“We want to make 5G more affordable in India. We see strong inroads on 5G, and we have already launched 10 5G phones since January,” Raju Pullan<\/a>, senior vice president of Samsung India<\/a>, told ET in an interaction, adding that these quick launches of 5G phones will help the company consolidate lead in the 5G segment.
Pullan said that the handset maker is using Samsung Finance Plus<\/a>, the company’s finance offering, which is helping increase its 5G depth in the market in addition to leading a “strong overall growth” for Samsung.
According to Counterpoint Research, India’s 5G smartphone sales<\/a> share crossed the 50% mark for the first time in April, adding that 5G smartphone sales in India have risen from November 2022 to April 2023.
As per the research firm, Samsung and OnePlus<\/a> captured a third of overall 5G smartphone sales.
Samsung maintained its top position in the Indian smartphone market for the second consecutive quarter with a 20% share in Q1 2023. It also remained the leading brand for 5G shipments, accounting for a 24% share.
“We've been able to further consolidate our leadership over the leadership that we had in quarter four last year. And we will continue to innovate and create new launches so that we can drive the 5G market in the country,” Pullan added.
While the overall smartphone market in India saw a decline in the January-March quarter of this year due to inflationary-related impact and sluggish demand, the Samsung executive said that the company managed to “buck the trend” with a high double-digit growth during the quarter compared to a year-earlier period.
“The growth happened on the back of new 5G phone launches,” Pullan said, adding that the monsoon this year will be conducive for India, with which “we should be able to build a very strong demand as we enter the June-July period and the festive period thereon.”
“...the consumption economy in India is also helping us, and we will be leading the way with not only 5G but also affordability,” he said, adding, “We led the market and were market leaders in the October-December period last year. We expected that the tailwinds with early launches would help consolidate our leadership as we build into the festive period this year.”
Samsung claimed that it has the most significant footprint in the sub-Rs 13,000 smartphone category in India, and the company is poised to capture these consumers who are now looking to upgrade to 5G smartphones with the help of financing schemes and programs.
The executive revealed that the company increased its investment in retail experience nationwide. Right. “And we've even gone to the rural market with our experience zones and experience points. We will have 15 flagship exclusive experience stores across the country.
He revealed that these stores will appear at iconic locations across metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune and Chandigarh.
Notably, the move comes at a time when Samsung’s rival Apple opened its first two retail stores in Mumbai and Delhi.
“We were the leaders in building a world-class Experience Center in the Opera House in 2018, driving consumer experience. So, there is a strong legacy of learning, understanding the Indian culture and building on that,” Pullan said, explaining the company’s offline retail focus.
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