HCL Info launches product for retail segment

HCL Infosystems Limited, an information enabling company, has launched its new product for the retail segment "" HCL BeePOS Innova "" targeted towards small retailers and chemists. Some of the company's other retail automation product models in the BeePOS category include Elegance, Dexter-VL, Ambience and Kiosk.

Addressing the media, Ajai Chowdhry, chairman and chief executive officer of HCL Infosystems, said, "HCL BeePOS Innova is a product that can cater even to the bottom of the pyramid segment. Besides, we have integrated the value-added tax (VAT) system in our solution."

The product is priced at Rs 13,500 and is available in English, Hindi, Marathi and Tamil. The Telugu version will be launched in the next 20 days. The company also plans to launch Bengali and Punjabi versions later.

"Retail automation is not happening in India. However, with the advent of VAT, bill making will become a requisite for the retail segment. So in the next few years, we hope to capture around 10 per cent of the market," Chowdhry added.

According to George Paul, executive vice-president (marketing) of HCL Infosystems, "India ranks highest with around 12 million retail outlets across the country. However, 98 per cent of the outlets are smaller than 500 sq ft. The organised retail industry is around Rs 35,000 crore, which is around three per cent of the total retail industry in India. But it is growing at a rate of 30 per cent and is expected to cross the Rs 1,00,000-crore mark by 2010. The market for retail automation products, therefore, is growing." The retail segment contributes to around four per cent of the company's revenues.

The company also has another product called HCL BeePOS Maestro Handheld that is, at present, being used for parking slip generation by the New Delhi Municipal Council. "We are also in talks with the officials in Andhra Pradesh so that they can use it for bus ticketing purposes here," Chowdhry said. This product costs Rs 23,000.

Telecom service provider Airtel is also doing a pilot test for HCL's automated kiosk, which can collect cheques and cash, generate duplicate bills and prepaid vouchers.