Belkin banks on the Gen-Y of India

For the younger generation, purchasing a screen guard, device sleeve and a cover goes along with the purchase of mobile phones, tablets and laptops. The older generation wonders why.

I was amused by vendors calling out "Software Laptop Netbook!" at Nehru Place, Delhi , like they were selling samosas on the street. Though I occasionally splurge on protecting my devices, there are many unlike me - an average person spends about $108 on accessories while purchasing a tablet globally. Whether or not Indians keep aside a high budget, there is no doubt that the mobile accessories are gaining popularity is picking up all over.

Belkin is betting on the younger generation in India and aspires to be a $100 billion market by 2016 from a $22.3 million today. Mohit Anand, MD - Belkin India subcontinent revealed, "Our demographic space is the age group of 20 to 40 years who they believe are big users of mobile accessories and inter-connectivity solutions across computing and consumer electronic devices," he stated. In fact, the generation gap gets quite evident when you start observing the other side.

The accessories market is still at a nascent stage in India, and a very fragmented one. "We have a 30% share in the market and our products include hard goods, soft goods, and overlays." However, their main challenge is that the accessories market in India is largely dominated by unbranded Chinese products, which has acquired a much higher market share because if offers cheaper rates. Belkin aims to strengthen its position in India with disruptive solutions in existing and newer product categories, and retail and channel expansion. However, there are no intentions of setting up a manufacturing unit in India for the time being.