After the launch in Panama last September, Ecuador this Wednesday became the second country in the region where the Japanese brand Casio launched its new calculator model Classwiz LACW.

This in the context where in 2022 in Ecuador the brand sold 250,000 units with a turnover of close to 4 million dollars. Carlos Escandón, president of Macoser, Casio’s official distributor in the country, highlighted the design of the Japanese brand’s new calculator that has innovative functions such as a QR code that allows graphics to be downloaded on smartphones or tablets, among other innovations to optimize its use.

“For 28 years we have dedicated ourselves to offering products that improve the quality of life of our customers, Casio calculators contribute to academic development,” said Escandón during the launch in Guayaquil of a new product arriving on the Ecuadorian market with a suggested price of $36.88 plus VAT.

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Marka has been implementing the Casio Académico program since 2009, through which she has trained more than 4,000 teachers in Ecuador. The strategy of this project is to learn how to integrate calculator technology into curricula. This is done through visits to schools, universities and institutes for higher education and through workshops intended for mathematics and science teachers.

Meanwhile, Tatsuro Ogawa, Latam director of Casio’s calculator division, who arrived in Ecuador for the presentation, highlighted the importance of the country for the Japanese company in the region.

“Ecuador represents more or less 10% and 20% depending on the line, because we at Casio have a section of musical instruments, watches and calculators,” said the CEO, who emphasized that despite being a small country, it generates important results even above a larger country like Brazil, because education in Ecuador is very advanced, Ogawa believes.

Meanwhile, regarding the brand’s expectations for 2023 in Ecuador, Escandón revealed that they expect sales to increase by at least 10% compared to 2022.

Increase in sales due to the ‘Shakira effect’

Casio confirmed that the exposure the brand had early last January after the launch Session #53 Shakira and Bizarrapa, in which the singer from Barranquilla alludes to this and other brands, has indeed generated an increase in sales.

Carlos Escandón assures that in Ecuador, for example, there was a 15% increase in sales of Casio calculators in the two weeks when Shakira’s success was at its most popular.

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“This event was worldwide publicity and indeed more than an increase in sales, which we did well, but the most important thing is that the brand is much more popular in the world”, analyzes the president of Macosera.

For her part, Katya Mayumi, Latam Sales Manager for the Casio calculator division, also confirmed a similar performance in the rest of the region.

“We had the Casio name all over social media because of Shakira’s music and of course sales went up, but we say the brand always sells a lot, but of course that helped,” the CEO said.