Evolution in technology will improve quality of life and elevate fitness levels: Archit Aggarwal, Crossbeats – The Financial Express

'Smart wearables have been engineered keeping in mind the wellness aspect and the kind of impact it brings into peoples lives.'(Representative image: Pixabay)

Pandemic has created a sea of change and the market landscape and every industry has been trying to cope with the change by adopting technology or upgrading its products/service to stay relevant in the market. In the consumer tech domain, we have seen that companies have been providing healthcare solutions within their product portfolio where SpO2 monitoring devices have become the talk of the town. Similarly, the sedentary lifestyle induced by the pandemic where work from home has become a norm has also motivated many to use smart devices to monitor their health in the form of multi-utility smartwatches and smart bands. In an exclusive conversation with the Financial Express Online Archit Aggarwal, Co-founder of Crossbeats shared insights on the use of technology in healthcare and about his brand Crossbeats. Excerpts:

How significant are the health metrics offered by wearables in ensuring the wellbeing of people? How has the segment evolved with regard to fitness or the pandemic?

Our smart wearables have always been engineered keeping in mind the wellness aspect and the kind of impact it brings into peoples lives. Pandemic being a dictator at the moment, our line-up of smart wearables are well equipped with modern health tracking features like Heart Rate monitor, SpO2 monitor (blood oxygen), Blood pressure monitor and scientific sleep tracker. With the steady evolution in technology, we are constantly upgrading and bringing in newer features that will improve the quality of life and help people elevate their fitness levels to fight the pandemic.

How has been the last pandemic-struck 18 months for the brand? Please share growth figures

Just like all other businesses across the world, the pandemic dealt a blow to our supply chain as well as operations. The extended lockdowns that followed the outbreak impacted the fulfilment and delivery of the products. However, as we are a consumer tech brand with focus on e-commerce, our team was quick and responsive in adapting and improvising as per the changed work environment. We made provisions for work from home for our associates, ensured all safety precautions for our operations team and partnered with the right logistics company for last-mile delivery. Our associates attended a vaccination drive so that they can stay safe. Our marketing team adapted to the need for the hour and launched a bestselling TWS Crossbeats Torq, along with a couple of more products, designed specifically for the working professionals who needed work from home products. Smart wearables were launched thereafter to provide health tracking to the consumers in the wake of the pandemic. With all these changes, we have been able to significantly grow the base business despite the challenges.

What is your strategy for the coming months to carve a niche for your products?

We understand closely what the Indian youth demands. Over the last five years, we have been able to strike the perfect balance between style and technology. In the upcoming months, we expect to increase our marketing and create a clear value proposition for our end consumers. We have plans to partner with other big distributors in order to make our products available in the offline channels as well. Our marketing team is also working on launching new products that are loaded with industry-leading features.

What new features or products can we expect from the brand?

Crossbeats R&D team along with the design experts are constantly exploring the current scenarios to understand the requirements of the modern Indian Youth. Our findings have inspired us to design and develop products on a need-based proposition, with cutting-edge technology and high-end specifications. In the coming days, the market can see Crossbeats coming up with advancements to our noise-cancelling earbuds with upgraded sound units and enhanced microphones amid other new launches. In the smartwatch category, you can expect technological upgrades like faster UI and improved health and fitness monitoring.

Brief us about the journey of Crossbeats.

The inception of Crossbeats dates back to 2015, a period when the world was getting exposed to different kinds of consumer technology while it was still in its nascent stage in India. From wired earphones to speakers, most products available in India were either international and extremely expensive or local and not at par in terms of quality. The realisation of this gap in the Indian market made me and my brother Abhinav Agarwal embark on a new journey with Crossbeats, which we envisioned as a true Indian brand that understands the new young Indians and designs tech products around their lifestyle.

Crossbeats has since then evolved from being just an audio brand to a consumer tech brand for the new Indian youth. Recently we also forayed into the wearables segment, taking into consideration the needs of the pandemic-hit world where people need to keep a real time watch on key health metrics such as blood oxygen level.

Crossbeats has been for quite some time into audio products. How has the market sentiment been? Was pandemic a factor behind your entry into the wearable segment?

As an ally to the new urban Indians, who are active, on the move and adventurous, Crossbeats has over the years created products that push the boundaries of science, art, and technology. This has resulted in Crossbeats enjoying a loyal customer base and getting the opportunity to cater to those who are passionate about our products. With over more than 5 lakh happy customers, we have had a remarkable response to our exclusive range of audio products. Our customers love the designs and the engineering that has gone into each of our products.

Be it the iconic Torq or the stylish Pebble, Crossbeats products have always been designed keeping in mind the end consumers. Crossbeats had always envisioned the growth towards active living and products being an extension of a persons lifestyle. Therefore, the segway into smart wearables was an obvious decision to create unique experiences in the intersection between lifestyle and tech that enrich peoples lives. With a genuine passion for new technologies and user-centric innovation, we wanted to provide the Indian youth with fitness, and lifestyle experience as smooth and seamless as possible.

Many players are offering similar kinds of products at similar price points, what makes your product stand out?

As a lifestyle consumer tech brand inspired by current movements in fashion, art, and music, our products are very design-centric. Our philosophy is simple and focused on providing clean aesthetics, user-friendly features, and heavy attention to detail. The unique experiences thus created through our bouquet of unique products makes us stand out of the clutter. Besides, adoption of advanced technology, frequent product launches, appealing designs and competitive pricing has allowed us to create a fan following of our brand that has only grown stronger since our inception.

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Evolution in technology will improve quality of life and elevate fitness levels: Archit Aggarwal, Crossbeats - The Financial Express