Competence of Indian engineers, manpower, labour, isn't as effective as China: Sanjeev Bhatia
Competence of Indian engineers, manpower, labour, isn't as effective as China: Sanjeev Bhatia

Smartphone market in India has always been driven by Chinese products at large. Due to the rise of several cost-effective Chinese smartphones, home-grown smartphones makers in India are facing immense pressure. With India’s open retailing options, distribution (for both online and offline) becomes a lot easier for these manufacturers. In 2015, near about 15 smartphone brands stepped into India and there were no India smartphone maker capturing the eyeballs.

With an intention to tap this emerging market, ZOPO Mobile entered into the Indian market with the launch of one of its premium handset ‘Speed 7’ followed by 'Speed 7 Plus'. The company came up with its new 'Color' series in December 2015 and also announced the launch of 'Hero 1' smartphone which is available through both online and offline sale and on a majority of e-commerce sites. Recently the company has come with the World's First Deca Core Processor smartphone in India called Speed 8.

In an exclusive interaction with Retailer Media, Sanjeev Bhatia, Founder & Chairman, Adcom & Channel Partner, Zopo Mobile in India shared his view on the burgeoning smarphone market of the country. He also shared his plans towards how he aims to position Zopo in this dynamic yet challenging smartphone ecosystem.

Talk to us about the recent launch of Deca Core Processor smartphone Speed 8 in India.
We've got overwhelming response. The launch of Zopo Speed 8 has helped us to increase awareness about the brand Zopo as well. Now, we are well-known as the first company in the industry to bring the fastest phone in the market. It has also encouraged us to continue making good quality products, and continue innovating new/different things and breaking stereotypes. Our goal will always be to do something that's not done before.

What kind of challenges Chinese Smartphone makers face while starting a manufacturing hub in India?
There are very different kinds of challenges that Zopo would have to face, by starting a 'Make in India' campaign. We have to consider factors, such as the efficiency of Indian engineers, manpower, labour, etc which isn't as efficient as that of the Chinese. We have to keep in mind duties, infrastructure and taxation policies, etc as well. The plan of the campaign is to manufacture & export to neighboring countries; Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc from India as a hub.

What brings Zopo to the Indian shores?
Adcom has collaborated with Zopo to become the exclusive national distributer of Zopo smartphone in India. Adcom has been in the IT industry for more than 20 years now, and it was the first one to discover Zopo's potential. We are happy to be collaborating with a company that is reputable, has worked in the Indian market for so long, and provided such great products. Zopo is a major international brand that is currently present in more than 130 countries, and India is a big market for Zopo.

Share with us the feedback of Zopo’s previous models?
Feedback has been really optimistic. People are looking for something unique in the models, and again with high quality and high specs; even if that means paying slightly more to get more. Thus, the acceptance of Chinese brands in India has been really high. And that is where Zopo comes in.

 Zopo’s USPs? What will make Zopo a step ahead in competition?
In a nutshell, Zopo's biggest USP is its high quality at a low price. To go in depth, each product in Zopo has its own USP. For example, our new model F1 is the only device in its segment to be available in Rose Gold/Champagne Gold exclusive with a multi function fingerprint sensor, dual account application, floating video integration, etc and the list goes on and on. It is because of these value added features that we bring in our devices, and seamless flow of customer service; that makes us ahead of our competition.

 Any plans for eCommerce distribution? Why/ Why not?
Apart from our offline channels, we are also present in all major e-commerce websites, such as Snapdeal, Flipkart, Amazon, Naaptol, etc. We need to maintain our brand presence in all channels, so that end users can find us everywhere.

 What potential do you see in tier II and III cities of the country?
There is a lot that can be done in tier II and III cities. There is a lot room for growth in these cities. We are opening up more channels penetrating more cities as aggressively as we can making sure that before opening up our sales channel, we are making sure of other things such as opening up service centres in that particular city, and along with a unique regional marketing strategy.

Which specific smartphone segment Zopo is planning to target in India?
Zopo is the youngest and the smallest of all the major international brands that are currently present in India. It would be in the same category as other MNCs, and always above Indian brands that are currently out there. This difference is always visible from the product quality, specs, and brand awareness worldwide.

What is Zopo's strategy around after sales - support?
We believe that after sales support is one of the more important things needed, in the market today. It is easy for a company to get their tertiary sales once, but to retain the same customer again is the difficult part. For that we make sure we are currently trying to develop a system to capture all the touch points including toll free number, mobile app, social media, etc that we get from customers, so that our end users have no difficulty in customer service. We also have free 7 day returns on any Dead On Arrival unit.

What future of Chinese smartphones do you see in India?
Sky is the limit. The internet penetration rate of India is only 19 per cent as of now, which will grow every day. With the internet growing, the smartphone market will grow too, creating opportunities for different brands to grow along with it, be it an Indian smartphone brand or Chinese.

How Chinese smartphone makers are competing with other smartphone players?
Marketing is a big part of this. Smartphone market is big, and we aim to get a good share of this, by penetrating more cities, and marketing heavily. Uniqueness of the product shall play another big role in this.

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