India’s recent track record as a lucrative market for foreign tech brands has been impressive enough to attract new names to these shores. German consumer electronics brand, Blaupunkt, whose speciality is sound systems and LED televisions, has become the latest entrant to the Indian scene.
The brand unveiled its introductory products—a series of eight TV models—at a special event held earlier this at The Lalit, New Delhi. Blaunpunkt is hugely famous around the world for its audio gear, and it is for the first time that Indian consumers would be able to lay their hands on high-quality and affordable Blaunpunkt TVs.
“Back when we were planning to bring something unique to India, which is the fastest growing market in the world now, we asked ourselves—what does a normal person from India like?” Andrzej Cebart, managing director, Blaupunkt, told Guardian 20, “We discovered, looking at the culture here, that you like singing, dancing and enjoying with your friends and family. So music is everywhere in India, which is actually not the case in Europe. We came to know that in the Indian market, people are getting excellent visuals and features with the [available] LED televisions, but consumers here say that the sound of most TVs is not as good as the visuals. So we decided to fill this gap with our first line, the 4K UHD Premium series, which is affordable and gives a better experience. In the higher segments, we have included a sound bar that will give you more power and good sound quality. Although there are a few physical limitations to the product, but at this price level, if we compare this series with the others in the market, a Blaupunkt product has much more energy, you can feel the instrument.”
Blaupunkt announced three different segments of TVs at the Delhi event— the “Family” series, the “HD Smart Sound” series and the “4K UHD Premium” series. The most affordable of the lot, the Family series includes two models, 32-inch and 43-inch TVs, priced at Rs 12, 999 and Rs 22,999 respectively. The Smart Sound series includes three models, offering FHD and HD resolution, WiFi and Miracast support, and a 178-degree viewing angle. These models are also equipped with two inbuilt box speakers to give better sound experience to viewers.
The highlight of the Blaupunkt catalogue remains the 4K UHD Premium series. It comes with three LED models, with 43-inch, 49-inch, and 55-inch display. The last of these also comes with an in-built sound bar. All the new Blaupunkt TVs are laced with hi-tech features like voice recognition and smart air mouse. The TVs are available for order exclusively on Flipkart. According to reports, the brand made this tie-up with the online store in order to cut retail costs and make their products available at affordable prices.
Thorsten Genhardt, marketing head, Blaupunkt, told us about the unique features of their new line of TVs. “There is this new option, called the “Blaupunkt TV care” app, in these products where you can find all the content regarding your Blaupunkt product, so that you can easily get access to the customer care centre. If your product is already in service, you can check where it is. Tutorials on how to connect your product with PlayStations or any other external products are also available in this app,” he said.
At the Delhi event, Blaupunkt’s MD, Andrzej Cebart, also touched upon the challenges the Indian market poses for the German brand. He said, “Competition is obviously a challenge for us, but we love good competition. As far as the technology shift is concerned, we have to keep going. We just cannot stop right here. If we want to stay in the market, we have to keep trying bringing new products. And of course, one of the major challenges is reaching people as these products are just available online on Flipkart. But India is a developing market with growing internet access.”
About Blaupunkt’s future in India, Cebart said, “India is actually the number one market for us. And we are not saying this because of the huge population. It is because people here are aware of the products they are using. A few years back when I came to India, many people were WhatsApping me, and for me, that was the first time I actually used that app. When you look at IT centres, software development centres, engineering centres all across the globe, all the top ten companies, Indians are sitting there on management and developing positions. This is because they are well-qualified, smart, and are aware of the technology. That is what makes India an important market for us. Good partnership, good products, market need, development of the market, consumer awareness—are all the reasons for us to be here.”