Smartphones and internet have drastically changed the communication patterns of people. The voice calls are largely replaced by video calls and apps such as WhatsApp has almost obsolete the text messaging. It will not be an exaggeration to say that today internet has become the fourth essential things after food, clothing, and shelter.
As we enter in the year 2018, the consumption of internet and smartphones is set to go on the next level, where adoption of smart gadgets will be on upswing and platforms such as Netflix will change the way we access the digital content.
Mr. Rajesh Goenka, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Rashi Peripherals explains how smartphones and internet will influence the buying patterns of a common man in 2018.
Shift from Feature Phones to 4G Phones: The transition from feature phones to a 4G phone will continue in the year 2018. The availability of high-speed internet at low cost will be the major catalysts in this transition. Reliance JioPhone has already created a huge disruption in this space by offering smartphones like features at an unbelievable price of Rs 1500. As RJio is offering 4G VoLTE, free voice calls, browsing support, preloaded apps and NFC support in this ‘smart feature phone’, other handset manufacturers are also set to launch low-cost 4G handsets in the price range of Rs 3000-4000. These affordable 4G phones will see large scale adoption, especially in rural India.
Wi-fi Enabled Devices to replace Set Top Boxes: Another major transition will be Wi-fi enabled devices replacing the set of boxes. Amazon Fire-stick and Airtel TV have already taken a major step in this direction and devices like Google Chromecast are expected to replace set-top boxes soon. Similarly, the Indian consumers will move from Capex model to Subscription model in a big way in 2018. In the subscription model, viewers will have a freedom to select their preferred content on the go. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have already taken a major step in this direction and we will see the trend changing the TV viewing patterns of Indian viewers. Though in the nascent stage, the concept of ‘pay as you use’ is gradually picking up in India and is it set to be revolutionary in terms of how we access the digital content.
Easy Access to Digital Services: With the advent of low-cost internet services, the consumption of digital services will spur, especially in the rural area. As the government is giving a lot of emphasis on developing the digital infrastructure in the rural parts of the country, we will see rural population more proactively accessing online services. The agriculture and education sector will be the biggest beneficiaries of this digital wave and the consumption of digital services will multiply several times in the next one year.
Smart Wearables no more Class Gadgets: While phones with 4G VoLTE capabilities will have a greater impact on the day to day lives of the rural population, there will growing demand for smart wearables among the urban population. Due to the growing fitness awareness among the urban populations, fitness trackers and smartwatches are set to witness exponential growth in 2018. Currently, the smart wearables are majorly limited to few large Corporate gifting, but with the buying patterns of Indian consumers changing significantly, it will soon become a mass product, which everyone can afford to buy.
SSDs to be new mean of Data Storage: With the storage requirements of users going up, the storage technology will shift from traditional hard drives to a cloud and the emerging Solid-state drive (SSD) technology. SSDs are the new generation back up device, which is more reliable, long lasting and affordable. People will adopt SSDs in a bigger way due to its utility over hard drives and cloud. Similarly, smart devices such as wireless chargers will see a huge demand in 2018.
Gaming to become Serious Fun: Though India is far away from US and China in terms of having a robust ecosystem of professional gamers, we will see the gaming gaining more traction among the youth in the next one year. While smartphones are major growth driver online gaming, the demand for Gaming PCs and Gaming Consoles will also rise among the professional gamers competing for the international gaming competitions. The Online Gaming leagues and E-sport tournaments such as GeForce Cup, The ROG Masters, Indian eSports Championship (leSC), ESL India Premiership, Nazara Games eSports League etc. are already popular among the youth and gaming will soon emerge as a top rated profession in the country.
About Mr. Rajesh Goenka Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Rashi Peripherals
Mr. Rajesh Goenka is responsible to formulate and drive the overall business operations and lead value-added programs at Rashi Peripherals. An Engineering and Management graduate, Mr. Goenka is a proven leader with a profound proficiency in building outstanding teams for execution of successful long-term business strategy. A True Leader & Marketer in ICT & Mobility business with over 20 years of industry experience, he is the catalyst for Rashi Peripherals’ consistent growth at 25% CAGR year over year.
Prior starting his inning in Rashi Peripherals in 2001, Mr. Goenka had the successful stint in various MNCs including NVIDIA where he served as the Head of Marketing – India, Middle East & Africa. One of the most popular IT Channel Chiefs in India, Mr. Goenka is the recipient of many coveted appreciations for his exemplary contribution to the growth of IT channel business from leading media publications. Mr. Goenka has been conferred one of the “Top 10 IT Channel Heads” in India by IT Nations. DQ Channels featured him among the ‘Top 16 Distributor Chiefs’ in 2016. He was also shortlisted among the BEST CMOs in the Indian ICT industry in 2017 by VAR India.