Convertibles, gaming laptops seeing strong demand in Indian market: Asus

Asus had previously said it is aiming to increase its market share to 23-25% by the end of the year

Taiwanese tech major Asus on Thursday said it is witnessing strong sales of 'convertibles' and gaming laptops in the Indian market, with demand for computing devices at par with pre-COVID levels, a top executive said.

Arnold Su, Business Head of Consumer and Gaming PC (System Business Group) at Asus India, cited an IDC report and said the company cornered 15 per cent share of consumer PC market in country in the March 2020 quarter.

"While the numbers for the June quarter are yet to come out, we are confident that our share would be at a similar level. Sales of 2-in-1 devices (convertibles) have grown by 3X-4X compared to pre-COVID-19. Gaming is also seeing huge growth," he added.

A 2-in-1 or a convertible laptop is designed to function as both -- a laptop and tablet. The screen is often a detachable tablet.

"In the weeks following the sequential relaxation of the lockdown, we have seen huge demand coming in as people are working and studying from home. Many users are looking at gaming devices as it serves entertainment needs also," he said.

In the first two phases of the lockdown that started on March 25, retail stores selling electronic items were closed, while e-commerce companies were allowed to ship only essential items like grocery, pharmaceuticals and healthcare products.

In the next two phases, sale of electronics items was allowed in most areas (except containment areas) through e-commerce, depending on state regulations.

Asus had in February started onboarding its offline retail partners on a digital platform to help them connect with customers.

"We now cover around 300 dealers/retail points including our exclusive stores and premium shop-in-shops where we have our promoter with Lead Management System.

"We have seen leads increase to 10,000 in June and 15,000 in July. The conversion rate is 3-4 per cent, which is very good," he said.

This is helping offline retail partners reach more customers, he added.

Asus had previously said it is aiming to increase its market share to 23-25 per cent by the end of the year, and occupy a spot among the top three players in consumer PC segment in the country.

Asus launched a new lineup of products comprising of 4 laptops in its ZenBook and VivoBook series. The devices are priced Rs 39,990 onwards.