Sony Vaio no longer available in the Indian market

 

 

Sony Vaio, a very reputed and loved brand of Indian customers, is no longer available in the Indian market. Re-sellers and distributors are coming to terms with the situation as the brand still remains much in demand by the end consumer. Sony had announced plans to sell its VAIO brand to Japan Industrial Partners and exit its 17-year old PC business, in February 2014.

This has impacted the channel partners to a great extent as those who were selling the VAIO brand have lost a considerable chunk of their business. Mumbai based Bharat Jethani of Bell Computers has lost 25% of his turnover. He says, "Yes we were communicated by Sony but this has affected the business to a great extent. However, the company will continue to provide after-sales service for another 4 years."

Not many were actually aware of this sell-out. Rajendra V Thacker of Chips and Bytes didn't know about this development and now he is revamping his strategy. He says, "We are now trying to sell more HP or Dell laptops to a customer who asks for a Sony VAIO range. The enquries are still coming though."

 

Even Kolkata based Rajendra Agarwal of Komal Infotech echoed the same sentiments. He says, "It was a great brand so still asked for by so many customers. However, we were not communicated by Sony. This has affected our business all of a sudden. We are trying to sell other brands to the customers."

This is a great opportunity for brands like HP or Dell to enhance their marketshare with the right kind of strategy. It will take some time for the channel partners to re-organize their business.