By Claire Reilly

Amidst price erosion and the entry of cheaper products into the consumer electronics space, BenQ is hoping to bring increased value to retailers and resellers with the launch of a new range of flicker-free computer monitors.

While most conventional LED monitors create a flickering effect that can strain the eyes when viewed for long periods of time, the BenQ monitors feature technology that eliminates flickering and reduces glare to in turn reduce the strain on user’s eyes. Developed at the brand’s development centres in Taiwan, the technology will be rolled out across BenQ’s entire range, as managing director Martin Moelle explained.

“We’re not the first company to bring out flicker-free monitors, but we will be the first company to bring out flicker-free across the whole range of our products, including the entry-level products,” said Moelle. “This is what’s differentiating us from other vendors in the market.

“The reason we’re doing this is because we’re trying to bring value to our product. As everybody knows, the perceived value of monitors is declining — all kinds of electronic equipment and IT equipment is constantly becoming cheaper and cheaper. What we’re trying to do is show added value, and this added value is what we want to bring back into the channel so that all of our partners can help profit from that as well.”

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BenQ has enlisted Sydney optometrist and self-confessed “Gadget Man” Jim Kokkinakis to endorse the new range, and to help educate consumers on the importance of flicker-free technology to eye health.

“Certainly flicker-free monitors are not something that is popular at the moment, and it’s our job now to bring the message out into the channel and to help educate end-users about this. And with Jim’s help, we’ll be doing advertising, including print advertising and online advertising, to help bring this message out into the channel.”

Ultimately, Moelle hopes that the new monitors will bring a point of difference to the retail floor that will help distinguish BenQ from its competitors.

“BenQ’s market share is quite small in the Australian market,” he said. “Globally, we’re the fourth biggest manufacturer of LCD monitors, but we don’t have that position in the market here. Certainly I don’t want to give anybody the impression that we’re trying to get to the number one position. But we’re bringing out product that we feel is better than the general product that’s out in the market

“We’re trying to position ourselves as an ongoing technology leadership brand. We’ve done that in the past with gaming monitors, where our response times were the fastest in the market, so this is just an extension of that. Personally, having come back from Japan to Australia, the timing for me to be able to launch this flicker-free product in Australia is perfect, and it’s a great product.”

The flicker-free technology will be rolled out across all of BenQ’s monitors, excluding one B2B product that is used exclusively for the print production industry. BenQ is distributed by Multimedia Technology to major retailers including Harvey Norman and OfficeWorks.

BenQ MD Martin Moelle with one of the brand's flicker-free monitors.