Online-exclusive Samsung phones with faster specs and rock-bottom prices could be launching soon.
A report from The Economic Times said the handsets will be part of a new series that will ship to India, where the Korean electronics giant is believed to be preparing an aggressive push in e-commerce to take on rival Xiaomi and other smartphone manufacturers that have found success with their online exclusives.
Samsung is believed to be preparing an aggressive push in e-commerce to take on rival Xiaomi and other smartphone manufacturers that have found success with their online exclusives in India.
The report cited three unnamed senior executives familiar with the matter. It added that Samsung is also exploring avenues to make mobile devices and consumer electronics, such as TVs, for online retail.
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The company might launch its own e-commerce platform as well. Samsung India is reportedly looking for someone to take the reins of its online business under Asim Warsi, Samsung’s global VP for IT and mobile. It also wants to limit its distribution partners online to improve margins and lower price points.
Interestingly, the idea of Samsung launching online-only handsets in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, behind only China, isn’t new — the most successful example being the Samsung Galaxy On lineup.
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The rumored decision comes on the heels of Xiaomi’s astronomical gains in India, particularly in the third quarter of 2017. The quarter saw the Chinese OEM become the fastest-growing phone brand in the country, with a year-on-year growth rate of almost 300 percent, according to IDC’s Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. It is said that one out of two smartphones sold online in India today is made by Xiaomi.
The rumored decision comes on the heels of Xiaomi’s astronomical gains in India. It is said that one out of two smartphones sold online today is made by Xiaomi.
Nearly 100 million phones were sold in India the previous year; 30 percent of them were bought online. But whereas Samsung is looking to flex its muscle in the e-commerce space, Xiaomi is looking for ways to further increase its number of physical stores in the country.
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