Star Tech is one of the most well-known names in the consumer tech segment of the computing sector in Bangladesh. Launched in 2007, the company has gained considerable popularity among the gamer community in Bangladesh by supplying high-end PC hardware and accessories to consumers by providing superior customer service. Star Tech, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, currently has 16 outlets across the country. In addition to physical outlets, Star Tech is also leading the way in e-commerce. Mr. Rashed Ali Bhuiyan, Chairman of Star Tech, has recently been elected as the newly elected Vice President of Bangladesh Computer Society for his contribution to this sector of Bangladesh. Star Tech serves customers in Bangladesh by supplying products of more than 24 global tech brands, collaborating with more than 500 retail partners, own outlets, and e-commerce sites. The organization has also worked on several government projects and various educational and business organizations.
The Journey of Star Tech
According to Star Techs Managing Director, Md. Mazharul Alam (Mazhar), “When we started our journey in 2007, each of our partners of Star Tech used to work in different companies. So, when we decided to do business, we decided to do something based on technology, as we are all working with technology. We realized that consumers did not have any trusted shop from which they could purchase their computer parts or gadgets. So we decided to give a showroom that would focus on the retail customers. Although there were some showrooms like this in IDB, very few showrooms on Elephant Road focused on B to C. So we decided to start our operations with B to C, focusing on consumers. Hence we chose the Elephant Road market.”
At that time, the global gaming industry was already quite established, but the market in Bangladesh was still relatively niche. But the entrepreneurs of Star Tech predicted that this global trend would start in Bangladesh very soon. He also said, “Day by day, the gaming market in Bangladesh is growing. Earlier Bangladeshi gamers would look for gaming PC in the Plaza Low Yat in Malaysia; during that time, gaming products were not much available in the Bangladesh market. So the consumers were also more interested in collecting the products from abroad, such as in other Asian countries or Europe. When we realized that Bangladesh has a huge potential market for this, we decided to source the gaming products. We are the distributor of around 25 different types of products, the maximum of which are gaming products.”
To establish itself as a gamer-centric brand, Star Tech targets gamers by arranging online and offline e-sports contests every year and offering gaming PC accessories and components from top brands. As the company continues to grow in the retail sector by offering products of internationally popular brands and customer support, it is gradually increasing the number of outlets and service centers while expanding its operations in the corporate sector.
Mazhar also said, “When we started with our physical store, we noticed that while buying a computer or laptop, people would come with a bunch of their friends and family who would help them by providing suggestions. But, even then, they wouldn’t make the purchase decision on the same day; they would eventually go home, decide, and finally visit the store another day to make the purchase. So we wanted to make this easier for our consumers. We wanted consumers to think in the comfort of their homes. So we focused on building a website with all our available products and their configurations so that the buyer can decide what is best for them and dont have to take advice from multiple people. And I can gladly say that we are successful. We have tried to contribute to the Bangladesh government’s initiative to build a digital Bangladesh. We are proud that Star Tech can also contribute to digital Bangladesh. That’s why we were serious about making a website so that we can assist our customers in purchasing from home. Our website is not only for customers; it’s also for our partners who work for B to B; the business people use our website every day to update their customers about the price and configuration of the products.”
In addition, from the start, Star Tech has focused on SEO-friendly and optimization of their site. As a result, when the customers of Bangladesh search for any tech-related product online, the search results show the results of Star Tech from the very top. As a result, Star Tech’s website has gained a lot of popularity among the customers, and the number of daily visitors has reached around 1 lakh at present.
Star Tech delivers the products ordered from the eCommerce site to the customers within 1-5 working days. From Star Tech’s website, customers can get various benefits such as purchasing products via EMI, MFS, debit or credit card, and free home delivery.
Starting its journey 15 years ago with a small store in Multiplan, Star Tech has six outlets, including the retail shop and service center in Multiplan only. With the growing popularity as part of the business expansion, they also opened their outlets in IDB. The company has a total of 11 outlets in Dhaka, including Multiplan Center and IDB, and a total of 16 outlets across the country, including Gazipur, Chittagong, Khulna, and Rangpur. Meanwhile, the GEC junction outlet in Chittagong was inaugurated in March 2022. At present, about 700 employees are working in the company.
The company is currently an authorized distributor of top brands such as Asrock, Antec, Team, Razer, Lian Li, Gamdias, and Palit. In addition, Star Tech is selling 24-25 high-end category products of various global tech brands in the market of Bangladesh through more than 500 retail partners and its own outlets. In addition to making high-end products available in the market, Star Tech has a huge servicing team of skilled employees to ensure efficient support services.
In addition, their corporate wing includes corporate customers such as educational institutions, insurance companies, and government projects such as the Dhaka Metrorail Infrastructure and Automation Project (ongoing), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hospital Automation Project (2021), Gandharapur Water Treatment. (2020), Janata Bank completed several large projects like Data Center Upgradation (2020). Star Tech regularly provides Enterprise Systems & Cloud, Network Infrastructure, Power Solution, Cyber Security, Data Center Solution, and End User Computing services. In addition, the company has recently been ISO 9001 certified for providing import, sales, and support services for ICT and office automation products.
Future Plan
According to Star Tech’s Ceo, “Star Tech started with one branch but now has a branch in every divisional city. However, before expanding to every district, we are trying to set up a hub from which our consumers can take our services.No matter where they purchase the products. Consumers should be able to take services from their nearest hub. By consumers, I mean our B to B partners. As we work with 25 different products, many people in business buy products from us and sell them in retail. To ensure services for these consumers, we will try to set up a hub in every district. After this, we are thinking of setting up our branches in various districts. After ensuring the service quality, we are thinking of expanding our branches.”
Since the beginning of its journey, Star Tech has been working to make global tech products available in the domestic market at affordable prices. Although currently the company imports and distributes globally branded products in the local market, they plan to import the products from the manufacturers in the future directly.
Mazhar said, “We have been associated with gaming events for a long time and have conducted many successful gaming events. As a result, we have realized how gaming events are held in the Bangladeshi market. We have a team, and we are working on doing it on a broader spectrum and internationally. So our team and the gamers in the Bangladeshi market are also associated with us. I want to say that not only us but also the guardians of the gamers should understand that gaming is an art. Many gamers are doing well in these gaming competitions. They earn very well and become successful in other fields utilizing their knowledge. I would request the guardians to nurse their children; we are also assisting them, and in the future, we will host many gaming events. As our primary products are gaming, we have to focus on gaming events. :”
He also mentioned, “Since the covid 19 pandemic, a graphics card shortage has been seen in the market. The good news is we stocked graphics cards of 2 new brands, Palit and ASRock. Earlier, we have worked with brands like Galaxy and xfx; as there is a shortage of products in the Bangladeshi market, the demand is much higher than the supply. Not only in the Bangladesh market, but the scenario is also the same in the global market. That is why we are working with some other brands; meanwhile, we have been able to source Palit and ASRock. We hope that the problems the gamers face while purchasing a graphics card when a graphics card isn’t available, they have to buy the entire set of PC to get a graphics card, will not be the case anymore. This issue will be solved very soon, and the prices of graphics cards are also expected to decrease. In fact, there’s a difference in price from 6 months ago. In the future, the price will drop more, and we will be able to make graphics cards more available. ”
The company is even working on producing its own tech products in the future. Besides, Star Tech is working with a vision to make its corporate wing a business solution-centric service provider, providing services like software solutions and data center solutions.
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