U&i and Mr Shahid Kapoor, Brand Ambassador U&i share their Journey and future plans.
Mr Paresh Vij comments, “The brand ambassador is meant to embody the corporate identity in appearance, demeanor, values and ethics. Brand ambassadors use their ability to drive the promotional strategies that strengthen the customer-product-service relationship and influence a large audience to buy and consume more. We are very happy that we signed up Shahid Kapoor as our Brand Ambassador. It has been a wonderful journey with him in the last 1 year. Shahid Kapoor is a dynamic and elegant Bollywood superstar who has a lot of fan following among young people in India. He is a great attraction to the Indian youth. Our sales have increased a lot after we signed him up as our brand ambassador. Our products have very good quality and associating Shahid Kapoor with our brand has a synergic impact on U&I’s growth. We could reach out to the mass audience and youth very easily. When we signed up with him we were a bit tense because he is a superstar, but we found him very affable and cooperative over time. We really enjoyed our journey with him and we extended our relationship with him further. We will bring out more products in the coming times. He personally gives us valuable suggestions how to promote the brand. We are looking forward to a long-term association with him. Recently, we did a photo-shoot with Shahid Kapoor for our brand and we enjoyed a lot. We will bring out many more new products in future.
Today, U&i is also in the forefront of Make in India with 10 VMC machines, 120 molding machines, over 600 employees, 7 departments in India and 2 departments in China to support their R&D, manufacturing, sales and promotion activities. The brand is present in over 60 exclusive showrooms in 29 states and 1500 cities and towns, backed by a channel network of over 3000 dealers. Today, U&i is one of the fastest growing providers of mobile accessories with a wide range of mobile accessories spread across different categories and models.
Talking about their USPs, brand strategy and promotion plan, Mr Paresh Vij briefs, “Laying strong emphasis on quality, we import the products only after they are thoroughly tested and doubly sure about the quality. Next, we have top class 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. Our mission is to develop products that can make our lives easier and interesting. In our partner meetings, we interact closely with even the small retailers. Direct interaction with the partners, including retailers, helps to improve the clarity of our policies, increase the trust in our brand and gives the partners the push they need.”
Currently, U&i’s Bluetooth speakers, Bluetooth neckbands, and Bluetooth TWS are hot selling products. U&i’s wide array of mobile gadgets come with a perfect blend of latest innovations & technology, unique designs, slick exteriors and competitive prices are big hit among gadget-loving youth across India. U&i is committed to serving the customers with what customers need.
Partners Voice their Appreciation of U&i and its Partner-Friendly Leadership
Anurag Gupta, Kanpur, “I have been associated RC Group for the past 13 years and with U&i provides value-for-money products and the customer gets much more than he gets from the products of other brands at the same price level. Next, Preshji and U&i management are very cooperative and supportive towards the partners like us. As a brand, U&i has a wide range of products—customers get almost every gadget he wants—and their service and replacement warranty are very good. The products of this brand are selling very well without much effort. After U&i signed up with Shahid Kapoor as their Brand Ambassador, there has been an extra surge in sales.”
Himanshu, Varanasi, “I have been associated with Paresh ji and R C Group for the past 8 years, though the brand U&i has been launched only 1 year back. I have been selling U&i products since its launch a year ago. U&i’s products are developed keeping the needs of the customers in mind and their products have such a great quality, they sell on their own—no need to push them. Profits have doubled after I started selling U&i products. The image of Shahid Kapoor, as the Brand Ambassador for U&I, also helped us to push our sales up. We are looking towards a long-term relationship with U&I and we are happy to be a part of U&i family.”
Jeetendra, Raipur, “I have been with U&i for the past 2 years. Our customers mostly come from Raipur and the surrounding areas. U&i is a professional brand and they launch products keeping the market needs in mind. Shahid Kapoor, the brand Ambassador of U&i is a youth icon and his presence definitely has a positive impact on sales. U&I is a fastest growing brand in the mobile accessories market today. Every week, U&i launches one or the other new product. The management of U&i is very open and cooperative and we have a very good connectivity with the management. My revenues increased significantly after we signed up as a partner of U&i. We are sure that U&i will become a leading brand in India in the coming years. ”
Krishna, Vijayawada, “We have been associated with U&i for the past 1 year. Going by the way U&i products are selling in the market, we are sure U&i will become Number 1 brand for mobile accessories in the coming years. Shahid Kapoor’s presence as a brand ambassador also has a big impact on the sales. It has pushed our sales up further. U&i has over 800 products covering almost all the items. Our sales increased so much that we got more response from the market than we have expected so far. After U&i has been launched, the sales of other brands have come down. The availability of the products has been great and supplies are prompt and we do not have to wait for long for products to reach us.”
Narendra Singh, Chennai, “I have been with U&i for the past 2 months. Compared to other brands, U&I products have very good quality and the prices are very affordable. U&I’s packaging is also very good and attractive. And the products are selling very well. Shahid Kapoor is a famous in South India too. Making him brand ambassador has a lot of positive impact on the sales. I am very excited to work with U&i. Though my association with U&I has been only for the 2 months, I think in one year’s time U&I is going to be top brand in the market.”
Punit, Nagpur, “We are into mobile accessories for past 17 years and with U&i for the past 1 year. U&i management focuses a lot on providing value-for-money products. Pareshji is a very down-to-earth person. He takes care of the needs of users as well as partners very well. The customers get more than what they spend from U&i. U&i has a very wide product range with almost every product available and their service and replacement policy are very good. U&I is giving a new direction to the mobile accessories business in India and is going to set new benchmarks in the industry. We are sure that the brand will reach new levels in the coming years.”
Raman, Mumbai, “We have been in the mobiles and accessories business since 2002 and with U&I for the past 1 year. We find U&i a super brand. Besides high quality, having Shahid Kapoor as Brand Ambassador made the acceptability of their products very easy. Next, U&i has a very good service and warranty policy. We find it very comfortable to deal with Pareshji. Our business has grown by 50% after we association with U&i. We feel U&i will grow further and become a leading brand in the market soon.”
Ravish, Jammu, “U&i products have the best features and the brand launches some new product every week. I am sure that U&i will overtake all other brands in the coming years. We are getting very good demand from the customers, and dealers are showing a great interest in the products. For U&i products we don’t get any complaints. U&i delivers what they claim, whereas other brands promise something and their products do not deliver the same. For example, U&I powerbanks deliver what is promised in the specs. They systematically launch new products every week and they have a wide range and keep updating the range regularly keeping the market requirements in mind.”
Sunil, Guwahati, “I cover Northeast regions and I have been in this business for 25 years. I have been associated with U&i since they launched their brand. U&i products have the highest quality, which no other brand gives. They bring out products that the market needs with unique features. Shahid Kapoor presence as a brand ambassador has made a great impact on convincing the customers. Besides quality, U&I’s products have excellent packaging and products often move on their own. Our business has doubled after we started our association with U&i. Today, no other brand has such product range and acceptance as U&i has. Company is very practical and they understand our problems very well and respond in time. No other brand can beat U&i”
T Rab Kumar, Bhuvaneshwar. “We have been in the business for the past 18 years and with U&i for the past 1.5 years. Uniqueness of U&i is they launch products keeping the needs and tastes of the youth. Next, they launch products sooner than we expect and their packaging is very good. I have grown a lot in the last one year. The product is good and the brand ambassador, Shahid Kapoor, made best match taking the brand forward—it is a Win-Win combination. Now I am focusing only on U&I because it is giving us very good growth and we stopped selling other brands.”
