Trendspotting: Indians are willing to pay lakhs for the sound of luxury
Luxury electronic goods have finally arrived in India. Even as jokes about selling kidneys to pay for the Rs 1 lakh iPhone are doing the rounds, the deep-pocketed are investing lakhs on expensive sound systems.
Tasmayee Laha Roy
Moneycontrol News
If given the chance to spend around a crore, the average Indian would perhaps settle for a humble 2BHK or a flashy car or plan their dream European holiday. The tech savvy connoisseur of luxury, however, would pick up a BeoLab 90 and not think twice about paying Rs 75 lakh for it.
What is this BeoLab 90? It is the newest loudspeaker from Danish consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen that is not just available in India but selling as well.
BeoLab 90
Brought to India by Gaganmeet Singh, CEO of BeoWorld, these ultra-premium Danish speakers have taken off well in the country. India already has four proud owners of the BeoLab 90 in the last two years.
The BeoLab 90 is not alone.
The same brand is also selling BeoLab 50, a high-end active loudspeaker with 2100 watts of precision power. BeoLab 50 will be available in Bang and Olufsen’s flagship store in New Delhi at DLF Emporio and will soon be available in the brand’s other flagship stores in UB City, VM Road Bangalore and Taj Hotel, Santa Cruz, Mumbai at a price of Rs 27 lakh for a pair.
BeoVision Eclipse
Then there is BeoVision Eclipse that is a result of the first strategic partnership between Bang & Olufsen and LG Electronics, involving development and production of Bang & Olufsen’s TV line-up for the future.
BeoVision Eclipse will be available in two sizes – a 55” and a 65” version priced at approximately Rs 10 lakh and Rs 14 lakh respectively.
“Indians love entertainment and those who can afford it are willing to pay a premium to buy it. Quality entertainment is not difficult to sell in India,” said Richard Singh, CEO of Ricatech.
Targeting revenues worth USD 40 million in the Indian market over the next two years, this luxury audio electronic brand from the Netherlands is manufacturing a limited edition of jukeboxes in India.
Priced at approximately Rs 17 lakh, these are called Amitabh Bachchan jukeboxes. Only 100 of these jukeboxes are being made worldwide per finish.
The company will also be selling retro radios, record players, cassette players and small juxeboxes in the country priced between Rs 4,000 and Rs 1 lakh.
That’s not all though. Bose has also updated its most-loved headphones and launched it in India. Earlier this week, Bose announced its iconic QC35 II that will be the first headphone to offer seamless voice access to Google Assistant.
“The QC35 is already the world’s most celebrated wireless headphone, and a survival tool for modern life,” said Brian Maguire, director, Bose on-the-go products. “We didn’t change anything that people already love – with Google Assistant built-in, and new choices for what you hear, we made it better.”
The QC35 II noise cancelling headphones have started selling in India earlier this week at their physical stores and also their digital platforms for Rs 29,363.
Bose is also upbeat about their Lifestyle 650 home entertainment system selling in India. Priced at Rs 3,99,999, the Lifestyle 650 home entertainment system debuts the smallest satellite speakers in Bose history.
