Technology company Dell India and global search giant Google have separately announced tailor-made products for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India, thanks to the growing number of SME entrepreneurs.
Dell has unde or rgone a global restructuring exercise, to sharpen focus on SMEs. Google India has offered to sit with SMEs to show each how to cost-effectively advertise on it, besides extending an earlier free ad offer.
Recent reports by IDC and AMI Partners indicate that a third of global SMEs are located in the Asia-Pacific and more than 500 million new businesses will set up shop in the region over the next five years. India has 7.6 million SMEs, with their spending on information technology being Rs 15,000 crore a year.
Dell has launched tailor-made products for the SME sector, like the Vostro range of desktops and laptops, the only PC line specifically designed for the SMEs, as well as IP SAN storage technology, among the most power-efficient servers. Dell has also expanded its distribution strategy to launch the PartnerDirect commercial channel program to increase its reach into the Indian cities. Currently, Dell reaches out to almost 200 cities, big and small, in India.
“Dell itself started as a small business and, therefore, is in a better position to understand the needs of an SME. Dell expects to help SMEs with easy unified management tools and technology resources,” said Ravi Bharadwaj, General Manager - SMB, Dell India. Dell’s market share in the SME space grew two per cent last quarter, to touch 7.7. per cent.
Google India, on the other hand, has extended its free advertising coupons offer for SMEs across India. As part of this initiative, it announced a new service called JumpStart, where Google will offer free expert support to help SMEs build an online advertising campaign. Google specialists will work directly with SMEs to set up their AdWords account and build a customised campaign that suits their business and the budget.
All small businesses with an online presence will be able to avail Rs 2,500 worth of advertising coupons by just calling the number 1860 266 6622 and registering their websites with the Google India Ad Words platform. Sridhar Seshadri, head - online sales, Google India, said, “After the success of our pilot initiative in Chandigarh, we are extending the offer to all SMEs across India who are looking for advertising options on internet but do not know how and where to start. Google’s AdWords programme provides marketers a cost-effective platform wherein they can measure return-on-investment, monitor and optimise their campaign.”
Google says SMEs, which constitute 80 per cent of the total number of industrial enterprises, often face a challenge when it comes to advertising due to the high costs. Recognising this and the potential for SMEs to grow, Google India has taken a mix of offline and online initiatives to partner with SMEs and educate these businesses about the power of internet advertising. Organizing workshops and seminars in regions across India are some of these.
Small and medium businesses can start advertising online with a budget as low as Rs 200 per day and grow it with demand, says Google
