“Innovation is very key competent in itself.”-Mr.Ankur Gupta, CTO,Ziox Mobiles.

In a candid interaction with IT Voice, Mr.Ankur Gupta, CTO,Ziox Mobiles sheds light on the current state of mobile business.

Nisha harshwal:-What is the presence of Ziox in India?

Mr.Ankur Gupta:-Currently with the key focus in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, Ziox has gained rapid market share and intends to reach 5% by FY 18-19.There is a huge demand for feature phones in both rural as well as urban areas. People are still inclined towards feature phones; in fact there are smart phone users who keep feature phones as back up because Smartphone batteries are so unreliable. Strengthening its presence in the North India, we also aim to open our own Experience Zones in UP, starting with Lucknow. These exclusive stores will focus on touch-and-feel and servicing. Furthermore, Ziox will continue to expand its offline presence with retailers and distributors through its Direct to Retail (DTR) model, which will help Ziox to maintain price parity between products sold across both its online and offline channels

Nisha harshwal:-Latest innovations that Ziox is working on for its upcoming models.

Mr.Ankur Gupta :-To stay in the lead you need to be updated with not only Technology but also in Style. For starters, our Dual Rear Selfie Camera – Duopix R1/F1 are designed as per the trends of the ongoing market. Also, we are currently focusing on embedding Bezel-less Display in the upcoming Ziox Smartphones. We have also launched a model Tubelight which has powerful LED lights. Earlier than this, we had launched a feature phone with WIFI and a model with 32 GB internal memory in feature phone segment only. For future, we shall focus strongly focus on 4G Smartphones, which will contain value added features with the latest technology at best and affordable prices. All this keeps the space very exciting for us.

Nisha harshwal:-Ziox has sold 12million products. Your comments. What does it mean to the company? What factors have contributed to its success?  

Mr.Ankur Gupta :-We started our journey 4 years back; it has been very challenging yet exciting for us. We received a very strong feedback from the audience that has encouraged us to collectively bring more products that reflect the demands of Indian consumers. Our first step was the BIG FAT Annual Meet, one of the most successful Meet-n-Greet which helped us activate a stronger mode in India. Our High point was unveiling SSR – ‘the very talented and versatile Sushant Singh Rajput’ as the brand endorser of Ziox Mobiles. SSR brought the attitude and face to the brand. We also had another admirer for Ziox, which kept us in News – ‘Media’.Media acceptance and appreciation not only boosted our presence but also our confidence to bring Quality that Speaks.In a short span of time, Ziox won the award for ‘Best Innovative Mobile Brand’ and‘Best Inventive Smartphone Brand Award’ at the 3rd Mobility Excellence Awards2017. The perfect icing on the cake, when Ziox has reached over 12 Million Households in India.  

To summarize, stronger distribution network, channel alliances, Quality products and affordable price points have led Ziox reach among the Top Mobile Brands.  

Nisha harshwal:-What kind of impact Ziox is facing due to Jio effect?

Mr.Ankur Gupta:-From the last year when Jio has come into picture it has disrupted the Mobile Market in India. The entire Industry has seen a major change and has shaken up the Mobile Eco-system. The Indian Feature phone players have taken maximum hit from the 4G devices from Reliance Jio. Jio has supplied its new phone effectively free of cost to users who only have to deposit Rs 1,500 with the company for three years. This move has forced other Mobile Players to come up with similar offer, to minimise the damage. Infact, most of these handset makers are already working on their own low-cost 4G devices, besides adding more features to basic phones.

Talking about Ziox ,we too have seen an impact on us and our feature phone sales has gradually slowed. But understanding the existing market dynamics, we are coming up with our own new upgraded and Hi-Tech devices to minimize these losses.

Nisha harshwal:-How are the demands of the customers changing today? What are the new offerings likely to come from you?

Mr.Ankur gupta:-Innovation is very key competent in itself, since it has to be not just different than other brands or just upgraded but the better one than the previous models as well.Trends in the Mobile market today is dominated by the feedback of audience, the needs of the consumers, to stay ahead of the crowd and be updated with style and Technology. For instance, our Dual Rear Selfie Camera – Duopix R1/F1 are designed as per the trends of the ongoing market. Also, we are currently focusing on embedding Bezel-less Display in the upcoming  Ziox Smartphones. Very recently, we have also launched a model Tubelight with powerful LED lights. Before this we have also launched a feature phone with WIFI and a model with 32 GB internal memory in feature phone segment only. For future, we shall focus strongly focus on 4G Smartphones, bringing value added features with the latest in technology at best prices. All this and much more, keeps thespace very exciting for us.

Nisha harshwal:-What are your expansion plans and road-map ahead? 

Mr.Ankur gupta:-Ziox aims to grab 5% of the Indian Mobile Market by the end of this FY. Today Ziox is available at Pan India Level. Our next steps shall be concentrating the efforts to tier-III, tier-IV, and tier-V markets. Keeping the products in focus we shall be launching over 20 feature phones and 10 Smartphones which shall be power packed with latest specs and features all at the most affordable prices for the consumers. Apart from the Mobile Market, we also have plans to enter the consumer durable segment. Our first product in the consumer durable segment is planned to be televisions sets and with further down the line, we plan to expand to washing machines and air conditioners as well. As a Brand, we have progressed this far, we will leverage it with further diversification. We aim to clock 600 cr turnover by this Financial Year.