French audio company Devialet aims to turn up its volume in China

Devialet, the French acoustic engineering technology specialist known for its high-end audio products, plans to open another two to three stores in China's major cities this year, after registering a double-digit growth in the country in its 2020 fiscal year, according to a senior executive.

Due to the experiential nature of the products, brand stores offering a full listening experience will continue to play an important role in the expansion and introduction to new audiences, said Martin Ku, Devialet's general manager of APAC region.

In addition to opening new stores in major cities, Ku said the company is also testing out more ways to reach people in smaller cities as well, whether it be through pop-ups or via shop-in-shop designs within partner retail locations, such as Drivepro and Lane Crawford.

While running three stores in Beijing and two in Shanghai, Ku said China will represent half of the Devialet's sales in the APAC region this year with continued high double-digit growth projected.

"As can be expected, e-commerce has been brand's fastest-growing channel in China," he said. "With further complement to the flagship store on JD this year, Devialet has gradually improved and expanded its store matrix and sales channels in China, achieving more than double sales growth on both Tmall and JD in 2020."

"The last Nov 11 Shopping Festival in China remarked a record-breaking month and there can be no doubt as to the level of commitment we are bringing to these online shopping events as evidenced by our last campaign," he said.

Apart from promoting its audio products including the Phantom series in China, the Paris-based company announced the arrival of Devialet Gemini – its first true wireless earbuds into the Chinese market this year.

"The true wireless market is growing rapidly - nearly 200 million units are bought per year, where China has become a major market for this segment," Ku added.

Home appliances and consumer electronics products witnessed strong sales since last year, as stay-at-home consumers purchased cutting-edge digital products to keep themselves entertained or to send wishes to family members in other cities, said Guo Xin, a marketing professor at Beijing Technology and Business University.

She said competition in the wireless stereo earbud sector is set to intensify as many technology companies are beefing up efforts to launch more feature-packed models, covering functions like noise cancellation, bio-sensing, waterproofing and integrated artificial intelligence voice assistant services.