From reduced costs to being eco-friendly, there are multiple benefits of using refurbished electronic products
How would you describe your journey so far?
Xtracover is a pioneer of this new organised sector & is focused on ensuring customer satisfaction, the core team is a mix of professionals that come with experience of over 20 years in repairs, refurbishment, warranty support, and products lifecycle management. The technologically equipped team also possesses industry expertise and has long-term OEM and ODM associations. With a strong domestic and global supply chain, the company’s ability to source components from across the world (and even directly from OEMs) gives the firm a competitive edge over its peers in the industry.
There is huge potential in the market for refurbished smartphones in India. We believe we have just scratched the surface of what the market has to offer. The more and more organised the refurbished sector gets the true potential of the market will throw up astonishing numbers. We believe that Xtracover is poised to take a giant leap because we are the pioneers in this industry and have positioned ourselves to take full advantage.
What are your key offerings to the customers?
Key offerings by Xtracover that caters to the whole range of after-sales services for mobile phones, IT products and consumer electronics:
· Warranty support- extended warranty, refurbished device warranty, accidental damage protection and screen damage protection
· Health check certification (XCQC)
· Repair and Refurbishment services
· Pre-owned certified device sales.
Briefly describe the uniqueness of the brand.
Xtracover is unique in the industry as this is the only place where we offer the complete range of after-purchase services to a customer for mobile phones, IT products and consumer electronics. We offer Extended Warranties, Accidental damage protection, Screen protection, Repair/Refurbishment of out-of-warranty devices, Just-in-time availability of Spare parts and components, we sell refurbished and open-box smartphones and laptops and even buy back old devices directly from customers who wish to sell. All refurbished and open-box devices sold on our platform are certified by our XCQC (Quality check) tool and carries a 1-year warranty which is managed by us end-to-end. Xtracover also facilitates on behalf of big Companies – for example, we manage end-to-end extended warranty & accidental damage protection programs for two of India’s largest Laptop manufacturers, unfortunately, we are unable to disclose their names.
Xtracover is focused on ensuring customer satisfaction, the core team is a mix of professionals that come with experience of over 20 years in repairs, refurbishment, warranty support, and products lifecycle management. The technologically equipped team also possesses industry expertise and has long-term OEM and ODM associations. With a strong domestic and global supply chain, the company’s ability to source components from across the world (and even directly from OEMs) gives the firm a competitive edge over its peers in the industry.
ATPL, through its brand, Xtracover, is committed to offering its services to the B2C and B2B2C segment, as there are no organized players in the market with a similar background.
4. How has the pandemic helped in the growth of the refurbished goods market?
People have started to trust refurbished products more after the pandemic. The reasons could be said to include cost-effectiveness & growing trust in brands offering refurbished products, as slowly and gradually the move happens from an unorganised market to a more organised & more structured one.
5. Can you explain the Business Model of Xtracover and its products & offerings?
Xtracover is India’s fastest-growing online platform that caters to the whole range of after-sales services for electronic devices and electrical appliances. A one-stop solution for all your repair, service, and maintenance requirements, Xtracover is a unit of Aforeserve Technologies (P) Ltd (ATPL). Based in New Delhi, ATPL was established by the founder and core team of Aforeserve.com Ltd. that boasts a legacy of over 20 years of experience in IT repairs and services.
· Pre-owned certified device sales with a 1-year warranty – We are an e-commerce platform that is into sales of refurbished Mobile phones, Android and IOS, and laptops with a 1-year warranty, easy payment options and pan-India Delivery.
· Repair and Refurbishment services – Anyone can book a repair service for their Mobile phone or Laptop using our e-commerce platform. We offer to pick up and drop services for Mobile phones pan-India and doorstep repairs for Laptops in select cities across India.
· Warranty Plans – Customers may purchase-
o Extended warranty plans for out-of-warranty devices,
o Refurbished device warranty,
o Accidental damage protection,
o Screen damage protection,
o Home Serve plans – to secure all their IT and white goods appliances at home through 1 single platform.
· Health check certification (XCQC) – XCQC is a Proficient Tool to functionally check the health/quality of Mobile Phones by performing 64 automated & semi-automated tests and generating a certificate for that particular device based on test results.
Are you planning to expand the organisation in the coming days?
Moving forward, the company plans to focus on creating Export Oriented Units (EOU) in India to increase its global outreach. It intends to get goods from large customers overseas, refurbish them in bonded warehouses, and ship them back. Since India doesn’t allow importing scrapped goods for refurbishment and sale, shipping them back and earning the service payment is one strategy to increase its global presence.
Any Upcoming associations and partnerships with other organisations?
We are tied up with a couple of big companies/players in the e-commerce segment, unfortunately, our non-disclosure clauses keep us from disclosing names.
Can refurbish be the Future of Consumer Tech in the upcoming days?
What started catching the consumer’s attention in 2017, people are now becoming more aware of the refurbished market and have started opting for the same. Research suggests that the global market for refurbished mobile phones grew by 4% in 2020, and it is expected to increase manifolds by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, India is expected to be one of the countries to drive the sales of refurbished smartphones in the coming years. Why? Well, the reasons are manifolds – Shortage of precious metals, Cost-efficient, Increased access to good quality refurbished devices, Availability of Quality assurance & warranty, Environmental-friendly being among some of them.
From reduced costs to being eco-friendly, there are multiple benefits of using refurbished electronic products. Consumers are gradually understanding the importance of the refurbished industry, and the entry of more organized players in the industry is further making it easier for them to access high-quality and tested products in the market. Valued at $10 billion with the consumer demand continuing to rise, the refurbished market certainly cannot be ignored, and it may just be the future of consumer tech.
Source: Business World
