Electronic consumerism all over the globe is at an all-time high, leading to a new classification of select electronic daily products being labelled as ‘Electronic Essentials’. The consumer electronics industry in India too has witnessed rapid growth over the past few years and is expected to grow a lot more in coming years. As per a recent joint report by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) and global services firm Ernst & Young (EY), India's booming electronics' market is projected to grow to $228 billion by 2020 from over $100 billion in fiscal 2016-17.

Subsequently, there has been a significant growth in the demand for products, be it portable (mobile phones, tablets, laptops), in-home (TV, desktops, digital cameras) or in-car (charging solutions, speakers) in the electronics market. With these devices becoming more complex and high-powered, there is an inescapable need for quality electronic accessories to ensure optimal performance of these devices.

Usually consumers put in a lot of market and user research, while purchasing the main electronic device be it a laptop, smartphone, TV, tablet or any other product. However, while buying accessories for those products, more often than not, they show a lackadaisical behaviour. We have seen people going in for inexpensive, unbranded accessories, not realizing the consequences of doing so in the long run.

Perusal of data collected from various electronics stores indicate substantial number of consumers complain of a multitude of problems with their devices such as overheating in phones, bad video quality on their LED TV’s, voltage fluctuations damaging the devices connected. All these issues are primarily attributable to low quality accessories that the devices are connected to. Hence, it is important to understand the difference between a product which is robust, durable and safe to use viz-a-viz cheap and unbranded products that are flooding the Indian consumer electronics market. These

are not only harmful for the electronic device, but also pose a significant safety hazard.

Educating consumers about the perks of making a smart investment while purchasing their next series of Electronic Essentials is the need of the hour

Differentiate between Branded & Unbranded Electronic Essentials
Branded electronic essentials are manufactured by reputed brands or manufacturers and are 100% genuine. Original products are much safer than unbranded products and able to offer technical requirements to meet desired quality and safety standards across the globe.

Choosing unbranded essentials also carries a fair amount of risk with it. Some companies produce cheap rip-offs of branded Electronic Essentials accessories which are far from matching the quality of the original. Parts made from cheap materials are prone to a series of potential problems. These include basic things, such as found unserviceable when unpacked, experiencing charging and battery issues in case of a faulty charger. Some chargers have been known to even catch fire when charging overnight.

Identification of Spurious Products
1. Being affordable is their one and only USP. They usually come at lower prices than the branded ones.

2. They do not come with any warranty or guarantee. This means, if any issue arises, you will be deprived of the opportunity to replace, repair or exchange it.

A few things to keep in mind before buying your next Electronic Essentials accessory

• Always buy from well-known, reputed brands and their authorised retailers. Brands have a reputation to protect and thus give due attention to delivering robust and reliable products to the market.

• Quality comes with a cost. It is best to avoid items with a super low price. These are most probably fake, Chinese knockoffs which aren’t even good to use and end up damaging your device. Always check for ‘Safety Standards’ markings.

• Every genuine electronic product comes with ‘Safety Standards’ markings that has been tested and is certified for sale in a particular country. One thing that consumers must definitely look-up before buying is the Guaranteed Genuine tag and keep their safety net on.

Cheap, counterfeit accessories are not only dangerous for the consumer’s electronic devices but also pose severe safety hazards. The need of the hour is to educate consumers about the perks of making a smart investment while purchasing their next series of Electronic Essentials which will truly enhance and enrich the experience of the device with which they intend to use the accessory they are purchasing, It will also give consumers a durable and reliable product that comes backed with the proper warranty thereby ensuring peace of mind for the consumer and proving to be beneficial in the long run.