Plantronics launches headsets for music enthusiasts

Headsets maker Plantronics today launched 'BackBeat GO', targeted at music enthusiasts, and said it expects at least ten per cent of its retail segment revenues to come from the product this year.

A large chunk of the company's revenues come from enterprise sales and contact centres, but it is now aggressively expanding its share in the retail segment.

"With BackBeat, we are trying to create a new category...trying to push music. This segment has a lot of potential.

People want to go wireless and want better sound quality," Plantronics Country Manager (India) Bobby Joseph told reporters here.

He added that the company expects this product to contribute about 10 per cent to its retail revenues and help Plantronics expand footprint in the consumer segment. Joseph however declined to divulge revenues from India.

"We see a lot of oppurtunity in the retail space. We are pushing to increase our share in this segment," Joseph said. BackBeat GO weighs 13 grams and offers a talk time of upto 4.5 hours. It also has noise reduction and built-in echo cancellation features and is prices at Rs 4,990.

Plantronics plans to more than double its sales point in India to 10,000 in the next 18 months to reach more consumers. It currently has 4,000 outlets and sells its products through retail chains such as Croma and The Mobile Store.

"We will continue to operate in the mid-end and high-end price range, but our products will be aggressively priced in the category given the feature sets," he added.