Riding high on its success in the nascent 4G smartphone segment where if commands the top spot, Lenovo has decided to ramp up its offline offerings in the country this Diwali. The company will launch three new devices exclusively for the offline channel, while moving another mid-range smartphone into this segment.
“Diwali is when we see a substantial jump in sales and this is why we are launching the A1000 priced Rs 4,999, A6000 Shot at Rs 9,999 and K3 Note Music at Rs 12,999 exclusively for our offline channel partners,” Sudhin Mathur – Director, Smartphones, Lenovo India, told IndianExpress.com, adding that Diwali was still the time when people bought stuff at stores with family and friends. The Lenovo Vibe Shot will also become available offline during the festival season.
The A1000 is an entry level smartphone, while the A6000 Shot is an upgrade on Lenovo’s earlier model of the same name and comes with a better camera. The K3 Note Music is an innovative smartphone with ceramic speakers and comes with a unique packaging that doubles up as speakers.
Mathur says over 80 per cent of the Indian smartphone segment is still focussed on the sub-$200 category and for this tribe of buyers the offline model was still the first choice. “We choose which devices to sell offline based on where people prefer to buy,” Mathur said, adding that even for devices priced over Rs 25,000 people preferred to touch and feel before buying.
Mathur said he hopes to activate 50 exclusive Moto-Lenovo stores in 40 cities by Diwali along with over 350 service centres. “Our focus will also be on seven large states including Rajasthan, UP, Gujarat, Kerala and Karnataka where Lenovo’s brand acceptability is really high,” he said, adding that the company already has substantial market shares in these states. Lenovo has a network of 12,000 retail outlets, powered by 300 redistributors and four original distributors.
While the company now has almost 13 devices selling exclusively offline, the Chinese smartphone major is also expected to announce some new models for online only sales on October 21.
