Motorola is in talks with Udaan, a marketplace that supplies products, to expand its offline footprint in smaller towns and cities. Udaan takes orders online from a retailer, but they service it like any other distributor does, according to Prashanth Mani, Managing Director, Motorola Mobility India.

“We started off our offline expansion last year. We started investing in what is called ‘Moto Mobile Hubs’. We are also looking at a unique way of expanding — we are in talks with Udaan,” Mani told BusinessLine . Motorola currently has over 5,000 offline stores, he added. Mani stated that Motorola does not have too big a presence in smaller towns and Udaan could help them grow in these areas. The company has already tried a pilot project in this regard in Andhra Pradesh.

Motorola on Friday launched the Motorola One Action smartphone, powered by Google’s Android One, priced at ₹13,999. The smartphone will focus on wide-angle video capture and users will be able to shoot landscape content while holding the phone vertically.

Product strategy

With regard to Motorola’s product strategy, Mani said that the company would largely play in the ₹6,000-20,000 price range”. He further said the company will continue with the G series and E series of line-ups but did not comment on the future of the company’s flagship Z series smartphones.

Mani was also optimistic on the growth prospects of the mobile industry in the midst of the current economic slowdown.

“The industry is not going to slow down to that extent. But yes, from a rapid rate of 16-17 per cent, 5-6 per cent can look lower. It is not going to grow as fast. It is not like the other industries going through a slump,” he said.

comment COMMENT NOW