Mumbai: Gaming and e-sports have seen an uptick in India since quite some time and everybody wants to get a share of this pie in some form or another. So does gaming merchandise company Cybeart.
Established in Toronto, Canada, Cybeart was set up with a vision to provide all gamers and non-gamers with the most comfortable and premium high-quality products. Operational in Canada, India, the Middle East and North Africa, with its flagship product being premium ergonomic chairs, Cybeart also deals in accessories such as gaming mouse pads and phone cases.
Cybeart is an official merchandise partner with Warner Bros. with a license to create products based on DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, Space Jam, Harry Potter, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Tom & Jerry, Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes and many more. They are also partners with Revenant E-sports and Orangutan E-sports.
Cybeart is now exploring the Indian market to offer them their first premium gaming/office chair brand with the vision to enhance one’s gaming and working experience with cutting-edge peripherals. The company from Toronto set foot in India by associating with the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI).
The bold vision is to become India’s premier gaming/office chair & gaming peripherals brands – combining our high-tech products & fandom of famous IPs. Cybeart takes it seriously to ensure consumers are proud of their purchase and get the best results.
In an email interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Cybeart founder & CEO Krutik Patel talks about the partnership with Mumbai Indians & Gujarat Titans, being the official merchandise partner of Warner Bros., and more.
Edited excerpts:
On the evolution and journey of Cybeart
Our journey started amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw that due to remote working, people were experiencing issues from spending long hours in front of their computers, which gave us the idea to develop ergonomic chairs to solve this problem. Cybeart was founded and established in Toronto, Canada, after extensive R&D for at least 10 months. We have been fighting all odds and expanding our business. The premium quality of our products gave us the opportunity to partner with Warner Bros to build licensed products around their IPs and we also launched the world's first DC Comics Chairs Collection.
Soon after, we were approached by a distributor from the Middle East and after a few months of due diligence, we signed an agreement with them and entered the MENA region. We are now planning to aggressively capture the Indian market and promote our premium products to potential customers here. We bring our brand value from overseas; however, we have partnered with a few e-sports organizations such as Revenant, Orangutan, and IPL teams such as Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians with the plan to raise brand awareness in the Indian market.
On the product helping resolve the current lifestyle issue of remote working which causes alarming stress on muscles
Cybeart ergonomic chairs can help to reduce stress on muscles related to remote working. The Cybeart ergonomic chairs are designed to support your body’s natural posture and provide superior back, neck, and shoulder support. They are designed to keep your spine in its natural position, reduce pressure on your joints, promote better circulation, and help reduce fatigue and discomfort. Additionally, they come with adjustable settings to allow you to customize the chair to your personal size and shape, giving you the best possible ergonomic experience.
On your TG in India
Our TG are individuals who are looking for a comfortable and ergonomic chair that will provide them with a better sitting experience especially for long hours. These individuals may include gamers, working professionals, students, or anyone who has to sit for long periods of time. Our customers are anyone who is looking for a chair that can provide them with the best ergonomics, features, and comfort, a chair that is compatible and adaptable to their needs.
The 20-34 age group in India is an important demographic, as they comprise a large portion of the population. This age group includes DINKs, SINKs and Yuppies, who often have higher disposable incomes and are more likely to spend money. This demographic is particularly attractive to gamers, business executives, and working-from-home professionals, fans of licensed IPs, gaming cafes, hotels, and companies of all sizes.
On the important markets in India that you are looking at targeting
As an entrepreneur and business person, each market has equal significance, however, Canada is surely significant for me, as that is where I started my journey and currently, I am eyeing to expand in the premium market of India.
Being a digital-first e-commerce brand, we cater and ship to all parts of India. We have seen tremendous responses from cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Noida and many more addressing the tier I and tier II markets of India.
We did our research, to understand the market and measure its potential for growth, and took insights into target customers’ preferences, buying patterns, shifting trends and the action plans to sustain. It was also important to analyze the willingness of potential customers to pay a premium price for such services, which is closely connected to their satisfaction and meeting their expectations. With a large portion of the population in India being between 20 and 34 years old, and increasing numbers of gamers and home-based workers, India became the ideal location to increase our business.
On the risks, challenges, lessons and learnings of launching a product like a gaming chair in India especially
In a price-sensitive market like India, it is tough to sell any premium product which ensures complete satisfaction in return. And gaming chairs are known to be expensive, which limits the appeal to the average customer. Also, one of the biggest roadblocks is a lack of awareness. It is only recently people are realizing the benefits of getting a proper chair for their own health benefit. Ensuring high durability as gaming chairs are often expected to be durable, and if the quality is not up to standard, it could damage the reputation of the brand.
On understanding the business space and its prospects to expand in India
Thanks to the booming gaming industry in the country, the gaming chair market in India is estimated to grow further. There has been a rise in the number of tournaments being organized and PC gaming has become increasingly popular in India due to the availability of a wide range of PC gaming hardware and accessories. The demand is on the rise not only due to the rise in popularity of gaming but also due to the boom in content creators/ influencers, and the popularity of podcasts and virtual chat shows which make it important to place a premium chair in order to leverage the aesthetics, thus increasing the demand of a premium gaming chair in the market.
On the extensive research that has been done on the same
The gaming population in India is expected to reach 507M in FY22 and is forecast to reach 700M by 2025. Of this population, 45 per cent are full-time employed while 11 per cent are self-employed. While there are a variety of gaming products in the market, most of them are of low quality with a warranty of 1-3 years. However, Cybeart is the only brand that stands out from the rest as it has patented, research-backed products that are certified by the highest industry standards and offer a five-year warranty.
On the partnership with Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans
The partnership between Cybeart and Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans is an exciting opportunity for the brand to showcase its lifestyle credentials and reach a larger audience. The brand will be able to leverage its association with two of the biggest teams in the Indian Premier League to build its brand recognition and enhance its presence in the Indian market. Through the partnership, our brand will be able to leverage its association with the teams to increase visibility, reach new customers, create exciting content, and engage the fan base. The partnership will also enable Cybeart to create innovative products, promote special deals and discounts, and create a dynamic marketing campaign to drive sales and engagement. It will also be able to leverage the partnership to connect with local influencers and develop relationships with key stakeholders. Finally, the partnership will provide Cybeart with the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the preferences and behaviours of the target audience, allowing them to create products and campaigns that are tailored to their needs.
On Cybeart getting into mainstream sports via a successful partnership with MI and GT
In India, we have signed a multi-year merchandise partnership with the IPL teams Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans. We were just entering the Indian market when they officially approached us and now we are the official Merchandise partner for both teams.
We are offering premium products and since the time we launched our product, our aim was not to limit ourselves to the e-sports community. We vision it to turn into a choice of lifestyle. IPL is the most popular cricket league and with our team extensively working to establish the product image as a lifestyle brand and to achieve our goal, collaborations with franchise teams like Mumbai Indian and Gujarat Titans help differentiate us. We have a multi-year collaboration and now the products are being used by Cricketers in their team rooms, podcast shows and also in fan zones in stadiums which is promoting our image as a lifestyle brand.
On the official merchandising partnership with Warner Bros
We approached several top licensed companies and Warner Bros was among them who responded to us in two days’ time. Our conversations extended and proposals got a positive response, which ultimately resulted in a successful collaboration with them. This multi-year partnership between Cybeart and Warner Bros promises to provide fans and users with a comfortable experience through state-of-the-art chairs featuring iconic properties from DC Comics, Harry Potter, Tom & Jerry, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Looney Tunes, and more. Our association with Warner Bros has shed light on the likes of the world's first Lord of the Ring, Mortal Kombat chairs. With many more in the pipeline to become the world’s first in terms of product and IP.
On your partnership with Revenant Esports and Orangutan Esports
Exports in India have been on the rise, and this has primarily motivated us to get into the Indian market. For Cybeart, extending associations with leading e-sports organizations is imminent. We wanted to enter India’s business landscape through our partnership which entails us positioning our brand as India’s first premium gaming/office chair brand. We are proud to be associated with top teams who are champions in their respective divisions. Cybeart provides them with customized gaming chairs and gaming mouse pads too.
On your vision and way forward for Cybeart in India
We aim to become a leading supplier of ergonomic and comfortable chairs, committed to providing our customers with the highest quality, best value and most innovative products. We plan to achieve this vision by continuing to innovate and develop new products that are tailored to our customers’ needs. We also plan to expand our product line to include a wide variety of other items like mouse pads, and other accessories. For us customer satisfaction and quality assurance will remain a top priority. We also plan to expand our presence in India by increasing our marketing and distribution networks. We will continue to invest in research and development to ensure that our products remain competitive and innovative. We will strive to develop products that are reliable so that our customers can enjoy the highest levels of comfort and benefit from the products.
