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Lenovo recently rolled out an SMB
strategy and has decided to shift its focus on to tier-2 and tier-3
cities. The revamped marketing strategies will suit the market
demands, which include increasing focus on value-added resellers
(VARs), system integrators (SIs) and retail, multi-brand stores.
Yathindra Nath, Director-Consumer and SMB Sales, Lenovo, spoke
about the vendor's channel initiatives, “We are planning to appoint
more VARs and SIs. Apart from metros, our focus is to cater to the
tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Our main objective is to supply the
ThinkPad to SMB sector at an affordable price.” Lenovo is planning
to address their SI partners directly through their partner program
and engage tier-3 partners through VARs.
Nath further elucidated, “Our growth
has been consistent in each quarter. Our main focus will be on the
growth in SMB and consumer segments. Under the consumer channel, we
will be focusing on regional distributors, multi-brand dealers and
format retail (LFR) stores. We have also improved our channel
inventory situations, leveraging a strong channel base to get closer
to customers with a strong product portfolio, exceptional products,
and also pave way for streamlined operations with our business
partners.”
Last year, Lenovo revamped its business
processes and systems in India to align them to that of its best
practices developed in China. Key decisions were taken to implement
business processes and to introduce new product lines at multiple
price points to compete across market segments, restructuring of the
sales teams, and proactive initiatives to expand the channel partner
network. The number of Lenovo Exclusive Stores (LES) were also
increased.
Lenovo completed a 15-city road show in
July-September, 2009 for their tier-2 partners, showcasing its new
products and sharing strategy to build transparency as well as to
create a stronger interlock with business partners. Recently Lenovo
India's Total PC marketshare has grown to 8.1 percent in the fourth
quarter of 2009, compared to 7.3 percent in the the third quarter,
owning to its revamped marketing strategy. According to
India
Quarterly PC Tracker, Lenovo India has moved to the #3 position in
the Home PC Segment.
When asked about Lenovo's roadmap for
2010, Nath remarked, “It is too early to disclose. We will shortly
announce the same. At present, my suggestion to all our partners is
to continue to partner with us since its a profitable association.
The SMB segment presents a hyper growth opportunity in India.”
Currently Lenovo has 300 service centers and are planning to open a
few more in tier-2 cities as well.