By Krishna SinhaChaudhury
New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Aiming to make deeper inroads in the Indian smartphone market, Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to play both in the online and offline segment to cement its position in the country, a top company official has said.
India is among the top four markets for the company by revenue, according to Prashanth Mani, Managing Director, Motorola Mobility India.
"We have to look at what is relevant from an Indian consumer's stand and we will continue doing more of that.
"India is one market where smartphones are present both online and offline. We have already launched an online only device -- Motorola One Power -- and we also need to have presence in the offline market," Mani told IANS in an interview.
The Indian market will be a key focus for the smartphone player in its value portfolio (Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000). The Lenovo-backed company has already doubled up its production capacity to 12 million units in India.
"The manufacturing capacity of our facility has doubled up. We have a clear strategy now and 'Make for India' is very critical. Nearly 100 per cent of whatever we produce (here) is made here. It also means we will continuously localise our supplies and, thus, will gain supply chain efficiency," Mani said.
"Currently, we have covered all price points between Rs 11,999-Rs 17,999 in the offline segment," he noted.
The handset maker recently launched its first Android One device Motorola One Power aimed at millennials in India for Rs 15,999. The device will have the latest Android version and regular security updates.
The company would contemplate about introducing more Android One devices in the country, based on the response that Motorola One Power gets.
Asked whether Motorola was planning to step up its consumer services, Mani said: "About 70 per cent of users today get an answer/solution within two hours of registering a complaint. We currently have 450 consumer service centres and would improve on that number."
The smartphone player has opened 700-800 Moto Hubs in the country where prospective buyers can go and feel the products.
The Moto Hubs offer the entire portfolio of Motorola devices. These hubs also offer accessories like on-ear and in-ear headphones, Moto shells and phone covers.
According to Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research, Motorola (excluding Lenovo) had a market share of 2.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2018.
However, the smartphone player managed to capture only 0.9 per cent share in the third quarter of 2018.
Chinese technology major Lenovo Group started selling Motorola smartphones after it acquired the firm in 2014.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)
