Chinese, Taiwanese smartphone makers call on India
TAKAFUMI HOTTA, Nikkei staff writer
MUMBAI -- Chinese smartphone manufacturers are
shaking up the Indian market as they rapidly gain popularity and shift
the balance of power in the country's mobile sector.
Since entering the Indian market in July, Beijing Xiaomi Technology has quickly caught on through a special marketing strategy that sell its Mi3 smartphone through limited-quantity, Internet-only sales events.
Xiaomi has been offering a certain number of Mi3s once every week through an online shop of its local partner Flipkart. So far, every time this sales event has been held, the supply of handsets sells out in seconds.
The fifth of these events, held on Tuesday, was no exception. In total, these events have sold far more than 50,000 Mi3 units.
The Mi3 carries a price tag of 13,999 rupees ($249). In a market where smartphones typically go for 4,000 to 5,000 rupees, the Mi3 is not cheap. But it is selling well, perhaps due in large part to the particular way it is marketed.
Xiaomi plans to launch two more models in India soon. One of them, a model called Redmi 1S, will be priced at 6,999 rupees.
More chances
Taiwan's
Asustek Computer is also stepping up efforts to cultivate the Indian
market for smartphones. The company launched its Zenfone series in India
this summer, with the most basic model offered at 5,999 rupees. The
series has been selling well.
Indian start-ups, such as Micromax Informatics and Karbonn Mobiles, have done well in the local smartphone market in the past several years, with the two now claiming the second and third spots in market share rankings.
According to U.S. research firm IDC, South Korea's Samsung Electronics commanded a 29% market share in the April-June quarter, followed by Micromax at 18%. For the Indian mobile device market as a whole, Micromax had a 14% share against Samsung's 17%.
Chinese makers, such as Huawei Technologies, have already tried to sell smartphones in India, but they made little impact as local players grew dramatically. Xiaomi's marketing methods, however, has helped push consumers to show interest in new brands.
Motorola Mobility, too, has maintained a certain level of presence in the Indian smartphone market. But the U.S. company is now working toward selling its handset business to China's Lenovo Group. If this happens, competition for bigger slices of the massive Indian smartphone market will likely escalate, with much of the push coming from Chinese and Taiwanese makers.
Since entering the Indian market in July, Beijing Xiaomi Technology has quickly caught on through a special marketing strategy that sell its Mi3 smartphone through limited-quantity, Internet-only sales events.
Xiaomi has been offering a certain number of Mi3s once every week through an online shop of its local partner Flipkart. So far, every time this sales event has been held, the supply of handsets sells out in seconds.
The fifth of these events, held on Tuesday, was no exception. In total, these events have sold far more than 50,000 Mi3 units.
The Mi3 carries a price tag of 13,999 rupees ($249). In a market where smartphones typically go for 4,000 to 5,000 rupees, the Mi3 is not cheap. But it is selling well, perhaps due in large part to the particular way it is marketed.
Xiaomi plans to launch two more models in India soon. One of them, a model called Redmi 1S, will be priced at 6,999 rupees.
More chances
Indian start-ups, such as Micromax Informatics and Karbonn Mobiles, have done well in the local smartphone market in the past several years, with the two now claiming the second and third spots in market share rankings.
According to U.S. research firm IDC, South Korea's Samsung Electronics commanded a 29% market share in the April-June quarter, followed by Micromax at 18%. For the Indian mobile device market as a whole, Micromax had a 14% share against Samsung's 17%.
Chinese makers, such as Huawei Technologies, have already tried to sell smartphones in India, but they made little impact as local players grew dramatically. Xiaomi's marketing methods, however, has helped push consumers to show interest in new brands.
Motorola Mobility, too, has maintained a certain level of presence in the Indian smartphone market. But the U.S. company is now working toward selling its handset business to China's Lenovo Group. If this happens, competition for bigger slices of the massive Indian smartphone market will likely escalate, with much of the push coming from Chinese and Taiwanese makers.
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