By Editor
Belkin increases focus on sell-through and channel penetration as its integration with Linksys nears completion
After having integrated the Belkin and Linksys teams under one leadership, Belkin is now focused on streamlining the channel distribution further as well as increase recruitment of SMB partners.
Amanullah Khan, Regional Director – Emerging Markets – Linksys & Belkin says, “The Linksys distribution channel has been well integrated and is comprehensive. With Belkin, the Business is a little different since there are more product SKUs than in the Linksys portfolio. The go to market strategy has been different for Belkin. Belkin has had more distributors across the market and per territory. With the new focus, the emphasis is on ensuring channel inventory is under control and there is accountability at the distribution level and at the level of our Account Managers.”
The company is also taking firm steps to track sell-through activities. This, the company believes, will help the company strengthen its position in the region’s channel.
Amanullah says, “We are now entirely focused on the entire sell-through activities. So we are tracking on the sell-through from our key retail partners at the store level. Earlier the sell-through wasn’t too structured and we were unable to take timely corrective steps when issues cropped up. Now we can do this in real time.”
Citing the example of iPhone 6 launch, he says the demand for accessories of the previous generation iPhone will decline and then come to a halt. So the company will seek to have channel activities ready that can help liquidate the stocks of accessories.
He elaborates, “If we do not have a plan ready for clearing the channel inventory that has probably built up because of the slowdown in demand, then it could probably be quite late when iPhone 6 is launched, which could entirely kill the demand for the accessories supporting the previous generation. So we can account for this and help the channel with activities that can get their stocks out. Ultimately, the crux is channel profitability and moving the stocks off the shelves under three weeks and desirably under two weeks is what it amounts to. Ideally, stocks need to be replenished under two weeks and we don’t want the same stocks lying on the shelves for over three weeks. This is as far as Belkin is concerned. On the Linksys front, we have more leverage because shelf life of the products is longer.”
The company is also consolidating its product strategy along with the distribution channel. It is reducing its focus on some of the SKUs from the vast array of the Belkin range while strengthening the focus on some of the existing product lines further.
“We have rationalized the SKUs and the number of distributors. There are certain areas we are not going to focus. For instance, soft pouches and cases for smartphones is an area we will not focus on. We will focus on chargers, docking stations, overlays, keyboards, cables. We are also bringing in a new range of surge protectors. We are going to bring in the retail versions,” says Amanullah.
The company is also increasing its focus in Saudi along with other key markets. It is working out a Microcredit facility in tandem with its distributor to increase its channel reach in KSA.
Amanullah adds, “The UAE is a major focus and Saudi is no less. The focus on KSA is set to be bigger in FY 2015 which starts for us from October across the Belkin and Linksys range, both retail and SMB.”
Meanwhile, Belkin has also been active in updating its Wi-Fi camera range with the recent launch of the NetCam HD+, a high definition Wi-Fi camera that allows users to see their home day and night in high-quality 720p resolution via their smartphone, tablet, or PC.
The NetCam HD+ uses a wide-angle glass lens to provide details that are crisp and ultra-clear. Other premium and unique features include night vision, highly secure Wi-Fi streaming, cloud storage, easy setup and push to talk. The new camera also works with WeMo, which enables users to access their camera via the WeMo app and set up rules and triggers with other installed WeMo solutions.
“NetCam HD+ is the latest innovation in our portfolio of IP home surveillance. People care about their possessions, their pets and their homes, so we made our latest NetCam the most intuitive and feature rich product to date, enabling users to check their home environment wherever they are and keep an eye on what’s going on through the NetCam’s alert features,” said Amanulla Khan, Director Sales, Belkin.
One of key features of the NetCam HD+ is the ability to work with the WeMo ecosystem of home automation products. Users can apply rules to the camera or connect activities with other WeMo products by simply using the WeMo app. The NetCam HD+ includes motion detection capabilities so users can pair their NetCam with other WeMo products like the WeMo Switch – so when the NetCam detects motion the device connected to the WeMo Switch, such as a lamp, will turn on.