Understand the nitty-gritty of marketing in the mobile phone industry
Harsh VardhanMarketing Head- Jivi Mobiles
How you see the growth of feature phones in India?
Currently 60% people have feature phones in small / rural areas and let’s not forget the fact that the communication needs of the population of these small towns are basic; they only require handsets, which can fulfil their basic need of making phone calls. For them, costly devices might be a waste and an unaffordable expenditure. Also the long battery life and durability of feature phones make them more popular with certain set of people who have rough and tough work schedule. Long battery life is good for the markets where electricity is still a problem.
In such situation, feature phones emerge as the most appealing option, especially to the income-strapped population of tier-2 and tier-3 cities and rural areas, who are happy to use feature phones. With this, the future of this segment seems to be pretty bright. Indian consumers would most likely continue to welcome feature phones, and a market which remained largely untapped owing to the recent boom in the smartphone industry, would witness a spark that could trigger its growth in times to come.
What is your strategy to convert your feature phone users to smart phone users?
The feature phone users have certain characteristics that they are reluctant to shift completely from feature phone to smart phone due to non-acquaintance for multiple features which smart phones offer. However, they have the aspirations to use the smart phones as well but they need some level of comfort before switching to smart phones. We understood the same and launched TnT3 mobile handset which is first of its kind phone that has touch and type feature. It is designed specially to allow feature phone user a comfort of having keypad and touch screen in a single device.
This Year we have already come up with the wide range of smart phones. Our new smart phones range will have good camera, better memory and aesthetic designs giving good value-for-money to the users. The mobile phone industry has always been challenging but the market is huge, so we see a lot of opportunity. With the advent of 4g the demand for smart phones has increased which is helping the brands to convert the feature phone users to smart phone.
What is your strategy to compete with your competitors?
Jivi has become a household name in the rural and semi urban parts of the country. We have been witnessing the encouraging response from these belts. Over the years Jivi Mobiles has earned trust and loyalty from its customers. We are providing our customers value for their money which is helping in the repeat buying and strong word of mouth.
Till now we were selling smartphones below Rs 6000 range. After Mar 2018, we have focused on low-end and mid-range smartphones up to Rs 10,000. These phones have 18 X 9 displays and come several models including 1 plus 8GB, 2 plus 16GB, 3 plus 32GB, RAM and storage options and with Android lighter versions, etc. We are also working with several telecom operators to have more bundles and packs. We are not afraid of other players in the market as we believe strongly in customer satisfaction, which is being taken care by a vast network of service centres in different corners of the country”.
What is your plan for next 5 years?
We will continue to bring innovation and technology into our products. We have already launched few models which have disrupted the entire market. Currently, we are among top 10 mobile players in the country largely due to our stronghold in feature phone segment. Now, from last 1 year we have expanded our focus toward smart phones.
We have already started manufacturing in India. We have set up a R&D team which continuously works on the design and technology that can be added into the product.
