Channel Post speaks to Tareq Husseini, SanDisk’s Regional Sales Director for Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa, about the company’s plans for GITEX and the months ahead.
Are you participating at GITEX Shopper or GITEX Technology Week this year?
Yes, we are very excited about being a part of GITEX Shopper this year and we have some great products and promotions available through our retailers. We want to focus mainly on our high capacity and high performance products. It’s our aim to encourage customers to purchase these products as we feel they are not only relevant, but vital for the demands we have seen through 4K video recording, High definition action cameras and 360 degree recording.
What is your theme for GITEX Shopper and GITEX Technology Week?
We have placed a lot of focus on our mobile storage solution products and our high capacity products. These are the high performance Imaging SD cards and high performance, high speed USB drives. We are also running a consumer promotion where consumers can choose how much gold they can win based on what capacity product they buy. So, if they buy a 128GB product they stand a chance to win 128 grams of gold. This runs throughout Gitex Shopper and Technology Week and ends on the 8th November 2016.
What technology and market trends have you seen this year on the Middle East market?
We have definitely noticed a rise in demand for mobile storage solutions and virtual reality data. While VR is looking into the future, mobile storage solutions are essential now and this is our focus at GITEX. Consumers are running out of storage on their Android and Apple devices. New technologies enable the use of USB to expand existing capacities. SanDisk has a range of products that act as a dual drive for Android and the iXpand for iOS devices as well as a wireless solution (Connect Stick) that works simultaneously with both platforms.
Will you be launching any new products or solutions at GITEX this year?
There are no new launches for Gitex this year. SanDisk recently announced a 256GB micro SD card at IFA in Berlin. This high capacity card is available at Gitex now. SanDisk will also be showcasing the recently announced 256GB micro SD card at GITEX.
What sort of channel engagements have you planned for GITEX?
We hope to see our retail partners at GITEX showcase our products and communicate the exciting promotions we have running during this time with our customers. We are always open to new opportunities across the region, more specifically Africa.
How does GITEX Shopper and GITEX Technology Week fit into your overall regional strategies?
It is an opportunity for us to communicate with the customers, not only for us to showcase our products, but to hear what they think as well. We take GITEX Shopper seriously as an important part of our retail calendar.
SanDisk is continually adding new capacities and upgrading the product range. In the recent months we have launched an exciting range of External portable SSD drives to cater for the on the go professionals and photographers. The Extreme 510 portable SSD is water resistant and dust proof and suited to everyday outdoor use.
