Samsung to Continue Omni-Channel Approach for Indian Smartphone Market in 2018

As the market of smartphones in India is becoming phenomenally attractive, the mobile phone South Korean giant, Samsung is looking to grow its business across channels, including online, as the year 2018 progresses, Asim Warsi, Global Vice President, Samsung India, stated.

"We are wherever our users are. And that's why we have the largest retail network in the country with over 1,50,000 touch points. We are constantly looking to grow our business and are looking to pave growth stories in all channels including the online space," Warsi mentioned to media.

Samsung, which is gearing up to take on Chinese rivals in the online segment, has launched two back-to-back "online exclusive" handsets.

The two devices -- Galaxy A8+ and Galaxy On7 Prime -- are from different price segments.

While A8+ is priced at Rs 32,990 and will compete in the premium segment, On7 prime starts at Rs 12,990 and will compete in the highly-competitive, mid-price segment.

"A8+ will help Samsung consolidate its leadership in the premium segment (above Rs 30,000) where Samsung has nearly 60 percent volume market share, according to Gfk," Warsi added.

So far, Samsung was reluctant to go all out in the online segment as it has huge stakes in the offline trade, with over 1.5 lakh retail outlets.

Samsung has 43 percent market share in the offline market, which account for nearly 75 per cent of all smartphones sales.

Besides Amazon and Flipkart, Samsung has partnered with Paytm for online sales. It recently recruited over 5,000 online dealers as part of its tie up with Paytm Mall.

Galaxy A8+ will compete directly with OnePlus in the premium category, while On7 Prime is a strong contender in the Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 price bracket.

"Both the phones have been priced competitively and it seems that Samsung is gearing up to take on Chinese companies' dominance in the online segment," industry expert said.

The South Korean giant is planning to introduce a number of smartphones in the Galaxy "J" and "On" series in the coming months, industry sources told to media agency IANS.

Samsung first launched its online exclusive "On" series in 2015. Since then, the company has launched nearly eight models of online exclusive smartphones under the "On" series.

The company's focus, said Sandeep Singh Arora, Vice President, Samsung India, is to address consumers' needs in online as well as all price segments.

"Our focus is to address consumers' needs across all channels, whether it is online or offline. If our consumers are on a particular channel, we would make sure that we address them," Arora told IANS.

Both Galaxy A8+ and Galaxy On7 Prime will start selling on Amazon from January 20.