How these ex-engineers built an electronics startup that’s now one of Shopee’s best-selling brands

Blackdot Technologies is a Singapore-based electronic online store that provides futuristic and unique model electronic products to consumers, and is currently ranked one of the top five best-selling brands on Shopee Singapore.

Prior to starting up Blackdot, Prajin and his fellow co-founder (who wishes to remain anonymous) worked together as engineers in the semiconductor field. Having graduated with an Honours degree from Northumbria University in UK, Prajin went on to pursue a career in engineering in 2014.  

With one simple goal in mind, Blackdot was founded in January 2019 to bring in high quality gadgets into the market, which involved intensive research, multiple testing and modifications.

Affordable gadgets with the latest specs and functions 

Prajin acknowledged that they would have to compete with other global tech brands, which is why they chose to position themselves as an “affordable” brand to stand out amongst the competitive crowd.

“Before launching, we decided to study and conduct research on current gadget brands and their functions. We realised that consumers require high-end gadgets that comprise of the latest technological features and specs, all at an affordable price,” shared Prajin.

They also asked consumers the price range they are willing to pay, as well as the type of gadgets they are interested in.

After gathering enough market data, they went on to manufacture the products at the lowest cost possible, without compromising the quality of their products, which are equipped with the latest technological features and specs.

Sales was rather encouraging at the start. After selling their first few units, they realised that customers actually returned to make a repeat purchase, which is a testament that customers are satisfied with their products.

To date, Blackdot Technologies has sold 55,000 pieces of their best-selling product, the Blackdot Pro Wireless Earbuds.

This eventually led them to expand their product portfolio to include smartwatches and speakers, among other gadgets.

Covid-19: A threat that turned into an opportunity

When Covid-19 hit Singapore shores, Blackdot faced difficulty in securing the supply of their products. Blackdot was then forced to shut down its online store until they were able to regain supplies of its products.

Blackdot was also quick to adopt a more sustainable strategy in terms of product development.

“Instead of launching new models each year like most brands do, we stay focused on keeping the same model and upgrading our existent products with the latest technologies,” said Prajin, adding that they always listen to customer feedback to further improve their products.

For instance, its earbuds now has three different models: the Blackdot Pro Wireless Earbuds, Blackdot Touch Pro Wireless Earbuds, and Blackdot Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds.  

“All of these models are well-built and of excellent quality. The size of the earbuds are handy and the design are of premium quality. Most of our customers are amazed by the quality of the product that is available at such an affordable price,” shared Prajin. 

Besides the price tag and top-notch quality, he cited other factors that contribute to its success, including outstanding specs, as well as good customer service and speedy delivery.

Brand image a higher priority than making profits

After two years of battling Covid challenges, Blackdot’s co-founders decided to devote more time to the startup to elevate it to greater heights.

Prajin ended up quitting his full-time engineering job to focus on marketing the brand, while his partner continued to pursue her engineering career and conduct all other activities relating to the brand at the same time.  

At the start, the duo used their personal savings and even took out personal loans to fund the startup.

It took them 1.5 years for them to break even and since the startup is still in its early stages, the co-founders use the bulk of their profits (90 per cent) to reinvest into the business.

“We concentrate more on brand image rather than making profit alone,” said Prajin, adding that the best form of marketing is through the power of word-of-mouth.

“We do not focus on fancy packaging boxes or unboxing experiences. Instead, we place our focus solely on the product quality and customer satisfaction.”

In just a few short years, Blackdot has managed to bag several awards. In 2020, they were one of top five best-selling brands on Shopee Singapore during their 10.10, 11.11 and 12.12 sales.

The following year, the brand won the “Shopee SG Best Use of Shopee Ads” award. Currently, the Blackdot Pro Wireless Earbuds is listed as the top wireless earbud seller on Shopee.

Besides Shopee SG, Blackdot’s products are also available on other e-commerce platforms such as Lazada SG, Qoo10, Amazon SG and EzBuy. They are available to consumers who reside in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.  

Their ultimate goal is to groom themselves into a well-known homegrown brand, and launch physical outlets in Singapore so that customers can simply walk-in to their store and test their products in person.

Eventually, they also want to expand overseas to grow their footprint. They already have virtual shops in Vietnam and Malaysia, but would also like to establish presence in different parts of Asia down the road.

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