SHIJO K. THOMAS & OXYGEN: BREATHING LIFE INTO DIGITAL INNOVATION

As the digital revolution swept across Kerala, Oxygen: The Digital Expert has journeyed alongside this transformation, bringing the latest leading digital brands to consumers and fully meeting post-sale customer expectations and aspirations. Over the past 25 years, the company has earned the unwavering trust of over 7 million customers. In an exclusive conversation with Unique Times, CEO Shijo K. Thomas shares insights into the brand’s remarkable journey and its vision for the future.

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Tell us about your plunge into the world of business?

After completing my diploma in computer engineering, I worked for two years at a private firm in Ernakulam. However, due to my mother’s medical treatment, I had to resign from my job and return to my hometown, Kanjirappally in Kottayam district in 1999.

At that time, I needed an alternative to my job, and so I started a small business in a 50-square-foot space in Kanjirappally called Ozone Systems, which assembled and sold computers. Since my education and work experience were related to computers, I turned to self-employment in response to my circumstances. In the early days, it was just one staff and I. That was the period when the computer revolution was just beginning. Back then, computers were primarily found in large institutions, and systems for personal use were quite rare.

We imported spare parts for personal computers and assembled them ourselves before delivering them to customers. Assembling a computer was a time-consuming process, often taking several days. The transition from DOS to Windows had just begun, with Windows 3.1 being the operating system in vogue. Installing an operating system required 31 floppy disks, and loading each disk took several days. If even one floppy disk had fungus, the entire process would get stuck. Assembling a computer was a challenging task back then.

Nowadays, computers come pre-installed with operating systems, making the process much easier. What started as a small venture in Kanjirappally eventually expanded to Kottayam.

What was the inspiration behind the name ‘Oxygen’?

One of the key ideas was to bring in a unique name that had no direct connection with technology and then market and brand it effectively.