From a small wholesale shop in Lajpat Rai Market to opening an exclusive showroom in Karol Bagh, Ubon really make a big mark in the mobile accessories market. Incorporated in the year 1999, UBON headquartered in Delhi, is India’s leading Gadget Accessory & Consumer Electronics brand that addresses the need for ‘Connected Consumers’ and ‘People on the go’. With the proper R&D and the right use of technology, the brand offers products such as Bluetooth Speakers & Headphones, Earphones, Chargers, Cables & more than 125 accessories. UBON has also been awarded “the most promising brand of the year by The Economic Times in 2019.” In an Interaction with Jayanta Ghosh, Editor-in- Chief, DeviceNext, Mr. Mandeep Arora, MD, Ubon shares his brands journey with us.
The Beginning :
UBON started its journey as an electronic brand in the year 1999; however, it officially registered in 2004 We started as a small shop in Lajpat Rai Market in Delhi where we used to deal with earphones and mobile accessories in our shop. While working in the wholesale business, we noticed that there was a gap in the products available in the market in terms of price, quality, and reliability it offers. So, to eliminate cheap accessories from the Indian market, we came up with our own brand, ‘UBON’ with our main focus on providing our customers with quality products at affordable pricing and wow experience through continuous innovation of niche products and services by using world-class technology and processes.
Journey till date :
Since our inception in the year 1999, together with our trusted team of employees and our franchise partners we have worked tremendously aiming at an upward journey every day. From a small shop in Lajpat Rai Market to the presence of UBON in more than 300 cities all over India, we have come a long way. We have also been conferred by Economics Times ‘Most Promising Brand of The Year 2019’. We are proud to be ‘VocalForLocal’. We started our journey by manufacturing mobile accessories and with proper R&D and right use of technology presently, we offer products such as Bluetooth speakers and headphones, chargers, cables, car accessories, care products, surge protectors and more than 125 accessories.
We at UBON are very optimistic towards moving ahead by leveraging the rapidly expanding technological world. We are planning to enhance our portfolio in the speaker & headphone category by developing voice & internet-enabled speakers and headphones. People no longer want to indulge in wires instead they prefer wireless products for the day to day needs. With rapid growth in marketing and design prospects, there is no serious intervention of good branded players in the mobile phone accessory world, we are creating distinctive and well built products that match Indian and international standards. We aim to deliver the same by offering the latest technology equipped stylish yet long lasting accessories at an affordable price.
Q. Right now what all products Ubon is focusing and what is future plan looking at the current trade situation with China?
With the current scenario of promoting #vocalforlocal the future of Indian consumer electronics and accessories seems very bright. This will give a major push to Made in India Companies which will lead India on the path of Atmanirbhar Bharat. In the future one can witness India as a hub to develop innovative gadgets and mobile accessories with high degree of differentiation. The rapid growth in mobile phone usage has created a thriving market demand for mobile accessories globally and it will promote higher business sector growth. The markets will provide opportunities to those who offer quality and latest technologies, despite challenges. The Chinese products with low quality and low prices have invaded the market for a long time. Now quality is the concern for users and UBON prime focus focuses Quality check & Quality Assurance.
VocalforLocal campaign will bring new hopes for the consumer electronics sectors as India will become more self reliant.
It is a great time for Made in India brands to rise. With the country’s agenda towards ecoming Atmanirbhar Bharat one can witness huge development of R&D facilities across the country. Also, India will now be seen as a dominant player for raw material across the globe.
Q. We have seen lots of development on brand tie ups with celebrities and visibility, have you able to reach out to your consumers, or working for new avenues?
Brand Ambassadors play a crucial role in the success of any brand. Appearing as the face of the company, they are reliable and trustworthy sources regarding the brands that they personify. Brand Ambassadors increases the credibility of a brand for consumers as they provide with the truest testimony of a product. The customers begin to feel associated with the brand because of the popular face they remember, even if they do not remember the brand name that’s the power of brand ambassador. In the process, the brand ambassadors, too, develop an emotional connect with the brand they represent, and this goes on to create a ripple effect of loyalty. It is very important that personality of the brand ambassadors should resonate with the vibe of the brand.
Earlier this year, UBON has joined hands Ms. Jannat Zubair, a popular name in television and an Internet sensation as their new brand ambassador. As we all can clearly see the future of branding and marketing is digital, Jannat Zubair is quite popular on social and digital media and helping our brand reaching new heights with every passing day.
What is the PAN India presence of UBON?
From a small wholesale shop in Lajpat Rai Market to opening an exclusive showroom in Karol Bagh recently, I think we have come a long way. We have also opened another store in Lajpat Rai Market. Today, we are present in over 3,000 cities of India through our offline presence. In addition, we are also present on multi brand channels and e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart as well as social media platforms like Instagram for online selling. UBON has a robust supply chain network which enables it to distribute its products all over India basis the distribution network level available in every state.
This industry is still at a nascent stage right now. But it is going to be huge in the coming years. A lot of entrepreneurs are entering this space because it has so much to offer. Despite our strong and steady consumer base, we believe that we have been able to utilize our one percent of our potential and that we have a long way to go. So, we are planning to diversify and expand. For instance, considering the hectic lifestyle of today’s generation, we are betting immensely big on innovative products which can help people stay fit. We’re working immensely on designing and development of smartwatches, fitness trackers, and virtual reality and augmented reality headsets.
Also, the future holds a lot of business potential for those who provide the right mix of latest technology, features at the right price. I believe that modern day technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) are indeed going to be the next big things in the industry. We are planning to widen our portfolio in the speaker and headphone category by developing Voice & Internet enabled speakers and headphones. Our team at UBON audio labs is constantly working and researching ways to provide the best experience to our consumers.
