Lucky Star Computers
KU Shankri, Founder and CEO
Lucky Star Computers was established in 1998 with a focus on four main lines of business – SMB, trading, retail and service – and has since gone to form long-lasting relationships with customers.
One of the major issues in the channel has been the competition from the power retailers. To differentiate itself from the market, KU Shankri, Founder and CEO, Lucky Star Computers, says, “We have segmented ourselves into a niche area, which does not thrive merely on economic rationality but emphasises on value additions in terms of technical expertise dissemination, high-end solutions to the discerning customers who seek such services and are willing to pay little higher than a typical consumer driven by economic considerations.”
With about 70 percent of the business coming from systems and hardware category, the reseller sells products from across brands such as Acer, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus and Acer.
Although Shankri has been in the market for the last two decades, she says, every day is a new learning experience. “I do not hesitate to take risks in investment decisions. If an idea excites me, I tend to pursue it till it is implemented or culminates in an appropriate response. I have stopped looking back at failures and tend to look at the positive side.” She believes this thought-process has helped the company thrive in the competitive market space.
Today Lucky Star boasts of seven showrooms, out of which two are located in India.
Shankri says that though the market conditions are favourable for companies to do business in the region, it is necessary to fight the competition from the power retailers. “The threat of the power resellers who have encroached upon the space, which was traditionally led by SMBs, must be dealt with. This is a serious challenge, which needs a concentrated effort from all quarters.”
