Skip to main content

Asia’s mobile market looks upbeat

Asia’s mobile market is poised for growth. As competition intensifies, brands are increasingly customizing their approaches to the unique needs of the Asian mobile customer. Spire Research and Consulting shared insights on key trends in Asia’s vast mobile market, published on the US Consumer Electronics Association’s blog.

Global mobile technology brands are excited about the 85% mobile phone penetration in vast countries like India, China and Indonesia. At the same time, there are still over 400 million people in Asia who do not have a mobile phone, which suggests plenty of room to grow. What will set top brands apart? Three brands are taking the competition to a whole new level in the region and here is how:

Xiaomi is a popular Chinese brand which has made headway into the Indian market with its recent fourth flash sale – marking a record 11,500 mobile phone units sold per second! Xiaomi’s popularity stems from its low price points ranging between USD200 and USD300, combined with high power specifications. The trick Xiaomi uses is the “wave strategy” – selling out a limited supply over multiple waves.
Obi is the brainchild of former PepsiCo/Apple CEO John Sculley. It aims to capture the Indian market with specific focus on those aged 16 to 35. It practices aggressive price competition, evident from the launch of its flagship 8-core handset, Octopus S520 for just under USD200 in India. Moreover, not ones to neglect local partnerships, Obi’s recent deal with Jumbo Electronics – a leading IT distributor – will further expand Obi products into Africa and the Middle East.
Blackberry is still a force to be reckoned with in Indonesia, though more in the app space than the hardware space these days. The BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) maintains the top spot for iPhone apps in all of Indonesia and, interestingly enough, Nigeria. Blackberry is seeking more opportunities to expand into the software side of the business with enhancements that include BBM Money for making day-to-day payments, as it faces stiff competition from hardware vendors like Samsung.
These stand-out players have reminded us of the value of competitive differentiators like investing early and heavily in the market, low price points and creative apps to lure customers.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Deploying Industry 4.0 technology to mitigate climate change

A report highlights that by 2050, Arctic temperatures are expected to rise by 3 to 5°C, leading to a rise in sea levels and threatening the homes of four million people. Solutions using Artificial Intelligence could incorporate data from smart meters and Internet of things (IOT) sensors to predict a city’s energy demand so as to help optimize energy production. Carbon emissions could be significantly reduced through the use of 3D printing and raw material water reduction. How can advanced technology like AI, IoT and 3D printing help tackle climate change? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/deploying-industry-4-0-technology-to-mitigate-climate-change/

Asia-Pacific nations poised to sign the world’s largest multi-lateral trade agreement, RCEP, in 2020

After six years of negotiations, more than a dozen countries in the Asia-Pacific are poised to sign the world’s largest trade agreement, known as the Regional Comprehensive Partnership (RCEP), in 2020. This agreement would boost commerce among participating countries by lowering tariffs as well as standardizing customs rules and procedures. The RCEP will widen market access, especially for those countries that do not have existing many bilateral trade agreements in place. Will India pay a price for its decision to stay out of the RCEP? Read more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/asia-pacific-nations-poised-to-sign-the-worlds-largest-multi-lateral-trade-agreement-rcep-in-2020/

Spire talks about ASEAN B2B marketing best practices for companies in Osaka

Spire participated in a seminar organized on Go-to-Market best practices in the B2B space in Asia. The event was held on 14th June in Osaka, Japan. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting Group, shared insights on ASEAN marketing trends with senior executives of Japanese companies headquartered in the Kansai region of Japan. Jeffrey shared business-to-business (B2B) marketing tips for Japanese companies struggling to work with local partners in ASEAN countries. The Asian ‘Tiger Cub Economies’ country landscape is evolving, with new emerging economies joining the ranks. Vietnam has joined Indonesia and Thailand as one of the low-cost production hubs in ASEAN, whereas the Philippines has emerged to become one of the key markets for sourcing materials for secondary industries. Therefore, the right ASEAN countries should be selected depending on one’s market position and strategic intent. For certain industries, the market dynamics a...

Spire shares business advice to start-ups on Indonesian market entry

On 17 July, Spire participated as a market advisor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Market Validation Program in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Spire Research and Consulting Group held sessions with Singaporean companies planning to expand their business into Indonesia. Jeffrey pointed out the utility of high-tech approaches for start-ups entering Indonesia, such as online advertising, usage of the Internet of things (IoT), data analytics and even Artificial Intelligence (AI). These approaches enable starts-ups to bypass mature importer-principal relationships that may be hard to overcome through conventional means. He also shared with individual companies his thoughts on developing customized strategies for Indonesian market entry. Get more information :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-shares-business-advice-to-start-ups-on-indonesian-market-entry/

Success factors for developed economies

As economies continue to become more developed, what key factors constitute to success? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. With more developed economies on the rise, growth is essential through ecosystems that require adequate nurture to enable productivity, growth and innovation. It is equally important to maintain the entrepreneur spirit and innovation with a culture that supports unorthodox thinking, creativity along with risk-taking. Another key factor for economic success is the education system. The quality determines the ability to push future leaders, designers, inventors and thinkers to think out of the box and nurture innovation as well as entrepreneurship. Read more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/success-factors-for-competitive-economies/