In 2007, Nokia’s market share had slipped in the face of hungry rivals. But the handset giant used the slowdown as an opportunity to stage a comeback...
Okay, so the slowdown in India has not bothered the telecom players much. Yet, enhancing your market share by a whopping 10% (as per the 2009 Voice&Data Gold Book) within the year – and that too in the face of mean and hungry rivals – is no mean feat. And that’s precisely what Nokia India is going to town about.
“We have been committed to develop the market for mobile telephony and deliver the best ‘value mobile experience’ to customers across the nation’s geography,” Vineet Taneja, Marketing Director, Nokia India told 4Ps B&M. Taneja says that the handset major had realised early that the global meltdown would have little impact on the lower rung of the market. With the result that Nokia strategised accordingly and continued to focus heavily on their rural strategy by packing in features relevant to the customers in that segment.
For example, when a recent Nokia survey in emerging markets informed the company that ‘mobile phone sharing’ was a hot trend among existing and potential consumers, Nokia launched a slew of entry level phones with multiple phonebooks to make it easier for the users to share their mobile phones. The move turned out to be a key ‘wow factor’, particularly for India’s price sensitive joint families and sales are following suit. To deal with erratic power supply in far flung areas, some entry level phones even came with the ‘power saver mode’, allowing consumers to extend their talk time without running out of battery.
Not that they ignored their primary urban and semi-urban markets though. They have spiced up the smart phone market with a slew of launches over the last year, including the QWERTY-keyboard laced E75 and the stylish touchphone N97. The year also saw the Finish giant make a conscious effort to reposition itself as a service and solutions provider rather than a plain vanilla handset company. The more visible effects of the same have been the launch of Ovi services (on the lines of Apple’s App store) in the Nokia N97 and other forthcoming high end models that would enable the users to download a host of applications and customise their mobiles phones as per their individual preferences. In line with their new rural focus, Nokia has big plans for India’s hinterlands even in the service space. They’ve launched a service called Nokia Life Tools solution which offers agriculture related news, daily weather updates, apart from routine advice and tips to subscribers. For a slightly higher cost, subscribers can even monitor the closest market prices of three chosen crops.
Of course, reams have been written about how consumers turn to trusted brands during a slowdown and perhaps Nokia’s increased market share is simply a reiteration of its long standing reputation in the Indian market. Whatever the reason, gaining ground in these troubled times, especially when many other players have been losing market share, is worth an ovation. Do we hear some claps?
Surbhi Chawla
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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Okay, so the slowdown in India has not bothered the telecom players much. Yet, enhancing your market share by a whopping 10% (as per the 2009 Voice&Data Gold Book) within the year – and that too in the face of mean and hungry rivals – is no mean feat. And that’s precisely what Nokia India is going to town about.
“We have been committed to develop the market for mobile telephony and deliver the best ‘value mobile experience’ to customers across the nation’s geography,” Vineet Taneja, Marketing Director, Nokia India told 4Ps B&M. Taneja says that the handset major had realised early that the global meltdown would have little impact on the lower rung of the market. With the result that Nokia strategised accordingly and continued to focus heavily on their rural strategy by packing in features relevant to the customers in that segment.
For example, when a recent Nokia survey in emerging markets informed the company that ‘mobile phone sharing’ was a hot trend among existing and potential consumers, Nokia launched a slew of entry level phones with multiple phonebooks to make it easier for the users to share their mobile phones. The move turned out to be a key ‘wow factor’, particularly for India’s price sensitive joint families and sales are following suit. To deal with erratic power supply in far flung areas, some entry level phones even came with the ‘power saver mode’, allowing consumers to extend their talk time without running out of battery.
Not that they ignored their primary urban and semi-urban markets though. They have spiced up the smart phone market with a slew of launches over the last year, including the QWERTY-keyboard laced E75 and the stylish touchphone N97. The year also saw the Finish giant make a conscious effort to reposition itself as a service and solutions provider rather than a plain vanilla handset company. The more visible effects of the same have been the launch of Ovi services (on the lines of Apple’s App store) in the Nokia N97 and other forthcoming high end models that would enable the users to download a host of applications and customise their mobiles phones as per their individual preferences. In line with their new rural focus, Nokia has big plans for India’s hinterlands even in the service space. They’ve launched a service called Nokia Life Tools solution which offers agriculture related news, daily weather updates, apart from routine advice and tips to subscribers. For a slightly higher cost, subscribers can even monitor the closest market prices of three chosen crops.
Of course, reams have been written about how consumers turn to trusted brands during a slowdown and perhaps Nokia’s increased market share is simply a reiteration of its long standing reputation in the Indian market. Whatever the reason, gaining ground in these troubled times, especially when many other players have been losing market share, is worth an ovation. Do we hear some claps?
Surbhi Chawla
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Event at IIPM
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
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