Lenovo all set to fine-tune its smartphone market

Sudhin Mathur
Director – Smartphones
Lenovo India

It seems Lenovo, which is one of the major hardware makers in the world, is slowly getting busy in the Indian smartphone marketplace. As a brand, Lenovo is actually focussing on PC+ transformation, where smartphones play a key role. Its Mobile Internet Devices Home (MIDH) division was created to provide greater focus to smartphones and tablets, steering the PC+ era. According to IDC, Lenovo is the number 3 player in the worldwide smart devices (desktop PCs, portable PCs, tablets and smartphones) with a market share of 6.5 per cent.  

Lenovo first launched its smartphones in China and in a very short duration, has seen tremendous growth. Over the last two years in China, Lenovo has reached the number 2 position in smartphones with 14.7-per cent market share. Even in India, experts believe that Lenovo will soon reach a position where its smartphones will become as popular as its PCs. Sudhin Mathur, Director – Smartphones, Lenovo India, has recently interacted with VARINDIA to discuss the company’s latest initiatives to mark its presence in the Indian smartphone market. 

How are you focussed on penetrating in the C, D & E class cities with your brand? 

Currently, we are focussed on getting our distribution rights and tapping the tier-I markets.  However, in due course of time, we will move to smaller cities. At present, we are present in such markets through Lenovo Exclusive Stores (LES) Lite.  Some of these cities include Guntur, Nellore, Kangra, Jalgoan and Puruliya.

We believe that a strong service network is critical for any organization. Therefore, we will target the smaller markets aggressively once we strengthen our service support in the C, D and E class cities. We expect this to happen by the end of this financial year.

We have recently tied up with UniverCell in Chennai, strengthening the retail footprint. As we move forward, we will continue to invest in our channel network.

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

Lenovo has launched an integrated marketing campaign, as we continue to bring exciting range of products throughout the year. In June–July, we aired our television campaign – “Hands that hold a Lenovo” – focussed on top cities. We have also introduced product focussed print campaigns and reminder media such as Out Of Home (OOH).

We expect these efforts to help us create a strong recall for Lenovo as an innovative smartphone brand in the Indian market.

Do you have any pricing strategies for your handsets? What points do you keep in mind while pricing your products?

Lenovo’s smartphone portfolio is based on consumer needs and their usage habits, offering something at each price point. Our range starts from Rs.8,689/- and goes up to Rs.32,999/-. We offer four different choices to the consumers – K, S, P and A. The K series is targeted at premium consumers.  K series is aimed at people who are looking for products that offer the latest technology and are high on performance.  The S series offers sleek, ergonomically-designed multimedia phones for entertainment on-the-go. The P series is for users who are constantly on the move and are looking for an extended battery life. Finally, the A series is for active internet and social media users, and first-time smartphone users.  

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

Lenovo is at the forefront of bringing innovative products in the market. We will continue to bring new technologies for different price points. As we understand the Indian smartphone market, our offerings are going to be tailor-made to meet the requirements of Indian consumers. Our endeavour will be to bring in more value addition in terms of software and ecosystem partners. 

satinder@varindia.com