It’s a brand that was once known among youngsters for its colourful offerings. Today, it’s a brand known for sensible pricing as well as innovations that keep people happy across a wide spectrum. Helping the sale of Skullcandy are the way we are consuming content — gaming or streaming. We spoke to Amlan Bhattacharjya, CEO and founder of Brand Eyes, the official distributor of Skullcandy merchandise in India.

What kind of shift are we looking at in the truly wireless segment? Are we still in the growth phase of wireless earbuds or reaching the peak?

True wireless earphones as a category has matured a lot over the last year, going from aspirational to trendy to borderline essential. After smartphones, it is now among the most sought after. So, it is natural for consumers to look for additional features to satiate their needs. Now consumers are looking towards more personalised features, better battery life, app support and seamless integration. Yes, we are still in the growth phase for this segment and expect to see more innovations.

Usually an earpiece worth Rs 500-700 gets included with many smartphones and people are happy using it. This also makes it difficult to make customers realise the importance of better earphones.

The growth of smartphones has validated consumers’ increase in consumption of media and the increasing popularity of the OTT platform. The demand for entertainment is increasing and so are consumer expectations for better sound quality. We are adapting fast to this requirement by working on industrial design, improved acoustics, better build quality and colour options to match your style.

More bass. That’s the only thing we keep hearing from most brands. Is bass the only important factor?

We immerse ourselves when we hear our favourite songs using the right device. Usually when one gets dissatisfied listening to cheap quality products and don’t have the right lingo to describe the experience — like in other topics — the word “bass” comes up to define good/bad quality of sound. No “bass” is not the only important factor. There are things like, treble, tuning of the driver to have instrument separation, and lows, mids and highs need separation and shouldn’t roll into one another.

Skullcandy has been around for 17-18 years. How has the customer profile changed over time?

The customer profile has evolved over the last many years. Initial customers used to be the youth who loved to add colour to their lifestyle and happily embraced vibrant colourful products from Skullcandy. With evolution of technology and consumers researching more products online, Skullcandy also produced well-designed and feature rich products. Now Skullcandy retains the youth profile and has added considerably to it in the adult segment with innovative products.

Amlan Bhattacharjya, CEO and founder of Brand Eyes Skullcandy

How much has the pandemic affected Skullcandy’s distribution in India and do you think people have started wanting more wireless options as work from home has became one of the most important cultural shifts of the era?

The pandemic affected the economy globally and Skullcandy India was not an exception. Yes, distribution got affected as malls, high streets and, in fact, the entire offline channel got hit. Online deliveries were made. Most of the consumption shifted to home locations and Skullcandy fulfilled this demand through online delivery partners and its website www.skullcandy.in. People now want more wireless options because it allows freedom to move within the home, better tech, improved feature set and there are work/entertainment benefits.

How are the music/sound needs of the work-from-home category different from that of purely music listeners?

There are four things — call quality, battery life, comfort and connectivity.

How has podcast shifted the sound profile on truly wireless earbuds?

Skullcandy shifted sound profile to next level by adding the following…

• Dedicated podcast EQ setting in new TWS (Indy Evo, Indy Fuel, Sesh Evo and Push Ultra).
• EQ settings more focused to bring out the vocals

What can we expect next from Skullcandy in the wireless-charging segment?

Currently we have two products in our portfolio that supports wireless charging — Indy Fuel and Push Ultra, which are priced in premium category and not targeting masses. We have upcoming products which will address the wireless charging needs of the masses.

What are some of the features that would make a lot of noise in the coming months?

The exciting features which Skullcandy may add to its product range are integration of new platform in product suite, SOC (system on a chip) based products, OTA (over the air updates), enhanced connectivity via app, and gaming focus.