MANILA, Philippines — The COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the tech industry, but Acer has been showing steady numbers to begin 2022 and is hoping to continue the progress until the end of the year and beyond.
Acer's Pan Asia Pacific president Andrew Hou, in a media press conference detailing the company's past and ongoing efforts for 2022, said their company is focused on helping to play a role to make the world a better place having just finished its own global press conference.
Hou said that in the first quarter alone Acer saw $1 billion (P52.3 billion) in revenue, with India, Vietnam, and the Philippines posting record-high performances.
Majority of the revenue was generated from commercial segments and gaming products, two of the company's major focuses for the year.
The Philippines in particularly had an 85% increase in commercial segments, contributing to the 57% rise overall, while India and Singapore's numbers nearly doubled.
For gaming, the three countries that saw the biggest boosts were Vietnam, (331% increase), Indonesia (145% increase), and Thailand (80% increase).
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Highlighting their 2022 plans is the onsite return of their APAC Predator League, as its last edition held in the Philippines was done online due to the pandemic.
With a tagline of "Become One," emphasizing the need to reconnect with fellow gamers, the 2022 edition will be purely physical in Japan as players of PUBG, DOTA, and more battle it out for grand prizes this July.
Susustainability efforts
Another initiative the company is preparing for is Acer Day, slated for August 3. This year, Acer Day will revolve around green products and the path to becoming more sustainable.
In this regard, Hou said that Acer has an internal goal of obtaining 30% revenue from green products in the next two or three years. He also proudly stated that other brands are doing the same, "We still need to educate the market... Recyled [material] is not [always] cheaper, and there are different strategies in different countries."
Asked if Asia, Southeast Asia in particular, is ready for green personal computers, Hou admitted that traditionally it is "mature" countries who would be prepared. However, the percentage of people who care about using green products in "mature" countries is the the same in those that aren't considered such.
The goal then is how to expand that percentage further, which Hou says could be difficult as the market in "mature" countries is more competitive, but still says they will continue to promote green products and again reiterates the need to educate the market.
More than an IT company
Hou shared that one of Acer's major successes was its lifestyle brand AcerPure, which was launched two years ago. Two of its appliances won the iF design award and Taiwan Excellence Award for 2022, which is why Acer is looking to expand it further to countries like France and Germany in 2022's third quarter.
He continued saying that it was a good move to be more than an information technology brand, particularly as the industry is growing more competitive and aggressive, thus why it is expanding its lifestyle brand.
One example is the question of whether Acer's energy drink, the PredatorShot, named after its popular gaming computers, will soon be available in the Philippines.
Hou humorously acknowledged the beverage's popularity and pointed out that some governments have local restrictions. He touched upon the PredatorShot having a dry run in Thailand, from where it can import — still, Hou said they would need to gain clearance first.
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