LeEco, the Chinese technology company's expansion plan gets them to India
LeEco, the Chinese technology company's expansion plan gets them to India

LeEco (formerly known as Letv worldwide) is a global internet and technology company that has evolved and diversified to portray a strong internet ecosystem. In 2016, the company not only re-branded itself as ‘LeEco’ but also entered India, after having established its foothold in markets such as Mainland China, Hong Kong and the United States.

LeEco entered India market with launch of smart cycle and now plans to bring Le Superphones along with smart devices such as 3D Helmet, LeMe Bluetooth Headphone and other LeEco ecosystem products like super TV, electric car and music services, among others.

Founded in November 2004 by Jia Yueting and Liu Hong, the internet and technology company is the world’s first video company to go public with a market capitalisation of more than $12 billion USD. To build a 360-degree experience for customers, LeEco also operates an e-commerce platform – in.LeMall.com. LeMall is also connected to the “LeMe” community page where the company interacts with its fans.

Replicating its Ecosystem model in India

According to Tin Mok, Group Vice President and CEO, APAC of LeEco, “The Company has introduced its success in other markets, including Mainland China, Hong Kong and the United States, and it will copy its legendary story in India by introducing its Ecosystems and amazing products.”

On entering India LeEco will initially focus on device and content offerings. Going forward it plans to bring its complete ecosystem to India and is currently focusing on strengthening the development of its internet app services, added Mok.

Le Ecosystem, which comprises of ‘Platform’, ‘Content’, ‘Device’ and ‘Applications’ has a focus on enhancing its seven sub-ecosystems (Internet, Content, Big Screens, Phones, Automobiles, Sports and Internet Finance) and integrating its offerings across products. Started in 2004 as a small video-streaming company, LeEco has developed into a brand and has been able to create a buzz with these seven eco-systems. Each sub-ecosystem is the specific application of the open user-oriented Le Ecosystem.

Ablikim Ablimit, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Management of LeEco, said, “The user-centric LeEco systems can ensure consumers enjoy seamless and interconnected world-class services while even participating in product design and improvement.”

Indian consumers to plug into a new ecosystem era

Atul Jain, COO of Smart Electronics Business, Le Eco India, who used to serve as the Senior Vice President at Samsung South-West Asia Regional HQ, spoke to the Retailer Magazine about Indian mobile market, LeEco’s two flagship superphones and near-future content plan and other strategies.

Tell us about the two phones you have launched in India?

Le Max is backed by one of the world’s fastest processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, which is primed for better multi-tasking and unrivaled performance, all thanks to an octacore processor and the phone’s 4GB DD-R4 RAM plus variants of 64GB or 128GB storage. Le Max is also the world’s first phone with a 2K display and a 21 MP camera. Le Max will be available in 2 colors, shimmer gold with 128GB and titanium silver with 64GB of memory, which would be available on Flipkart from 16th February.

Besides Le Max, LeEco also released a flagship killer, Le1S, which was released in China in November and in a short 2-month time span, LeEco has sold more than 3 million Le1S, the best seller in China. A good comparison with Le1S is iPhone 6s plus. Le1S is equipped with Helio X10 Turbo, the flagship processor of the year with outstanding features and performance. It not only gives users the best multimedia experience and gaming experience without any lag or interruption, but also allows a quick charge which means 5 minutes of charging gives 3.5 hours of talk time. Le1S's rare 13-megapixel camera is definitely worth mentioning about. The Le1S would be exclusively available on Flipkart starting 2nd February.

How do you plan to service unsatisfied customers?

We are building a network of 555 service stations in prime locations around India, providing round-the-clock multiple languages services to customers. And the warranty policies are all above the current industry standards. For example, within the 1 year warranty period, user can get a brand-new Le Max if the phone is broken or not working, saving the headache of waiting for weeks to get the old phone fixed and taken back.

What are your content plans in the future, how will you provide content to customers in India?

We have a strategic cooperation with Eros Film Company over content cooperation. We will also work with YuppTV, which will provide 250 live channels across 12 languages, offering entertainment, news, movies, music, kids, lifestyle and spiritual content. All this content will be available on Le Superphones in quarter two of 2016.

How important is the Indian market to you?

LeEco considers India as an important market, and therefore plans to build a large-scale R&D center in Bengaluru in 2016, with more than 1,000 people on board, covering Super TV, Super Phone, accessories, LeMall, and Clouds etc. We are facing one of the most promising markets in the world, and LeEco hopes to sustain its legendary story here.

There are a myriad businesses LeEco has diversified to become in the last five years, talk us through them and the internet ecosystem of the company.

With disruptive innovation as the guiding principle, LeEco is engaged in around seven businesses, spanning Internet TV, video production and distribution, smart gadgets and large-screen applications to eCommerce, eco-agriculture and connected super-electric cars.  The company also has one of the world’s largest content libraries which includes movies, TV dramas, entertainment shows, sports and music, which can be viewed on LeEco devices like Superphones and Super TVs. Breaking the barriers of innovation, LeEco provides personalised products and services for an enhanced user experience at disruptive prices. Headquartered in Beijing, China, it has regional headquarters in Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

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