Samsung Mobiles have always repelled me. To be honest, I have never owned a Samsung smart phone. Reason being that, I never buy a product that is extensively marketed. To me, a product must sell its way, on its own, straight to the heart. Samsung never gave me that chance. They just keep pushing models after models, with loads of variations, in to the Indian market. It was like junk food. Now Samsung mobiles are everywhere It would be difficult to rout their market share position, in the Indian mobile market.
The other mobile manufacturers never see India as a major opportunity. Apple has always been the last ones to arrive in the Indian market. Motorola as a mobile manufacturer never had a stable foot in the Indian market. HTC and LG are lethargic in introducing new models in the Indian market. The Nexus mobiles and tablets never come to India. Nokia and Sony are trying hard for a comeback, but failing to win the heart of Indians. And then there are these numerous small time mobile brands who have made use of this opportunity and bombard the market with mushroom models. These mushrooms are cheap in price, build and quality, short shelf life and have poor service backup. They have scavenged every-bit of market share that was left between the gap of Samsung’s share and the rest of the mobile manufacturers.
A person aspiring to buy a smart phone in India, has no other option, but to buy a Samsung. He can’t buy the latest Apple, because its either over-priced or the latest model is not available in India. He can’t buy a HTC, Nexus or LG, because of the availability. He doesn’t want to take his chances with Nokia, Sony or the cheap brands. He has to buy a Samsung.
But I must appreciate Samsung for learning the market potential of Indian Cellular industry. They seem to give very high preference to the sales figures from India. They know the likes of the new urban Indians. They understand the rural market trends. They have done their demographic study well. They have the right marketing and sales team across the nation. They are setting up a sophisticated service backbone. When all the other manufacturers are either neglecting or exploiting the Indian market, Samsung is the only one who sees the live opportunity. Their naming convention could be confusing. Their designs could be flawed. Their mobiles may not make heads turn. But they are available and reasonable to the uber Indian Mobile market.
