HMD is gearing up for the upcoming festive season in the country with exciting plans for its consumers. During this period, the company will be launching its first sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone, aiming to cater to budget-conscious buyers looking for reliable and feature-rich devices. The move reflects HMD’s commitment to expanding its presence in the Indian market and offering products that combine quality with affordability, Ravi Kunwar, VP and CEO, HMD India, APAC, Australia and Newzealand told Financial Express.
The festive launch is expected to strengthen the brand’s reach and provide consumers with more choices in the competitive smartphone segment.
“The festive season we’ll be introducing our first sub 10K smartphone, it will be our first HMD branded smartphone under 10,000. I think that is something which will connect with the consumer, because it is all about the vibe which you create not only with the product, with the brand as well. And obviously there is a lot of consumer touch points in terms of our new TVC which we’ll be rolling out with Sanya Malhotra, our smartphone brand ambassador,” Kunwar said.
HMD has been manufacturing products in India for a considerable period:
The HMD executive stated that the company has been manufacturing products in India for a considerable period. He emphasized that this move aligns with their long-term strategy to strengthen local operations and support the domestic market.
By producing locally, the company not only benefits from reduced logistical costs but also contributes to the “Make in India” initiative, creating jobs and boosting the local economy. The executive highlighted that India has become a key hub for their manufacturing operations, reflecting the importance of the market in their global strategy.
“We have said that we’ve been manufacturing in India for quite some time. Currently almost 100% products barring one or two products here or there with small quantities which are not economically viable, almost 100% of our manufacturing happens in India. This is thanks to the government policies of PLI and other incentives which is making it very competitive for us to manufacture and sell in India. But we’re not stopping there. In fact, we have started exporting out of India, our feature phones into Middle East and African markets,” Kunwar noted.
HMD enjoys an exceptionally strong offline presence across India:
Kunwar stated the compay’s extensive retail network allows them to reach a wide range of consumers, from urban centers to smaller towns and rural areas.
This robust offline footprint not only helps in building brand visibility and trust but also ensures that customers can experience and access their products firsthand. According to Kunwar, maintaining a strong offline presence remains a key strategy for driving growth and connecting with consumers across the country.
“We operate with almost 1000 plus distributors, 100,000 plus retailers across the country. So primarily it is an offline presence but, we follow an omni-channel strategy where besides offline or what they prefer to call these days as the mainline business plus online as well. So, we have very good partnerships with the e-com platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. We have a thriving presence of our own channel which is hmd.com And lately, there are some strong partnerships with some of the quick- commerce players like Blinkit as well,” Kunwar mentioned.