In today?s highly competitive business environment, with innovation demanded at lightning speed, technology alone does not make a successful company. Business tactics do. No one knows it better than Ranjit Yadav, country head,
Samsung Mobile & IT. As the main strategist for the $143-billion South Korean consumer electronics giant?s mobility and IT business in India, he is fully aware of the harsh reality in the hotly contested, fast-growing mobile handset market?the era of real-time business is here and it?s all about the customer. People want everything now, not later. And if you don?t do it now, somebody else will.
To shine as a true business leader, the challenge before Ranjit is to think ahead of the customer, anticipate his needs and respond to the customer?s changing demands with products, services and more. Being a smart CEO with business acumen and practical drive, Ranjit has seized the opportunity to not only lead and morph Samsung into one of the biggest and most influential companies in
Indian technology space, but also become a relevant and credible provider of a plethora of new age devices. In the last one year, Samsung has created a new mobile category (Galaxy Note), launched devices on all mobile operating system platforms, expanded the tablet category with new launches, created a new category of dual SIM smartphones and a lot more.
First, a look at the India performance. Samsung?s revenue grew 28% to R20,000 crore in 2011. Mobility and IT products contributed close to 55%. Its share in the smartphone market is pegged at 41% and this year, the company wants to raise it to 60%. A quick adapter to changes in the marketplace, Ranjit has chalked out plans to strengthen Samsung?s mobility and IT products division. For the current calendar year, he expects this business
division to play a critical role in helping the company achieve a 30% revenue growth.
?For Samsung, India is a top strategic market and our commitment is endorsed by the investments we have made here over the last several years, both in terms of offering our full range of products and building our manufacturing and research capabilities in the country,? says Ranjit (see interview). The high point for Samsung?s mobile strategy was the Samsung Galaxy Note that defined a new category of mobile devices. It is a unique device that provides the capabilities of a full-blown tablet in a convenient pocket-friendly form factor. The unique S-pen in the device is being loved by the users for a unique experience.
At a global level, the battle of the two big smartphone powers?Apple versus Samsung ?is in full swing. Apple, overtaken by Samsung in the third quarter last year, regained its crown as the world?s biggest maker of smartphones in the fourth quarter, with record sales of 37.04 million iPhones. Research firm Strategy Analytics put Samsung sales at 36.5 million smartphones in October-December, with 3rd-ranked Nokia on 19.6 million. Smartphones account for around 40% of all Samsung?s handset shipments. Samsung topped global smartphone sales rankings last year, more than quadrupling smartphone sales to 97.4 million from 2010, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple finished a close second, with sales of 93 million smartphones.
Stepping up its battle with arch rival Apple, Samsung now intends to sell 380 million handsets and nearly double its smartphone sales in 2012 from last year. Analysts reckon that Samsung, which only entered the smartphone market in earnest in 2010?some three years after the introduction of the iPhone with the touchscreen template?has adopted Apple?s breakthrough concept probably better than others? and now seeks to offer the Apple experience at a better price, with better functionality.
At the recently concluded Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Samsung unveiled its new 10.1-inch Galaxy Note, which is positioned as a
cross between its Galaxy S smartphone and Galaxy Tab tablet computer in terms of functionality and size plus added
features. The Galaxy Note allows users to jot down notes on the product with a specially designed pen. Samsung also took the wraps off its Galaxy Beam, a projector smartphone that allows users to display and share photos, videos and other content stored in the device onto walls and other flat surfaces.
But India is where Samsung is on the up curve and Ranjit is leaving no stone unturned to position the
mobility and IT business as the key driver of profitability. The company has raised its targets to grab a
further market share in smartphones, notebooks and tablet PCs. It plans to open 275 mobile and IT retail outlets that would include Samsung Smartphone Cafes and IT exclusive retail stores. This would be coupled with
product launches whereby Samsung would launch new products for the consumers.
Clearly, Samsung Mobile has emerged as the ?Market Maker? in India. And Ranjit has taken Samsung?s leadership in speed, screen and content to a whole new level.
