Sony is working a special strategy for the smartphone market in India says managing director Kenichiro Hibi. The need for a special strategy is driven by Sony’s larger move as a company to get out of the entry level smartphone market on a global basis. However, India is the fastest growing smartphone market in the world, even faster growing than China, and entry level smartphones rule the roost. This means Sony has to continue to produce them for that market if they want to compete in India.
Hibi says Sony will look to replicate the success they have had with televisions in India. For the LED television market, Sony started producing “small screen” televisions in the 22-inch to 24-inch range. This produced instant positive results for the company which now claims 30% of the market share.
In the smartphone market, Sony claimed 10% of the market last year, which is actually not bad considering there are about 100 manufacturers in play. Hibi says, “we have to launch such models in India to survive in this tough market…” referring to smartphone models in the Rs 8,000 – 10,000 range (about $126 – $158 USD). Analysts think Sony could eventually lay claim to 15% of the market if they succeed with their strategy.
Hibi not only plans to stay in the Indian market with entry level phones, he hopes to produce the phones in India as part of a Made in India strategy. Hibi indicates he will be presenting a strategy for the Indian market to Sony’s global president and chief executive Kazuo Hirai this week.
source: Economic Times
Come comment on this article: Sony working on special India-only entry level smartphone strategy
Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!
