India still presents a tremendous opportunity for PC industry: Vickram Bedi, sr director, Personal Systems, HP India – Times of India
Vickram Bedi is the senior director of HP Inc’s Personal Systems Business in India. Vickram has been instrumental in driving HP’s growth in India’s PC market including its gaming focused initiatives. Vickram comes with a diverse industry experience having worked with various domains, including consumer, SMB, mid-market, corporate, brand stores and distribution. In an interaction with Times of India Tech, Bedi spoke about the PC market in the country, the challenges, impact of pandemic and the future roadmap. Excerpts:
How has the pandemic changed the PC business in the country and globally?
PCs in today’s fast-paced world have become an essential way of life. The shift to a hybrid lifestyle and cohabitation of employment, education, entertainment, and play online has made PCs a one-stop-shop. Moreover, customers demand for laptops increased as employee and organisational security became a key focus. Trends such as “Earn from home,” “Learn from home,” “Work from home,” and “Play from home” are now deeply established in the customer’s way of life, despite the pandemic waves having passed and our exploration of new hybrid approach. One PC per person is the reality of the day and this trend has only been magnified during the pandemic. While the PC demand in India has skyrocketed in the last 2 years, however, the pace of growth in India is moderating. India’s PC market in 2023 will be propelled by the demand for a strong, durable, capable, and multipurpose device. We are optimistic to remain committed and provide value to our customers by fulfilling these multipurpose needs.
The world is gradually gaining a sense of normalcy. How will that impact the PC business, keeping in mind SMBs?
HP expects to see continued PC unit growth in 2023, driven largely by SMBs. India has over 64 million SMBs, the majority of them have been severely impacted in the last two years. For them to survive and revive their businesses, they must digitally transform their business models. The ongoing ecommerce revolution will open new markets for them, and their businesses will become more sustainable as a result of this digital transformation process. Our goal is to digitise SMBs. With the segment being critical for the growth of the economy, we are building dedicated SMB-focused products and solutions to help SMBs.
We have convenient leasing models (Device as a Service – DaaS) from business-ready laptop range and finance options with O% interest from our finance partners. We also have a unique co-sell co-deliver model for our enterprise and SMB customers where HP and partners collaborate. We also have some customized B2B models depending on the scale and complexity of the activity.
Overall, the PC market has shown a decline and almost every brand has been affected. What are the reasons for the decline?
The pace of growth in the PC market has moderated, according to the latest IDC data. However, India still presents a tremendous opportunity for the PC industry due to adoption of hybrid work and education, growth in gaming, and expansion of the gig worker ecosystem. In addition to this, India’s consistent growth cycle has allowed the PCs to become a highly personal and multipurpose device, be it for the new era of modern entertainment through streaming and OTT platforms or with the transformed digital learning methods of the educational system.
As hybrid working models are evolving, the need for digitisation is becoming more critical for Indian businesses. SMBs who survived and thrived during the pandemic were those who were digitally prepared and technologically capable. The casualties were more in businesses that had a traditional way of working from office without adequate technology intervention. Hence the need and demand for PCs may differ, but the usage is robust on both consumer and commercial levels with growth in the near future.
How has HP’s portfolio changed/evolved in the last two years?
At HP, we continue to modernise our products because believing in the power of ‘insight-based innovation’ we understand how our customers are using technology, what pain points do they have, and how we can help them overcome it by converting insights into products and features. Our recent line-up of product launches reflects this commitment.
With the rise in hybrid work and learning, we have identified that our consumers now desire intelligent devices which can serve the purpose of both work and play. We recently launched an AI powered Spectre x360 portfolio. We have also announced the updates to our Pavilion line up with a special focus on hybrid work. The device offers features including EyeSafe certified Displays.
Over the past few years, gaming has seen tremendous growth across the world, and India has been no exception. According to our recent HP India Gaming Landscape Study 2022, two-thirds of serious gamers see a career in gaming in India. The study also revealed that gamers are looking for better graphics, more storage, and immersive displays in a gaming PC. At HP, we understand that gaming is no longer specific to a certain segment of the audience. The latest gaming portfolio comprises the new Omen 16, Omen 17 and Victus 15 & Victus 16 laptops with Intel core 12th Gen and AMD Ryzen 6000 series processors.
How do you see hybrid devices evolving in the next few years?
According to the recently launched HP Hybrid Work Study 2022, organisations need to provide better tools and technology to employees in a hybrid work environment. The concept of Technology Shame is one that often hinders acceptance of hybrid work and a holistic work approach. The study shows the potential embarrassment of tech failures is causing more than a third of younger respondents to purchase their own equipment. The emergence of hybrid offices and learning presents a once-in-a-generation chance to reimagine how we have previously operated. In today’s hybrid world, employees need tools that enable asynchronous collaboration, allowing them to learn and work from anywhere, anytime.
Organisations need to equip themselves with the latest digital tools to create the right hybrid scenarios for their teams. A better integration of cloud technology, accessibility to information, computing devices built with AI capabilities could raise efficiency, provide a medium for entertainment, and improve hybrid working. Collaboration tools are also critical to meet ongoing goals for full digital awareness, diversity, and inclusion.
What are the biggest hybrid work technologies HP is betting on, any hybrid smart technologies that you think are here to stay?
The rise of hybrid work is sustaining demand for technology that facilitates seamless cooperation between the home and workplace. It is predicted that the office meeting room solutions segment is expected to triple by 2024. We recently announced the acquisition of Poly, a provider of workplace collaboration solutions. This will further accelerate our strategy to create a more growth-oriented portfolio, further strengthen our industry opportunity in hybrid work solutions, and position the combined organisation for long-term sustainable growth and value creation.
How has the pandemic changed the PC business in the country and globally?
PCs in today’s fast-paced world have become an essential way of life. The shift to a hybrid lifestyle and cohabitation of employment, education, entertainment, and play online has made PCs a one-stop-shop. Moreover, customers demand for laptops increased as employee and organisational security became a key focus. Trends such as “Earn from home,” “Learn from home,” “Work from home,” and “Play from home” are now deeply established in the customer’s way of life, despite the pandemic waves having passed and our exploration of new hybrid approach. One PC per person is the reality of the day and this trend has only been magnified during the pandemic. While the PC demand in India has skyrocketed in the last 2 years, however, the pace of growth in India is moderating. India’s PC market in 2023 will be propelled by the demand for a strong, durable, capable, and multipurpose device. We are optimistic to remain committed and provide value to our customers by fulfilling these multipurpose needs.
The world is gradually gaining a sense of normalcy. How will that impact the PC business, keeping in mind SMBs?
HP expects to see continued PC unit growth in 2023, driven largely by SMBs. India has over 64 million SMBs, the majority of them have been severely impacted in the last two years. For them to survive and revive their businesses, they must digitally transform their business models. The ongoing ecommerce revolution will open new markets for them, and their businesses will become more sustainable as a result of this digital transformation process. Our goal is to digitise SMBs. With the segment being critical for the growth of the economy, we are building dedicated SMB-focused products and solutions to help SMBs.
We have convenient leasing models (Device as a Service – DaaS) from business-ready laptop range and finance options with O% interest from our finance partners. We also have a unique co-sell co-deliver model for our enterprise and SMB customers where HP and partners collaborate. We also have some customized B2B models depending on the scale and complexity of the activity.
Overall, the PC market has shown a decline and almost every brand has been affected. What are the reasons for the decline?
The pace of growth in the PC market has moderated, according to the latest IDC data. However, India still presents a tremendous opportunity for the PC industry due to adoption of hybrid work and education, growth in gaming, and expansion of the gig worker ecosystem. In addition to this, India’s consistent growth cycle has allowed the PCs to become a highly personal and multipurpose device, be it for the new era of modern entertainment through streaming and OTT platforms or with the transformed digital learning methods of the educational system.
As hybrid working models are evolving, the need for digitisation is becoming more critical for Indian businesses. SMBs who survived and thrived during the pandemic were those who were digitally prepared and technologically capable. The casualties were more in businesses that had a traditional way of working from office without adequate technology intervention. Hence the need and demand for PCs may differ, but the usage is robust on both consumer and commercial levels with growth in the near future.
How has HP’s portfolio changed/evolved in the last two years?
At HP, we continue to modernise our products because believing in the power of ‘insight-based innovation’ we understand how our customers are using technology, what pain points do they have, and how we can help them overcome it by converting insights into products and features. Our recent line-up of product launches reflects this commitment.
With the rise in hybrid work and learning, we have identified that our consumers now desire intelligent devices which can serve the purpose of both work and play. We recently launched an AI powered Spectre x360 portfolio. We have also announced the updates to our Pavilion line up with a special focus on hybrid work. The device offers features including EyeSafe certified Displays.
Over the past few years, gaming has seen tremendous growth across the world, and India has been no exception. According to our recent HP India Gaming Landscape Study 2022, two-thirds of serious gamers see a career in gaming in India. The study also revealed that gamers are looking for better graphics, more storage, and immersive displays in a gaming PC. At HP, we understand that gaming is no longer specific to a certain segment of the audience. The latest gaming portfolio comprises the new Omen 16, Omen 17 and Victus 15 & Victus 16 laptops with Intel core 12th Gen and AMD Ryzen 6000 series processors.
How do you see hybrid devices evolving in the next few years?
According to the recently launched HP Hybrid Work Study 2022, organisations need to provide better tools and technology to employees in a hybrid work environment. The concept of Technology Shame is one that often hinders acceptance of hybrid work and a holistic work approach. The study shows the potential embarrassment of tech failures is causing more than a third of younger respondents to purchase their own equipment. The emergence of hybrid offices and learning presents a once-in-a-generation chance to reimagine how we have previously operated. In today’s hybrid world, employees need tools that enable asynchronous collaboration, allowing them to learn and work from anywhere, anytime.
Organisations need to equip themselves with the latest digital tools to create the right hybrid scenarios for their teams. A better integration of cloud technology, accessibility to information, computing devices built with AI capabilities could raise efficiency, provide a medium for entertainment, and improve hybrid working. Collaboration tools are also critical to meet ongoing goals for full digital awareness, diversity, and inclusion.
What are the biggest hybrid work technologies HP is betting on, any hybrid smart technologies that you think are here to stay?
The rise of hybrid work is sustaining demand for technology that facilitates seamless cooperation between the home and workplace. It is predicted that the office meeting room solutions segment is expected to triple by 2024. We recently announced the acquisition of Poly, a provider of workplace collaboration solutions. This will further accelerate our strategy to create a more growth-oriented portfolio, further strengthen our industry opportunity in hybrid work solutions, and position the combined organisation for long-term sustainable growth and value creation.
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