Generation Next Communications adds value by always being on the hunt for ‘what’s next’

[SINGAPORE] Kailash Gupta has spoken at length about making Generation Next Communications (GNext) a value-added distributor. That is, one that goes beyond just “box moving” to becoming a beneficial partner to its brands, retailers and consumers.

Over the years, the consumer electronics distributor has done so – from helping its retailers with inventory management, marketing and training, to giving offers to consumers.

But for Gupta, managing director of GNext, adding value is not a one-off project. It is the ability to go a step further each time.

This is what Gupta said sets GNext apart from other distributors, and why he thinks the company does not have a direct competitor.

“Most (other distributors) are box movers – they might be doing some value additions that we were doing two years back, but we have graduated from all those things that we have been doing for a couple of years already,” he said.

“Now we are moving on to look for what’s next – how do we help productivity, not just for ourselves, but for our partners?”

GNext distributes products from major brands including Apple, Dyson and Xiaomi, to retailers in emerging markets where the brands themselves are not present. These include Bangladesh, Mongolia, Dubai and Kazakhstan.

Over the years, Gupta noted that the company has helped retailers come up with programmes to ensure better footfall in their stores, and trained their staff to convert the footfall into a real sale.

In 2024, it focused on helping retailers create brand awareness and visibility.

SEE ALSO

Generation Next Communications aims to build relationships, not just sales channels

A mobile and IT products distributor for a new generation

For consumers, it also provides benefits and after-sales services, such as warranties, with no additional cost.

And amid the artificial intelligence (AI) wave, the company is now looking to tap AI to boost its operations.

“Value added can be divided into so many different things,” Gupta said.

“With more and more tools that we have introduced in the company, we will then look at how we bring in AI to make processes quicker and better.”

Gupta’s desire for the company to stay ahead of the game has led it to bag the Enterprise 50 Awards for the fifth year in a row.

GNext is also one of the top five winners in the 2025 awards.

Analytics

While AI may be the current buzz word for many companies, Gupta sees it as the natural follow-up to the offerings GNext has built over the years.

He noted, for instance, its warehouse management system that can track a particular product from the moment it enters the warehouse until it reaches its retailers in various markets.

And the company is committed – it has hired a data scientist to evaluate which tools will work best for it.

GNext’s AI trials set the groundwork for it to use analytics to improve performance, Gupta said.

“We’ve not been able to gather that much data and analyse (on trends) – it’s not necessary that if a particular product does well, it does well across all age groups,” he said.

“We are in the emerging markets – in these markets, there is so much more to be done with data,” he added.

This comes as electronics are no longer luxury products, but rather a necessity, he said.

With everyone carrying at least a phone on them, and having some access to a computer, Gupta noted there is much work to be done to compile consumption habits of electronics.

Then, by analysing the data, the company can better provide services that consumers want.

For example, GNext runs classes for consumers in its various markets.

These classes can teach consumers about a device or a feature of a device, or it can be about something completely different, such as cybersecurity.

“Those are the value additions, and that is where data analysis of AI will help us target the right audience, getting relevant topics which will interest them to talk to them (about),” he said.

Education is another key area that the company is focusing on.

“A lot of times, what we realise is people know a brand, but they do not know the power of the product itself or what it can do,” he said.

Gupta also noted that there are many retailers who have never been exposed to or helped by analysis.

Hence, the company is looking to train its retailers to sell products that will suit specific consumers’ needs, instead of purely selling a product across the board.

“In the last year, our focus has been more on developing our partners’ capabilities to be able to perform better, for which we have been hiring more teams.”

Investment

Gupta chalks the company’s success down to its investment in the right resources – this includes people, technology and infrastructure.

The company also has a good understanding of the markets it is in because it has people on the ground.

“It’s a very good mix of experience, professionalism, collection of data and then analysing it, critical decision making, execution of those decisions, evaluating the results and then going back to the drawing board,” he said.

This is not to say that he does not see challenges, though.

Gupta noted that geopolitical tensions have been a key challenge for the company, especially because it operates in several emerging markets that do not have stable economic or political conditions.

Consumers become more cautious in times of instability due to the slowdown in the economy. Spending power also decreases when currencies depreciate because of geopolitical reasons, he added.

Nevertheless, given how electronics are no longer just luxury products, Gupta said the key is to keep them accessible and affordable to consumers.

“We recognise that these products are a necessity today, so we try to keep it basic and make them available in different corners, so that it’s easier for people to be able to access technology.”

Beyond just top-line figures, access to technology is also a personal vision that Gupta has for the company: to empower individuals through technology.

This is reflected in the vision of the company, which is to touch the lives of every individual in the markets that it is present in with its products or services.

Gupta said a lot of what the company does – from the products in different price bands, to the after-sales services and classrooms for consumers – is all targeted towards this vision.

“Empowering people has always been something that has interested me greatly,” he said.

“That is what will change the lives of many, and what will bring better quality to their lives.”

Outlook

Instead of having aggressive expansion plans, Gupta is looking to keep things simple.

“We want to build upon what we already have, and have better penetration in the countries that we already exist in,” he said.

For now, the company continues to expand its offerings to consumers. For example, it is running a trade-in programme for old devices to keep prices affordable and to ensure that they can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

To increase affordability, it is tying up with banks and other financial institutions such as buy now, pay later services.

On the retailer’s front, it has opened new offices, including one in Mongolia, which has support functions.

It also opened two retail stores in Sri Lanka, which are managed directly by GNext.

This investment into retail is to help it gain experience to move into electric vehicle sales, which is more of a business-to-consumer channel.

“Our experience right now has been more around business to business, and now we are trying to gain more experience in business to consumer,” he said.

Even so, GNext has a target to reach revenue of US$1 billion by 2028.

To Gupta, this target is very much within reach, although the figure may look ambitious for now.

“The countries that we are in, I would say they cover about 6 to 7 per cent of the world’s population, so the market is already there,” he said.

“It’s about how we convert them to buy the products that we distribute.”

Furthermore, GNext is currently the sole distribution partner for many of its brands in most of its markets, even though it may not be an exclusive distributor.

This is not without effort – Gupta said the company has spent years building its reputation within the market, of being professional and always ready to go the extra mile to help partners do better.

“So when somebody talks about working with GNext, they know that they don’t have to think about trust; they know we are professional, we work as a team, and will always be accountable for everything that we do.”

To be a value-add distributor, Gupta is also motivated by the awareness that “great people do not do the same things that everybody does”.

“If you keep doing the same things that everyone else is doing, then you can’t really build a great business.”