Acer launches smartphones exclusively through Ingram Micro

Acer launches its latest smartphones through the channel in Australia

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Acer has launched its new smartphone range straight into the channel and signed an exclusive distribution deal with Ingram Micro.

The Acer beTouch E130 and E120 are entry level devices that cost $499 and $399 respectively. The Liquid E smartphone costs $699 while the Ferrari special edition version costs $999. Acer’s Stream phone can record videos with 720p resolutions and has a HDMI port to connect it straight to newer televisions for the RRP of $799. The phones all use Android-based operating systems.

According to Acer general manager for product group, Nigel Gore, the vendor was keeping its expectations low and realistic because of the tough smartphone market in Australia.

“The channel is going to be key for us to gain traction and to launch as a brand for smartphones,” he said. “We do have a sales target with [Ingram Micro]… It’s definitely a lower [sales target] at this stage because we recognise that we need to grow organically within this market.

“If we can sell 50-60,000 units in the upcoming year that’d be good…you’ve got to start somewhere,” he added. “As you move to 2011/2012 we’ll move targets into the hundreds of thousands of units.”

Gore said the first point of sale would be mass merchant retailers in the short to mid term, but he also said any Ingram Micro reseller would be able to access the devices. The general manager also acknowledged Acer didn’t have a reputation in Australia for smartphones and that the product would not suit all resellers.

“I’d like to say ‘everyone’s going to take it and it’s going to be great’, but that’d be factually incorrect,” he said. “It depends on their strategies as well. But a lot of resellers and retailers are looking to the smartphone space as a growth opportunity for their businesses.

“There will obviously be some joint marketing we’ll be doing with the resellers…and a lot of it will be based on our existing products and how they work together.”

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