2-in-1s selling like hotcakes, sales have grown 5x times: Snapdeal VP, Category Management

While reports about how PC market is head to a path of extinction have been floating for some time now, but looks like the void is being filled by  the promising 2-in-1s category. Rahul Taneja, Snapdeal VP, Category Management  tells us that the sales of 2-in-1s or what we also known as hybrids have grown 5x times compared to 2014. This has been triggered by lower prices (an average of Rs 14,000) compared to laptops, keen interest by teenagers and youngsters (aged 16 -22 years) and product awareness.

On Snapdeal, 2-in-1s contributed close to 10% of the overall PC category volume and is on a growth path to reach 15 percent of overall PC category during the current year, Taneja tells us. And, 2-in-1s from Acer, Lenovo and Dell are leading the pack.

So, will 2-in-1s replace laptops? Well, that still seems quite unlikely, owing to the different audiences that both devices cater to, he adds. Youngters find it a style statement and a portable device for work and play, while there is a significant enterprise population that prefers laptops.

So, what about those tablets, which come minus a detachable keyboard? Taneja explains, “Tablets as a category experienced substantial growth in the past on account of the mass acceptance of the touch-only paradigm for computing devices. However, consumers realised the limitation of these devices as they serve the consumption use-case effectively, but are constrained when it comes to content creation or for processor-intensive tasks. "

Market has reached a ‘a stable sales paradigm’ and this would only further work in favour of consumer education, and these users at targeted to upgrade to 2-in-1 devices, which is more stable with a Full OS, and other stronger features.

Needless to say, 2-in-1s from popular brands like apple and Samsung has given a further push to this segment. “The iPad Pro and the Microsoft Surface Pro devices are essentially incarnations of the same concept from the differing vantage points of Apple and Microsoft, respectively. The amalgamation of these devices points to the vision of these leading players envisioning the next-generation of devices that will cater to the new-age professional on the go. This consumer-segment values mobility that comes from a light-weight chassis, matched with powerful specifications that allow him to work on processor-intensive tasks at any time,” he adds.

Moroever, 2-in-1s at varying price points have helped cater to all type of audiences, from budget to premium.

The electronics space is the hub of innovation globally, and has been witness to multiple form-factor innovations in the past. The recent trends point to the forthcoming growth in niche segments, such as PC sticks, which were not on the horizon even a couple of years back, but have taken the market with storm. Additionally, the growth in the Indian market has been led by the coming-of-age of the non-urban consumer, who has accepted newer segments such as 2-in-1’s and portable netbooks, which serves the purpose of a traditional laptop, while being easy on the pocket.

Talking about other promising categories, apart from smartphones, he said, “The recent trends point to the forthcoming growth in niche segments, such as PC sticks, which were not on the horizon even a couple of years back, but have taken the market with storm.”