Top line and bottom line are the two crucial aspects of the channel business. Both the business models have pros and cons. While a handful of partners are playing in the top line game, majority of small retailers are yet to explore the high end business.
The much awaited Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are finally landed in the India market. In its clear hint to the competition, Apple is banking on its both offline and online distribution strategy to grab the mind share of Indian customers. The Avast who recently completed the acquisition of AVG Technologies, will not have immediate changes in its channel strategy. However, the newly formed entity will merge both the channels in coming months.
Where Apple is betting big on the offline distribution in India, another prominent smartphone brand Xiaomi, has launched its first offline exclusive handset ‘Redmi 3S+’. Like Xiaomi, other smartphone vendors are also heavily investing on the brick and mortar to penetrate into the upcountry markets.
Certain E Commerce marketplaces are accused of selling inferior and fake products online which not only damage the reputation of the brand but also negatively impact their business. Popular wearable brand fitbit has warned customers to buy its products only through its authorized resellers and partners. The company has cautioned customers that those purchasing from online channels may do so at their own risks.
Lastly, as a part of its CSR activities, the Puducherry IT Association [ITTA-PDY] participated in “Swatch Bharat”-Clean India program. The objective of the initiative was to educate school children as “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and Health is wealth” and to create awareness to the industries and the people living in the surrounding areas.
Top Line Vs. Bottom Line: Is The Channel Perplexed?
In a market scenario, where declining demand for hardware and stiff competition from e-commerce players make the offline business critical, it is inevitable for channel partners to open up to explore new growth areas. A right business practice is largely responsible for the growth and expansion of partners’ business. While a handful of the channel partners are making it big in the top line play, majority of channel partners are perplexed to choose between top line and bottom line. Read More
Online, Offline Channels Set For iPhone 7 Sales In India
The much awaited Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have finally landed in India. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available from today across Apple resellers along with the traditional retail channel as well as prominent E Commerce portals. Both, the Apple resellers and online portals such as Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon have been accepting pre-orders for the new iPhones and have promised to deliver the phones on the launch date itself. Read More
Avast Completes AVG Acquisition; No Changes In Channel Plans
Anti-virus solution provider, Avast Software has announced that it has completed the acquisition of AVG Technologies and said that there would not be any immediate changes to its current channel strategies barring the merger of the two networks into a single ecosystem. With the acquisition, Avast has expanded its SMB business and added AVG’s strong reseller base, enabling Avast to support more and larger organizations. Read More
Edimax To Strengthen Channel Strategy In India
Edimax Technology, a provider of networking solutions, has said that it is focused on strengthening its channel across India. With a strong network of channels, the Taiwanese (Republic of China) tech company said that it intended to increase its reach and penetration across the country. Delhi based Modi Infosol is a distributor for Edimax and Edimax Pro range of products in India. Read More
Salesforce To Bolster Channel Partner Network For Growth
American computing giant Salesforce is bullish over its India business and focusing on creating a channel ecosystem in the country. The company recently rolled out its annual Dreamforce conference with a clarion call declaring that the channel partners would continue to be an integral part of the company’s growth that saw revenues rise from $4 billion over three years ago to $8 billion in 2016-17. Read More
Buy Only From Our Authorized Resellers, Warns Fitbit
Wearable brand Fitbit has warned consumers to buy its products only through its authorized resellers and partners. Those purchasing from online channels may do so at their own risks, it said. Fitbit’s Brand Protection team has reportedly identified counterfeit products that are being produced and sold to unsuspecting consumers globally through unauthorized retail channels and eCommerce sites. Read More
After Rebranding Cloud Biz, Google Rolls Out New Partner Programs
In a bid to surge ahead rival cloud vendors such as Microsoft and Amazon, Google has announced the re-branding of its cloud portfolio as “Google Cloud”at its Horizon event in San Francisco held last week. The company also announced two new partner certification programs to enhance the proficiency of channel partners in the deployment and management of cloud solutions. Read More
“We Intend To Work With Partners Having Strong Networking Practices”
With the widespread adoption of cloud and mobile in the enterprise, the number of connected devices is only set to increase in the near future. In India, businesses across industry verticals are in various stages of their digital transformation and network virtualization, inarguably is the next logical step in making operations more agile and efficient. VMware, the server virtualization major is betting big on the emerging and relatively new concept of network virtualization. Read More
Xiaomi Launches First ‘Offline Exclusive’ Handset Redmi 3S+
While majority of smartphone makers leverage the online marketplace for exclusive launches of their new offerings, Chinese handset maker Xiaomi has opted to go with the offline channel. The company has launched its first offline exclusive handset ‘Redmi 3S+’ in India. Redmi 3S+ is available across more than 7,500 retailers beginning October 1. Read More
Puducherry IT Association In ‘Swachh Bharat’ Mission
The Puducherry IT Association [ITTA-PDY] participated in “Swatch Bharat”-Clean India program. The program was conducted by Vigneshwara Higher Secondary School, situated in the industrial area of Sedrapet, 14 kilometers from Puducherry. The objective of the initiative was to educate school children as “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and Health is wealth” and to create awareness to the industries and the people living in the surrounding areas. Read More