We are not waiting for the final rollout of 4G across operators: Asim Warsi

Interview with vice-president, marketing, IT & Mobile, Samsung India

Electronics major Samsung, which claims to have a market share (in value terms) of 40 per cent, in the smartphone market in India, has strengthened its offering with the launch of new Galaxy S6 edge+ in India. The product is priced at Rs 57,900. In an interview, Asim Warsi, vice -president, marketing, IT & mobile, Samsung India, spoke to TE Narasimhan about the company’s strategy in India. Edited excerpts:

How are you going to position S6 edge+ in the market?

This is the next version of our S series, which has been operating all these years. We have taken it forward, added new innovative design, hardware and software aspects and built and launched S6 franchise world over. Two key things in S6 edge+ are enhanced display size (5.7 inches) and dual edge display device. Other differences or features include memory (4GB RAM), 14 nano metre processor, 64 bit architecture, which helps the device to be fast and compact. Another interesting feature is live video broadcasting.

Camera functionality is unparalleled; then comes the battery, which is important. We are enhancing the performance, aided with fast charging time. With S6 edge+, we have come out with fast wireless charger, which also goes from zero to 100 in mere 120 minutes, which is really fast in wireless charger.

What will be your USP to take on competitions like Micromax?

Our strategy is not to focus and dwell on competition. We focus on the consumer. It is a large market. We will continue to grow our existing leadership. We have been gaining market share in every single month .

How are you using different channels, especially e-commerce?

Our priority is to be available, where the consumer will seek our brand. Be it offline channel, exclusive stores, modern retail partners, mom & pop stores or online channels. We are available everywhere. Currently, the company is available across 1.50 lakh telecom retail and over 2,000 franchisee exclusive branded outlets, which is the largest distribution for a player in this segment.

As far as online is concerned, we are present in almost all the leading e-commerce sites and we run promotions. We may not be able to give the share of how much e-commerce contributes. The retail landscape in the last two years has been changing rapidly, especially the growth of online channel. We have been working closely with online channels. The online pie is growing and it is growing very well, it is same with all players in the industry. We are growing across all channels.

As a market leader, we don't choose channels, we choose consumer preferences. We need to make them (products) available in all the channels and across the boards.

In the last eight months, there were 17 launches from Samsung. What is the strategy?

The Indian market is really vast in absolute terms and within that, segments of technology, device types, price points and consumption of devices experiences are enormous. India's smartphone market is growing at around 12 per cent and the company is growing faster than that. In this landscape, it is just right to have 17 launches in this time period.

The 17 launches are across various segments. While this is the third flagship launch, it is part of the S6 family. There are three variants within S6. Outside this, there are four devices in A-series this year, two in E-series, three in J-series and certain models in the mass-end of the market.

We marked our presence across the segments, including feature phones and tablets.

Are you completely ready with 4G?

We are currently available but are not completely ready. While we have the largest portfolio in India of LTE (long-term evolution) devices already, this being 15th launch, it will continue to evolve faster. We are excited and we will build and announce newer plans and thoughts on how we will grow.

The industry is at next inflection point, which is now the 4G era. That is a new frontier. We will bring all our global learning, expertise that we derived worldwide in other 4G markets. While it’s very early days, one operator began rolling out 4G services and others will follow in the near future.

We are not going to wait for that, we already have a vibrant portfolio. This is our 15th LTE device in our portfolio. It is important for us and evangelise to change and lead the market continuously ahead of the curve. We are not waiting for the final rollout across operators.

What is Samsung’s market share in India?

Currently, the company has 40 per cent of the market share in value terms.