(erid:2Vtzque8yT3) Alexander DU, Head of Russia and North America at Cougar, answers questions from the iXBT.pro analytical department.
In 2022, sales of Cougar practically doubled. What were the results for you at the end of 2023?
The last few years have indeed been positive for the development of our company worldwide and in Russia. Last year, we approached the $30 million mark in shipments to Russia, which is a significant increase and a good claim for Cougar's leadership in categories such as gaming furniture and PC cases, primarily. Sales of power supplies have grown very strongly, especially due to the expansion of the model range, and sales of liquid cooling have grown many times over, again due to the addition of the new Poseidon line.
To what extent has your company managed to avoid raising prices on its products, which Russian manufacturers often do?
Unfortunately, ruble prices did adjust by the end of 2023, but this is primarily due to exchange rate dynamics, which affect the price of imports. But overall, if you look at prices across all brands, even including those of Russian manufacturers, growth is noticeable across all products, and Cougar's adjustments look minimal in comparison. The brand's management closely monitors retail prices in Russia to ensure the fulfillment of Cougar's fundamental rule: "a premium brand at an affordable price."
Over the past year, your line of gaming and ergonomic furniture has been expanded with new models of motorized ergonomic desks, Mossa and Pure. What new things can your customers expect?
This question forces us to reveal a novelty that we have kept for the COMPUTEX exhibition. We are adding the Speeder line to our ergonomic furniture range – an ergonomic chair model for the office space, although gamers will also feel comfortable in the chair. Traditionally, our ergonomic furniture is exclusively represented by the DNS store chain, so the novelty will appear there soon, expectedly by mid-summer. Schoolchildren and their parents can welcome the new school season with the novelty very soon.
Ergonomic chair new product of 2024: Cougar Speeder
How is your competition with domestic chair manufacturers developing?
There is no such competition, because we have different positioning. Many domestic manufacturers build their model range for a wider segment of users, while our brand appeals to those who love a comfortable product of premium quality. Therefore, when it comes to sales volumes, we do not compete with domestic manufacturers, but we are proud to note that we are significantly increasing sales in our segment, which indicates the growth of fans of the more premium segment. If we talk about competition in general, it often happens that buyers "pay twice" for a low-quality product, and after gaining experience, they switch to Cougar, becoming our fans. Because the quality of the furniture is such that the chairs will last for many years, and buyers of Cougar tables can expect that their children, and even grandchildren, will be able to use the company's product.
How widely was experimental design used by your company in 2023?
2023 was no exception, we added an interesting case model FV270 RGB to the line, which is additionally offered with a rotating stand, and also launched chairs with active cooling NxSys Aero on the market. These novelties will be relevant this year. By the way, in the first 3 days of sales, this FV270 RGB case model entered the top 100 in the world on global marketplaces, which speaks volumes.
Case FV270 RGB with rotating stand
COUGAR FV270 RGB - Mid Tower Case - COUGAR (cougargaming.com)
As for esports, last year your company moved to a new level – supporting international tournaments where teams compete. What else are you striving to achieve this year?
This year, we will continue the tradition of supporting esports and tournaments, as we did last year. A number of events are in the final stages of preparation, in any case, this year users will see our brand's products at esports tournaments. And among the new collaborations is the appearance of branded "tournament" products in collaboration with esports organizations, an example of a joint product based on the Hotrod Royal gaming chair below:
COUGAR GEAR UP. RIDE OUT. - COUGAR x VCT EMEA 2024 Giveaway - COUGAR (cougargaming.com)
How in demand is active cooling of your chairs in Russia?
Surprisingly, unfortunately, the model with active cooling has not been as popular as we initially expected. It is noteworthy that on the retailer's website we see that buyers of this model leave very high reviews, but alas, there are not many of them: Customer reviews of Cougar NxSys Aero orange gaming chair | 5433165. DNS online store. (dns-shop.ru)
Cougar products in the DNS network (from the website www.dns-shop.ru )
So we are wondering whether the climate in Russia does not require active cooling of the player, or whether not everyone is willing to pay for an "additional" fan, but in fact the model remains in demand among a very limited segment of users, while the more budget-friendly novelty – the Fortress line and especially in white and gray – has simply become a hit:
Cougar products in the DNS network (from the website www.dns-shop.ru )
How are your online sales changing?
Online sales are growing faster because brand awareness and demand among the gaming audience have increased. It is enough for them to find their product on the company's international website and then order it at the nearest point in Russia. We are represented in all major retail outlets, and the products are also available in the DNS store chain, where it is also possible to order online.
In 2023, you said that you had developed very affordable solutions for beginners – and we will soon see them on sale in 2023. What are these solutions?
This is our Fusion S gaming chair model in fabric. It costs only 14 999 rubles, is exclusively represented in the DNS network and has collected a lot of satisfied users over the year of sales Buy Cougar Fusion S orange gaming chair in the DNS online store. Characteristics, price Cougar Fusion S | 5094325. (dns-shop.ru):
Cougar products in the DNS network (from the website www.dns-shop.ru)
A few words about your new products - Cougar Fortress, Atlant chair and Cougar E-STAR?
Fortress is an ideal model for those who are preparing to become the owner of a chair of our company for the first time. It is as affordable as possible, represented almost everywhere in Russia and has a very wide selection of colors. Atlant chair is unique in that the back support adjustment is built into the back of the chair, that is, as in a premium car. The chair is also wide and comfortable, you feel like you are in a business class cabin. But the price is correspondingly higher. But the E-STAR table was released for both beginners and brand fans. This model implements everything necessary for a very wide audience: electric height adjustment with memory modes, monitor stand, cable management, the surface is treated with carbon fiber and a huge branded Cougar mat that protects the entire surface. The novelty will appear in Russia at the beginning of summer, so we are very much looking forward to the first comments. It is important for us to understand how users will receive this novelty in 2024.
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