HTC eyes 15% market share of India's smartphone business

Company will come out with 3-5 new models with price range between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 by December this year

Mobile handset maker HTC is eyeing 15 per cent market share to India’s growing smartphone market. Also, HTC is also focusing to ramp up its distribution network and service support. Currently, it holds 3-6 percent market share in the country's mobile handset market. HTC has appointed four national mobile handset distributors and one national distributor to look after retail distribution.

Commenting on this, Faisal Siddiqui, country head, HTC said, “In the next three years India will be the third largest market for smart phones. We are happy for the competition and HTC is confident about gaining bigger market share. Currently, we hold 3 to 6 per cent market share in smart phone space. In this, price is playing very important role. We are looking at 15 per cent market share which is almost a threefold jump. The company will come out with 3-5 new models with a price range between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 by December this year.

Currently, HTC is selling through 4,000 multi brand outlets and want to increase it to 7,000 outlets in the next six months. The company has planned to expand after sales service network to 400 shops from the present 250.

However, HTC is facing tough competition from market leaders like Samsung, Sony and Nokia along with the local vendors, most of the bigger ones have successfully transitioned their lead in feature phones to smartphones, including Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Intex and Celkon. Samsung dominates with highest market share of 26 per cent, while other players like Micromax holds 22 per cent, Karbonn 13 per cent, Nokia and Sony 5 per cent each and others hold 19 per cent market share.  According to Siddiqui, last year, over 18 million smartphones were sold in India. Now, the market size of these phones is at 25 million units out of which 50 per cent will be of handsets priced at less than Rs 10,000. To boost sales, HTC has recently launched a brand building advertising campaign ‘Here’s to change’.

According to International Data Corporation’s (IDC), the India smartphone market almost tripled its shipments year over year (YoY) in the second quarter of 2013. Vendors shipped a total of 9.3 million smartphones by mid of 2013 compared to 3.5 million units in the same period of 2012.