NEW DELHI: Despite the disruptions owing to the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chain, Taiwanese electronics major ASUS expects a surge in demand for laptops in India once the lockdown is lifted, even as the company prepares for a couple of launches in June this year, a top company executive has said.
Due to the nation-wide lockdown that started on March 25, IT hardware production distribution had largely remained shut in India, impacting sales revenue in April. However, much of these activities are set to reopen starting Monday as several restrictions are set to be lifted.
"We do have a slew of launches scheduled in the later half of the year. Quite immediately we are looking forward to a couple of launches from the gaming segment starting June 2020," Arnold Su, Business Head, Consumer & Gaming PC, System Business Group, ASUS India said.
To meet the expected surge in demand for laptops as companies implement "work from home" for their employees education goes online, ASUS India is working on boosting its plans with its current partners like Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm and other e-commerce platforms, while the company also plans to revive its retail expansion strategy in "due course". "We have been bullish in the offline space prior to the lockdown and we intend to continue with the same gusto at a more appropriate time. We have more than 100 ASUS exclusive stores (AES) and our aim is to have 200 AES by 2020 financial year," he said.
"We believe that once the lockdown is lifted/relaxed, there will be an increase in online shopping. But at the same time we also foresee the growth of the offline route once things return to normalcy," Su said. (IANS)