Samsung India, even without the compulsion of the pandemic, was planning to focus on its online business. Anyway, after the lockdown kicked in, it redoubled its efforts on its sales plan on the internet. And the whole thing seems to be repaying good dividends.
Samsung now says it expects its online business in India to grow 35% in 2020 over the last year.
And driving this charge is its M series of devices that it had introduced in February last year for online channels.
Samsung is hoping to turn in a business of $3.5 billion gross merchandise value (GMV) for the Galaxy 'M' series by the end of this year.
The 'M' series is the single largest brand from any smartphone company in India today.
The entire Galaxy M series, in particular the Galaxy M30s device, performed well in the online segment last year.
- Samsung Galaxy M51: Leaks, specs, launch date and price in India
- Samsung Galaxy M51 could pack a ridiculously large battery
Bets big on the Galaxy M series
According to Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Samsung India, "while the industry, as per various analyst reports, could be dipping 5-10 per cent or more on the full-year basis, Samsung’s online business is expected to post over 35 per cent growth in value terms."
He told the news agency PTI that the company has had a slew of launches — eight smartphones straddling across different price points, tablets and wearables in the post-lockdown period.
"Our average selling price (ASP) for the Galaxy 'M' series is likely to grow at 50 per cent in 2020. We will double our online business market share in 2020 on the back of 100 per cent growth (year-on-year) in the second half (July-December) this year," Warsi said.
As of now, the company is selling seven devices under the M series.
The M series was designed ground-up in India and is manufactured at its Noida factory.
All eyes on Galaxy M51
This week, on September 10, Samsung is set to launch its 'meanest monster' Galaxy M51 in India. It boasts of industry-first 7,000mAh battery, 6.7-inch Infinity-O display with Super AMOLED technology, Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 Octa-Core processor,6GB RAM and 128GB storage (expandable to 512GB via microSD card),64MP quad rear camera setup and 32MP front camera.
"Be it an office-goer, a millennial or a student busy with online classes at home, the 'Make in India' M51 will be the go-to device for all," Warsi was quoted as saying.
It is expected to be priced in the Rs 20,000-25,000 range.
Samsung has launched Mo-B, its first-ever mascot that represents all things 'monster' of its Galaxy M series smartphones.
"We have a very interesting character Mo-B that is going to challenge the M51 for the meanest monster title. The battle between Mo-B and M51 is going to be exciting and may the best and meanest monster win,” said Asim Warsi.
Consumers can participate in quizzes on Mo-B to win exciting prizes, Samsung said.
