In our Backbeat section this week, Amitabh Dikshit, Head Appliances, Eveready Industries India Ltd, says “Do it yourself” has been the key mantra in his professional life.
By Amitabh Dikshit
Head Appliances, Eveready Industries India Ltd
Having my roots in a humble middle class family made me learn simple solutions for our daily needs at school and home. Curiosity and unsuccessful attempts at studying and repairing household appliances upset my mother at times, but she did not know what the future had in store!
“Do it yourself” has been the key mantra in my 23 years of professional life. Unless you are able to do it yourself, you can neither delegate, lead or understand the crux and extent of work involved. This mantra has been one of the driving forces along my career path.
Testing, evaluating and performance trials on every small appliance with the minutest detailing that I came across drew my interest. Having worked with leading brands across various departments in the small appliances industry, learning by the day from several gurus in life, it is heartening to see an exponential growth in economies of scale in the industry, huge volumes being produced and consumed over the years.
Consumers have come a long way in the way they think and adapt themselves to the changing world scenario. Today’s progressive youth rejoice in aggressive competitiveness, brand awareness and demand for quality products by all consumer segments. With the advent of technology, the world is shrinking. International exposure that the current generation has, brings in jazz and vibe in the appliances business.
The appliances industry is highly fragmented and the market is huge. Many small and local brands too contribute and make a decent share in their topline and bottomline. The common man not only looks for ‘Value for Money’ while buying household products, but also looks to fulfill his emotional need by forming a bond with the product. Every new appliance is welcomed like a new member of the family. It is this emotional connect that needs to be kept in mind along with a good service team and back-end support while launching a new brand.
For instance, my kids always used to demand a red battery for their toys, a battery of any other colour did not bring delight on their faces. Was it an emotional connect? When we planned to launch appliances under Eveready nearly two years ago, I was fortunate to relive the legacy and emotions that this brand brings with it. We needed to be sensitive towards this and started with the basics to lay a strong foundation for this brand. Our vision was clear - to be a leading brand in the appliances business offering delight to customers while enhancing stakeholder value.
If you have a good service network, half your battle is won. So, before we came into the market, we had our ground work in place and a wide range of affordable products. The vision is clear in my mind, but I still have miles to go before I sleep!
Feedback: amitabh.dikshit@eveready.co.in
