Takes quite enough resources to venture into a new market and serve new customers right. Some of the elements that need to be addressed include distribution, marketing, PR and support. Many companies venture and compromise in some maybe due to huge amount of resources required or company specific priorities based on policy.
Thus when a consumer products company dedicates resources to set up a service centre and showroom as Panasonic has done you know they are serous about a market. And this is the story of Panasonic in Nairobi. The electric and electronics consumer goods company decided to assert it’s presence in Kenya and East Africa by setting up a Showroom and Service Centre in Nairobi, Westlands. This is in the goal to better serve the region and to increase customer confidence in their products. We all know the difference between a product with scanty support and another with guaranteed support, by trained personnel.
This is the new Panasonic.
Panasonic has a range of consumer goods ranging from TVs, Cameras and Camcorders, Audio products, Home appliances, Beauty equipment, Air Conditioners, Telephone and Home Security and Batteries & Lamps. Panasonic wants to have their customers have a one-stop shop where they can both view new offerings from and at the same time get product service within there. This shop will be launching on Wednesday the 17th of July and they have already started the pre-launch campaign on their Facebook page in preparation.
If you are a mobile phones follower, you might remember one of the first Waterproof Android Smartphones sometime February last year from Panasonic, the Panasonic Eluga. Panasonic didn’t sell it to many markets, in-fact in the announcement it was headed to Germany, Italy, Spain and Netherlands but Africa being the new growth frontier and with a huge percentage of users going online mobile-first, you bet it wont be long before we see Panasonic with an offering in the smartphone segment.
Panasonic which is currently ranked as 66th in Forbes Global 500 companies sets it’s eyes on the East Africa market. This was previously dealt in with distributors and partners. The regional office, Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa FZE (PMMAF) being in Dubai, Middle East which is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation Japan. Soon Panasonic Plaza will be a name that Panasonic customers will come to get used to and hold close.
