As first tier car audio brands get more aggressive in pricing, where do the lower tier brands go? Valor said it aims to stay in the mid-tier for car audio head units and expand its role in accessories.
It has also greatly reduced its head unit lineup, now offering 4 AV decks, down from about 20 in past years. The full lineup now also includes 4 backup cameras, an overhead DVD system and one dash mount monitor.
“We’re reducing our SKUs so we can concentrate better on the product and the quality of the product. This is our primary goal,” said National Sales Manager Walt Detlefsen.
Additionally, when it comes to pricing, he adds, “We’re not going to try to compete with the lower brand items. We want to be a mid-level supplier, basically in multi-media head units that work with iPod and Bluetooth and similar key features.”
Valor plans to beef up its role in accessories but will not yet reveal which type, other than new backup camera products.
The company will soon ship a dash mount monitor for back up cameras. It has a 4.3 inch screen and may also be used with a new wireless backup camera Valor hopes to release in the near future. It expects to package the monitor plus wireless camera for $215.
It will also ship this month an in-dash car AV model with Bluetooth including audio streaming and phonebook support. The SD-904W has a 7-inch motorized touch screen, and integrated steering wheel control module You get iPod/iPhone support with an optional cable. The single DIN unit has a suggested retail price of $369.
Source: CEoutlook
VALOR – It’s all about quantity not quality! There products are pure junk at any price point.
Randall, good point. The top tier brands also saw the multimedia volume as a replacement/supplement to their decling CD business and price points. Unfortunately the retailer got the short end of the stick as they pushed down the price of step up units. What a shame.
Walmart is alive and well Barry.
After twenty years of watching the second tier companies slowly but surely improve quality (with some exceptions) the top tier had no choice but to start discounting as their sales were being eroded by second tier companies that were of rapidly improving quality,so I’m wondering,will it be ultra expensive top tier and then everyone else?kind of like we are seeing in home theatre.Comments?
A basic business premise that has never changed; Discount retailing is simply going out of business on the installment plan.
I sold Valor for about 6 mos. 75% of this crap came back defective.
Very well said Ray.
Rob Elliott
In Car Experts Inc.
BRAVO to Valor. The idea that a brand must have some identity other than lowest price is critical. Any one remember when Coustic was a popular car audio brand among retailers…? It was the brand a retailer sold to the consumers who could not afford Alpine or Kenwood. Then when Alpine and Kenwood met the Coustic price points there was ZERO reason for Coustic’s presence. That because Coustic pinned their identity on Alpine and Kenwood pricing. Lesson to ALL of us… Have your own reason for being. Do not pin your identity on some one else’s actions. They will change leaving you in a limbo of confused identity
Ray Windsor
German Maestro