These 'Make in India' Bamboo Speakers are Giving a Tough Fight to Global Brands The company started with in-house designing, launched their products and put them to test in the market

A set of portable speakers is music aficionados' delight that satiates their craving for quality experience. What if you get these gadgets at an affordable price?

Boomslang launched under the banner of Bel Esprit Technologies Pvt. Ltd is striving to create a premium audio brand with a range of speakers that have unique features. The company has always stressed on design and efficacy.

Boomslang's first product was made of bamboo as wood has good acoustic qualities. It got an overwhelming response from consumers and is still being sold on Indigo Airlines flights. Co-founders Sandeep Ramani, Praphul Kumar, Gaurav and Renu are from engineering and marketing backgrounds and have always been interested in gadgets, technology, designing and acoustics.

Focus on Making Baby Steps at First

The team did a lot of research and started with small speakers. They started with in-house designing, launched their products and put them to test in the market.

Slowly and steadily they took bigger steps to launch big bluetooth speakers. For them, starting up wasn't easy. The company faced a lot of challenges while inching closer to their first launch.

"Cost, manpower, procurement of raw materials, assembly units, contract manufacturing, designing, price wars, creating brand awareness, building the trust in the brand — everything was challenging. However, we never got bogged down and strove hard to get the product ready with desired qualities," said Kumar.

The first Boomslang speaker was made of bamboo. Next, they launched Boomslang Canvas, a premium speaker that can also charge one's mobile phone sets.

What's the USP?

There is a lot of competition in the audio speaker segment, mostly dominated by global players. Boomslang speaker's USP is trendy design and pocket-friendly price, he said. The quality is on a par with big brands, he claimed.

"Our products give aural and visual pleasures to music lovers. Bamboo, canvas and shield (steel) are used to produce a unique handcrafted look. The design is the device's style statement," he added.

When asked why using bamboo wood, Kumar was quick to reply, "because of its superb acoustic qualities". It amplifies the sound and gives the product a premium look, he added.

Smarter Branding

Many foreign brands are emphasizing on branding to capture the Indian market, but Boomslang is cutting down on its marketing costs to provide products at the lowest price.

"Indians have been paying a premium for branded products as advertisement and import costs and several other marketing expenses, including profit margins of various middle players, are involved. We are providing buyers cost-effective products by cutting down on these additional charges. We don't charge a bomb as we know that aggressive prices will not attract customers," he stressed.

The brand has worked hard to increase its online presence and now enjoys a pan India presence. It has a strong retail network in South India with their products available in big retail chains. Very soon Boomslang products will make its entry in the Apple stores through the Apple Premium Resellers.