Today, gaming has become a segment with new and growing opportunities for providers of gaming-related products, accessories and software. Today, gaming, which was earlier frowned upon by the parents and elders as an activity of spoilt brats, has gained acceptance by all the age groups. HyperX is the high-performance gaming product division of Kingston Technology, the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. In an interview with Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director – India, Kingston Technology, about the trend of gaming industry and initiative of HyperX.
“About three years back, gaming was considered as an occupation of undisciplined brats who are not interested in studies. In fact gaming was considered as a obnoxious distraction for students. But things have changed a lot now and gaming has gained acceptability among the parents and elders. Today gaming competitions and tournaments are being held in many cities and towns, even in colleges and schools with gaming gaining a wider acceptance and a lot of gaming cafes are coming out into the mainstream, which were frowned upon by people, and are cafes are regularly updating their systems. In 2016, there was a significant spike in the gaming industry, a industry that remained down under the grass for years. Year 2017 is going to be much big for gaming—with new product launches, new tournaments and a lot more about to happen,” said, Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director – India, Kingston Technology, commented
Started in 2002, HyperX began with one line of high-performance gaming memory and has grown over the years to encompass multiple product lines of memory modules, SSDs, USB flash drives, headsets, mouse pads, etc. Featuring the best-in-class components that have delivered superior performance, quality and aesthetic design for more than a decade, HyperX products have become the choice of top-rated gamers, tech enthusiasts and overclockers worldwide. From setting memory world records to achieving the most stringent product certifications, HyperX is committed to delivering reliable products with the highest performance standards.
“Our engagement with gamers has gone up several-fold during in 2016 when we conducted over 150 events—from demo games to smaller games to high-end games where users experienced our products first-hand. We also offered several schemes to the gaming cafes, where if the cafes could install a certain setups, they got good discounts. We also offered goodies to the café owners which they could give to their loyal customers and attract more customers. Then, we also tied up last year with bigger associations and events like IGS (India Gaming Show), CII and ESLs. The CII is doing a fantastic job of attracting the best customers to the events. We are also conducting events and engagements focused on our channel partners, to enhance engagement and to help them understand the products better. On the promotion front, we also have good media plans and relations and also we are using blogs to educate as well as attract more users to use our products Vishal added.
The Kingston Technology has its Head Quarters in the US and facilities in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Taiwan and China. HyperX is the proud sponsor of over 20 gaming teams globally and the main sponsor of the Intel Extreme Masters and Dreamhack festivals. HyperX products are designed to meet the most rigorous demands of professional gamers to give them the winning edge and help gamers stay on top of their game. HyperX’s products are compliant with Quality, Environmental, Health, and Safety Policy and the tool HyperX uses to accomplish the objectives is commitment.
Regarding their channel policy, Vishal explained, “In case of dealing with gaming products, people want good and innovative products that satisfy their urge and passions; price plays a secondary role. So, the channel partners should have thorough knowledge of the products and be able to explain the gamers, what hardware is needed for which games and know the difference between the entry level gaming needs and the advanced level gaming needs. In other, a partner needs to be a consultant. Today, customers have thorough knowledge and partner should have more knowledge than the users, then only he can explain and convince the customer. Mere box-selling won’t work in this segment.”
HyperX is committed to preserving the integrity, success and quality of our company through continual improvement and innovation and the company is also focused offering the environmentally safe and pollution-free products that will lead to a safe work environment. The brand is committed to comply with all the relevant and applicable EHS legislations and regulations, and other requirements appropriate to the nature and scale of the environmental impacts related to their activities, products and services and occupational health and safety risks.
Talking about the growing maturity of the users and increased expansion of gaming industry in India, Vishal comments, “If you look at the 150 events we conducted last year, we did a lot of them in T2, T3 cities like Jaipur, Lucknow, Bubaneshwar, Guwahati. In Bubaneshwar, more than 100 gamers participated in the events and most of them knew a lot about gaming; we were surprised about their thorough knowledge. They even know what new products we are going to launch in the coming months. They were very well informed and connected via Facebook, Internet, Youtube, etc to the gaming world. The present youth are showing great interested in gaming and that has been a great encouragement for us.”
HyperX follows a policy of accountability to its customers and interested parties and aims at offering products and services with great quality and reliability that meet their latest gaming needs. The brand believes in flexibility and continually improves its processes with an aim to deliver consistent and superior quality in products and customer service in gaming segment. HyperX advanced and intensive R&D, strict quality management and efficient production ensures that they offer the latest products at cost-effective prices.
Regarding their future plans, Vishal concludes, “Kingston has been No.1 in memory products segment and we are aiming at making HyperX too No. 1 brand in the gaming segment. In the coming months we will come up more innovative products and launch more events for the gamers across India. As channel is very important for us will launch more channel-related training and motivational programs. We are very optimistic about our opportunities in the fast growing gaming segment in India.”
HyperX undergoes regular audits by third party ISO assessors, customers, suppliers and its own employees. The results of these audits are utilized to continuously improve and strengthen their quality management system. HyerX’s quality program gauged from their growing and satisfied customer base. The brand strives to remain a leader in the industry by continually improving its products and services. HyperX takes pride in its commitment to complete customer satisfaction.
