Pioneer Gulf, one of the world’s leading electronics manufacturing companies, has its sights set on Kenya.  The firm is already on a campaign to saturate the market with at least 50 new products.

“Our strategy is to offer a feature rich product lineup at affordable prices, with excellent functionality,” said Pioneer Gulf Business Development Manager, Toshiyuki Yoshikawa.

Speaking during an event to promote their products at the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi, he said that the sales situation in Kenya was favourable. The firm has already opened up a customer service branch in Westlands. Its products are available in several electronic distribution shops and stores across the country.

“We are trying to make the product easily available to our customers by expanding our sales channel,” he said. Toshiyuki added that Pioneer Gulf had also managed to strengthen their brand through the use of print and electronic media.

Since their partnership with Fedel Investment about a year ago, Pioneer product sales in Kenya have increased 300%.  According to the company’s half year results, the growth was prompted by their expanded line of CD receivers with 13 new models introduced to the market during that period.

The company has since released a new range of car entertainment systems that cost anywhere from KES 10,700 to KES 65,200 and beyond. According to Toshiyuki, product penetration in Nairobi alone currently stands at 90%. The firm previously started a similar campaign in Nigeria. It also lunched the locally-available Mixtrax products in Dubai in 2011. Pioneer believes that the product will be popular among Kenyan consumers. “It’s like having a DJ in your car,” said Pioneer Gulf’s Senior Marketing Manager, M. Muraidhar.

Road Safety

Their new products come at a time when the Kenya government intends to crack down on loud music in public areas. Muriadhar has assured consumers that the loudness and bass levels of their products can be adjusted without having to fiddle with the units. He noted that each device comes with a remote control.

Fedel Investment Team Leader, Fredrick Muyumbu added that Pioneer Gulf had no intentions of causing any conflict with regard to Kenyan law.

Speaking to pesatalk, he said that the products were designed with consumer safety in mind. He noted that the devices had wireless options, including a Bluetooth piece that lets the driver answer calls without having to pick up the phone.

Counterfeit Concerns

Pioneer Gulf has had a Kenyan presence for quite some time but counterfeit products have been a concern to some consumers. In response to this, Muyumbu said “We ensure that only authentic products are being sold by our dealers.” He added that customers should only buy products that come with a warranty.

“All our products have a seal with a 3D logo to distinguish them from the counterfeit goods,” Muyumbi said, assuring consumers that the seal could not be easily replicated.

Furthermore, Pioneer intends to train its installation staff to ensure quality servicing and customer satisfaction.

“We will offer more market-oriented products by closely monitoring customer needs and demands,” said Toshiyuki.  He told Pesatalk that Pioneer was charting its expansion into emerging markets noting that Kenya was the company’s prime target within the East African region. With a growing GDP and an educated workforce, Toshiyuki said that the country had the potential to be a profitable business environment.

He also noted that the firm was targeting other East African countries, including Uganda and Tanzania.