INDIA FIRST

Malvika Chandan
The Financial Express

Now, driven by unique consumption patterns and improved product manufacturing capabilities, international companies are increasingly testing products on the Indian soil before moving them into more mature markets.

Take Motorola. For about three years now, it has been launching products first in India, taking them global thereafter. In 2005, the company unveiled the gorgeous Moto Slvr in India and for 50 days after that the product was available only in this country before being rolled out to a worldwide audience. Again in 2006, the company launched the Motofone F3, the cheapest GSM mobile phone in India, in New Delhi, before taking it to other markets of the world.

In tune with this trend, this May, for the first time in the company’s history, Xerox launched a range of eight products including mono printers and multi-functional printers (MFP) in India before another 162 countries where the rollout followed the India launch. Xerox has been present in India for over two-and-a-half decades, first through its joint venture the BK Modi group and then as the independent Xerox Corp since 2003. Not wanting to lose out on the market potential, Xerox has decided to adopt an India-specific strategy.

According to the company, its mono laser printers have a huge market in Eastern Europe and in other parts of Asia, and the company’s colour printer has a much bigger demand in North American and Western European market. What urged the company to shift its focus away from the US market is the fact that paper consumption in that country is dropping, whereas in India, the consumption of paper is set to double in the next eight years, from the current 7 million tonnes per annum, according to Indian Paper Manufacturers Association.