“As a first step, we are focussed on strengthening retail presence”

Anand Narang
Marketing Director, Huawei India

The Indian smartphone market has matured a lot over the past decade and the rate of evolution is nothing less than exponential. According to the latest reports by Strategy Analytics, Huawei ranks third in the global smartphone market with a 5-per cent market share (12.7 million units) in the Q3 of 2013.

Huawei has witnessed growing popularity of smartphones in India as well. Even the IDC’s Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker states that vendors shipped a total of 9.3 million smartphones in Q2 2013 compared to 3.5 million units in the same period of 2012. Smartphone shipments in India grew by more than 50 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) from 6.1 million units in Q1 2013. Huawei has been selling via operator partners over the last ten years in India. 

VARINDIA talked to Anand Narang, Marketing Director, Huawei India, to know the latest offerings, channel strategy, pricing strategies and future plans on the company’s front.

How many models do you have presently and what is your current market share in this segment?

We have products catering to different segments of target audience. Huawei offers products in three different device categories – smartphones, tablets and datacards. In smartphones, we have about 6 models starting from Rs.4,000 to Rs.25,000. In tablets, we have a couple of models. Our multiple product strategy helps us target youth, young professionals, enterprise and home family segments.

What kind of marketing and promotional tools do you have to position your brand in the market?

We have Chetan Bhagat as our brand ambassador in India. He is a youth icon and he has been a game changer in his field. Chetan is a big influencer in the online space and enjoys a huge presence on Facebook and Twitter, with more than 4 million fans. Being a Huawei evangelist, he widely uses Huawei devices for his personal and professional use. 

Do you have any pricing strategies for your handsets? What are the key points do you consider while pricing your products?

In India, there is a broad categorization of consumers. Some are price sensitive and therefore we have products in different price sections. We have four series of products. Our Y series is designed for youth for whom pricing is an important factor and therefore all the products in the Y series fall in the price range of Rs.5,000 – Rs.10,000. Then, we have the G series which is the Gold series which falls in the price range of Rs.10,000 – Rs.20,000. The P series is the Platinum series which falls in the price range of Rs.20,000 – Rs.30,000. And, above Rs.30,000 is the Diamond series which is known as D series.

What are the channel and retail strategies for your offerings?

As a first step to establish the brand in India, we are focussed on strengthening our retail presence and channels. We shall be focussing on selling our smartphones through our retail partners. We already have presence in nearly 2,000 smartphone stores in India. In these stores, we offer better consumer experience with a shop-in-shop branded area supported with a promoter and live demo devices.

What are your future plans for the Indian mobile device market?

Today, mobile phones are just not meant for calling but are in themselves a style statement for a large number of users. Mobile manufacturers are not competing on hardware anymore. So, our focus going forward in India would be to build experience for the users which is all about customization and relevance of innovation. When it comes to relevance of innovation, India being the second-largest mobile market, consumers here are evolving and their appetite for technology is increasing which means that the demand for phones that are sleek, stylish and power packed will drive the growth in this segment. In India, we want people to get comfortable with the Huawei brand by customizing the product according to the Indian market. We offer good products, good technology, good after-sales service and we would be focussing on creating a good brand image as well as availability across pan India. 

satinder@varindia.com