DETEL seeks to connect with masses with its ‘Value for Money’ products 

Detel, the new entrant in the feature phone market is aggressively eyeing a market share of 15% in 3 years down the line. VARINDIA initiates a conversation with Yogesh Bhatia, MD, S. G. Corporate Mobility (DETEL), where the latter talks about the brand’s strategy and prospective marketing plans to tap the Indian feature phone market -      
 

The Detel brand has entered the Indian feature phone market in 2016. Last year in August, it launch edits most economical feature phone “Detel D1” at a price tag of Rs. 299 with the tagline “Lo Kar Lo Baat’

Speaking about its journey in the India market, Yogesh Bhatia, MD, S.G. Corporate Mobility (DETEL)states, “With the vision of connecting the unconnected 40 crore people, we took the initiative to bring such phones to the people who could not afford a phone but dreamt that one day they too would buy a phone, can now own and speak on one for the first time. We are trying to bring communication services in the most cost-effective manner, with a clear target to address common people in the untapped section who still feels that owning a phone is a luxury.”

Views on present feature phone market...
Looking at the current scenario, the feature phone market is consolidated with a few key vendors. However, we can also see the emergence of new brands. Owing to the functional benefits that these phones provide, they have become a significant instrument in ‘Connecting India’. Yogesh believes the Indian feature phone market is still a big point of interest for every brand as it is still welcomed by majority of people in tier 2, 3 & 4 cities. He adds that due to its functional benefits, the entry of the new vendors has extended the supply of feature phones since the past few quarters, and the market is expected to grow significantly. 
“As we are working mainly in the rural market, with our strategic tie-up with BSNL which has deep-rooted reach pan India, we see a huge potential in the market,” comments Yogesh. 

Growth, R&D and future plans…
Yogesh tells that the current market share of Detel is 2% (in the operating market) and is aggressively targeting a market share of 15% in 3 years down the line. It has sold approximately 1 lakh units of D1+ since its launch and is aiming to sell 2 million units of the product.

Speaking on the R&D,he furtherdiscusses, “We invest 2.5-3% of revenue in R&D as per industry standards. We are creating a foundation for our future growth trajectory with our increased investments in R&D for new product portfolio. This initial investment would in turn give us a long term positive impact on ROIC.”
Talking on the challenges and its future plans he says, “The challenges in this business in the years ahead are definitely the changing customer behaviour and dynamics, growing competition in the market, among others. In this tech savvy era, it is important for us to design our products in such a way that it is welcomed in the market and is worth offering.”

He further adds, “We will continue to explore this market which is vast and we are designing our products keeping in mind the requirements of each section in the market. We have incorporated ‘Talking feature’ in some of our phones which has been specially designed for the visually impaired, the senior citizens and the children. In times ahead, our offerings will develop, but the price segment will remain the same.We are also working on some other innovative features that will be a clear differentiator for Detel products in the market, both visibly and technically.” 

The brand has a vast network of 300 plus service centres pan India. Yogesh reveals that currently the brand follows a hybrid distribution strategy where it is selling its products both online and offline. “For our online network we sell our products through our official website Detel-india.com and also through B2BAdda.com, the exclusive B2B e-distribution partner for all Detel products. In our offline network, we have multiple Detel Agents across India. By doing so, we ensure that we can reach out to all our customers in the nooks and corners of the country,” he says.

‘Panic Button’ - a USP for Detel devices….
After some consecutive launches the brand has unveiled yet another series of feature phones with ‘Panic Button’.  Speaking on the same Yogesh comments, “We have recently launched our panic button range in feature phones, which has been a clear differentiator for us in this price segment. The panic button is in the form of numeric key 5 to invoke emergency calls. This is in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Government of India which makes it mandatory for all feature phones & smartphones to have a panic button to ensure women’s safety on the go. And we feel immense pride in announcing that Detel is the first brand to do so in this price segment.”

He concludes, “Going forward, we will ensure that we continue to connect the masses with our Value for Money products. Like mentioned previously, we design our products according to the requirements of the masses.” 

Abha Singh 
abha@varindia.com