Oppo launches new brand Realme, changes market strategy with India-first approach

The Indian smartphone market is expected to show a double-digit growth in 2018, says International Data Corporation (IDC). Amidst the growing market, mobile phone makers are rushing to capture the largest pie and among the lists are Xiaomi, Samsung, Lenovo, Vivo and Oppo, among others.

In February this year, IDC released a detailed report on the market share of smartphones in the country in 2017. In the report, Samsung led the market with over 24 per cent market share followed by Xiaomi with over 20 per cent share. It also pointed out the sharp fall in sales of Oppo which reduced to 7.5 per cent of the total market share.

In an attempt to capture the lost market, Oppo is buckling up with India-first approach. Oppo today announced the launch of a new brand called Realme.

The new brand Realme will launch all new devices in India first before introducing it to any other global market. It will also be made locally at Oppo’s factory in Greater Noida.

Realme will launch handsets between Rs 10,000-20,000 price range with its products for the India market and operate as an independent brand.

The other thing in its kitty is exclusive partnership with online marketplace. The Chinese smartphone maker also announced an exclusive partnership with Amazon for Realme.

The rising online sales of smartphones induced the company to forge a partnership with one of India’s biggest online players. With such tie ups, Oppo aims to have a substantial share in India’s online channel.

It appears to be a prudent approach as online retailers have popularized many trends in the Indian smartphone market, like making devices more affordable through easy financing options, attractive exchange offers on existing smartphones. On the back of fresh infusion of funds and focus on India market, the online stores are expected to remain aggressive in 2018 as well.

Besides, to promote the new brand, Oppo is also scouting for various tie-ups. It has already tied-up with Reliance Jio for benefits worth Rs 4850 and will also offer cashback in partnership with the State Bank of India. The brand is also exploring a partnership with Amazon to provide its prime services to non-Prime users that buy its products.

The development was first reported by ET.