Bet you never thought Sony would claim the second place for the biggest smartphone brand in India. But that’s exactly what has happened, with the Japanese company boasting to be second largest in the country with regards to value sales. As if we needed to tell you, the number one spot goes to Samsung of course.
Samsung was on top in the market with respect to value sales, having managed to earn 43 percent of the share, while Sony and Apple have 9.1% and 7% of the same, in that order. The figures come courtesy of research firm, IDC, and cover the October to December quarter of 2013.
The Economic Times reports that the CEO of a major mobile store chain blames Apple’s decision to withdraw its cheapest iPhone for the company’s loss. Apparently, even though the iPhone 4 was relaunched in India in January, the lack of marketing spend and buyback deals have lowered its chances of inviting renewed customer interest.
How Sony beat Apple:
Sony is concentrating on the smartphone segment which sits within the Rs 10000 to Rs 20000 bracket. This sweet spot is also being given a lot of attention by homegrown names like Micromax and Lava. The Japanese brand had even backed its strategy with a Rs 300-crore marketing budget. So far, the wallet-friendly Xperia M Dual and Xperia C figure in the company’s top selling devices.
But Sony can’t hope to keep up its position unless it has answers to 2014’s new contenders which include the Nokia X series Android smartphones, Micromax’s refreshed Canvas lineup, and also the iPhone 4 which could still gain more fans in this quarter.