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People want the best and they do not worry about the price when it comes to such products, Aditya Babbar, Senior Director and Head of Marketing, Samsung India told BusinessLine. This is true not only in urban areas, but also in the remotest parts of the country, he said on Monday.
That is one of the reasons why Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra — its most premium flagship smartphone – raced to the pole position in the ₹1 lakh+ category with 74 per cent volume market share in March.
According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung’s overall market share in the ₹1 lakh+ category in March was 81 per cent, mainly due to the popularity and success of Galaxy S22 Ultra in India.
“This has happened on account of three important strategies — expansion of network for availability of such devices to more than 10,000 outlets, experience centres for such models, and easy payment mechanisms through various financing options and exchange bonus programmes,” Babbar told BusinessLine.
‘Availability and affordability’
He added that Tier 2 and 3 towns from states such as Bihar, the north-east, Odisha and Punjab were among those that contributed to sales in the premium segment (₹30,000+).
According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung achieved 38 per cent volume market share in March in this segment.
Babbar said that Samsung has the largest 5G smartphone portfolio; out of 30 devices, 20 are 5G enabled.
“All these factors, coupled with availability and affordability, drove growth. We are confident that in the second quarter, we will do even better, with double digit growth,” he said.
Chip shortages
When asked about the semiconductor shortage issues around the world, Babbar said that Samsung partners with all chip companies — including Qualcomm and MediaTek — apart from its own supply chain, and there is no shortage as such till now.
“We are able to deliver the numbers and meet market demand,” he said.
It has launched 12 smartphones since March, and more will be coming through the year, Babbar added.
According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung consolidated its overall mobile business leadership in March, and led the smartwatch and tablet businesses in India.
“Samsung has a momentum now in the premium segment, as our channel checks indicate robust demand going into the second quarter as well,” Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, said.
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