Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta co-founded boAt where they initially sold Apple cables. They pivoted by launching affordable earphones, and since then, they have launched many products, including headphones, travel chargers, smartwatches, and more. With a 32% market share, boAt has become the fastest-growing audio brand in India.(Approx. Reading Time: 9 minutes)
How did boAt achieve this? They:
- recognized a market gap
- nailed the 4 Ps
- leveraged influencer marketing campaigns
Get your gear on and let’s plunge
1. Product
The Indian youth were not satisfied with the boring and generic earphones that were available in the market. They wanted earphones that reflected their personality and style. They wanted earphones that made them stand out from the crowd.
boAt understood that the Indian market was missing something: earphones that were not only high-quality, long-lasting, and tangle-free, but also affordable and fashionable.
That’s why boAt designed its products to be trendy, colorful, and innovative, with features that cater to the needs and preferences of the young generation. Their products offer water resistance, noise cancellation, voice assistant integration, and wireless connectivity.
2. Price
boAt wanted to offer products at lower prices but did not want to compromise on quality and durability.
So, they followed a value-based pricing strategy. They wanted to be seen as a premium brand that offered high-quality and high-performance products at a reasonable price.
The brand created a perception of value in the minds of the customers by highlighting the features, benefits, and uniqueness of its products.
To make the customers feel special and rewarded, boAt also uses discounts,
coupons, and cashback offers. This helps to:
· attract new customers and keep them loyal
· positive word-of-mouth referrals
· increase its sales volume
By using a value-based pricing strategy, boAt was able to create a loyal fan
base of boAtheads who loved and trusted its products and were willing to pay a
premium for them. As Co-founder Sameer Mehta said,
“We are like Zara of electronics, not highly-priced like luxury brands or cheap like Chinese products.”
3. Place
boAt utilised both online and offline channels to reach its target audience.
With Indian customers increasingly shopping online, especially during the pandemic, boAt partnered with leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and Snapdeal to sell its products online. This helped them to reach a large and diverse customer base across the country and offer them convenient and fast delivery options.
The brand also collaborated with offline retailers such as Croma, Reliance Digital, and Vijay Sales to sell its products offline. This helped boAt to cater to the customers who preferred to touch and feel the products before buying them and also to increase its brand visibility and awareness in the market.
They also have their own website and mobile app to offer a direct personalized shopping experience to their customers. It has features like monitoring device status that helps the consumer to keep track of the functionality.The app also allows the brand to showcase its entire portfolio, offer exclusive deals and discounts, collect customer feedback and reviews, and strengthen customer relationships.
By using both online and offline channels, boAt has been able to maximize its reach, sales, and customer satisfaction.
4. Promotion
boAt used a mix of promotional tools to create awareness and generate buzz about its products. The brand wanted to reach out to its target audience and communicate its brand message effectively. As co-founder Aman Gupta said,
“Our product is excellent, and coupled with outstanding marketing, that is what
is the secret to our success,”
Influencer Marketing has been leveraged by boAt in many of its campaigns. Some of the most notable ones are –
boAt x Cricketers:
In this campaign, boAt partnered with 6 IPL teams and featured prominent cricketers such as Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer as brand ambassadors of boAt.
boAt x Celebs:
This was a campaign that involved collaborations with celebrities such as
Jacqueline Fernandez, Kartik Aaryan, Rashmika Mandanna, and Kiara Advani, to
endorse boAt products.
boAt x Musicians:
The brand also partnered with various musicians like Neha Kakkar, Diljit
Dosanjh, and Guru Randhawa in their #soulofmusicians campaign.
This helped to significantly boost their visibility, credibility, and overall sales.
These campaigns have helped boAt to engage with its customers and create a community of boAtheads who love and support its products.
Key Takeaways
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