Bring the domestic mobile phone, we first thought is China European dimension, as everyone knows, a not well-known mobile phone manufacturers in Shenzhen but in the distant African music, muffled fortune". In Africa silently after 8 years of mobile phone shipments through the way ahead, is worthy of the name "the king of africa".
The first half of 2016, the domestic mobile phone sales in overseas has exceeded one hundred million, HUAWEI, Lenovo, ZTE, the three old manufacturers sales is good, but the surprise is that this is the sound of the mobile phone business Chinese actually sold 32 million 860 thousand, ranked first! And there's hardly any news about it at home.
What is the sound of mobile phone?
In fact, the sound is not a brand, but the name of a company, the full name of the Shenzhen sound Holdings limited. This was founded in 2006, the company owns TECNO, itel, Infinix and other mobile phone brands, with a high cost and excellent localization strategy in the African market to occupy up to 40% of the market share.
In 2006, speaking with Shenzhen Huaqiang North, the other mobile phone manufacturers like ODM from the beginning, but soon is the homogenization of the price war with two years later was forced to take the brand. However, the policy is not fully liberalized, channel costs are high, there is no one million level of capital basically did not have to play, hit down to earn a minute is to create a rich myth, but more dead. After contrast, Africa as the last one has not yet been attached to the market has become the most preferred speaking.
After Chinese, article more than and 3 of the global population of India market in Africa, the population reached 1 billion. When some impressions of Africa still remain in poverty, primitive, savage, war, closed, founder Zhu Zhaojiang observed that the mobile phone market in Africa only Samsung, NOKIA and a few other brands, competition is relatively much smaller than other markets.
TECNO and itel are speaking cultivate the longest, the most popular brand in Africa: the former higher prices for high-end consumer market promotion strategy, supporting more texture; the price is low, for young consumers, so the market promotion of the main lively and individual labels. In 2012, speaking in full force in the field of intelligent mobile phone, launched its high-end mobile phone brand Infinix.
8 years of localization of the road
That Africa and the world is the NOKIA monopoly of the world, through choosing different brand positioning Challenger will choose: price. At that time TECNO phone sold tens of dollars, is the price of NOKIA \/ Samsung 50%. The performance is to achieve the ultimate multicard. "Africa's settlement costs between operators is very high, many users need more than two mobile phone cards, but unable to bear two phones," said Junjie Liu, the user is the pain point is precisely the Chinese manufacturers are the best. In order to emphasize the brand differences, TECNO was launched four card mobile phone.
More important localization is "sincerity"". "At that time, Africa is the supply and marketing mode, the shopping environment is poor, we set up the customer service center, not only sales service, at least give people feel" domineering "; then, a wide range of TV advertising signs, advertising each year than any other brand level may be in other areas, others do not key in africa." Junjie Liu said that at that time, NOKIA, Samsung did not regard Africa as the focus of the market also allows them to take the initiative.
At the same time, Junjie Liu has always stressed the sound "create sharing" business values. "Africa's politics and religion are very complex, the value of the trust of the people at this time, it is obvious, we are through so many years of service details to establish the trust of agents." Junjie Liu told reporters in Nandu, different from other brands allow agents to credit for 1~3 months, the sound of the agents all cash transactions.
By 2012, the smart mobile phone began to appear in Africa, speaking also against Africans do characteristic development. For example, the establishment of the Infinix, in the high-end brand TECNO and low-end brand itel for the large gap between rich and poor environment; and on the product details, taking pictures of people all over the world and social value, for color and characteristics of Africans, face recognition through mobile phone is different from other mobile phone, but through the eyes and teeth positioning. And exposure compensation; and the world's only a cross functional machine intelligent machines, social software Palm chat, the number of registered users more than 100 million.
How to understand the needs of African consumers? According to reports, not only have a sound R & D center in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, the design team has cooperation in Paris of France, but also in the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, Lagos is the capital of Kenya, Nairobi set up R & D center, two R & D center is mainly for localization work, is committed to improving the function of APP in application. To enhance the user experience.
Africa hundred, was mistakenly believed to be made in Germany
In 2015, South Africa's business magazine African Business released its annual "Africa consumer favorite top 100 brands, TECNO ranked sixteenth, after Samsung, NOKIA, SONY, apple, but ahead of GUCCI, Microsoft and other brands, together at the top of the list and the itel brand, ranked 51, ahead of NISSAN, LV, Google, etc..
In fact, the early years of NOKIA has not yet declined, TECNO is known as the African NOKIA. Today, TECNO in many countries in Africa, not only sales ahead, the market share of the first, but also as a representative of the high-end brands to become the most popular local brands.
In Africa, TECNO, itel and other brands are often mistaken for the local brand or German brands, even if it is Business African these magazines in the production of the list will have itel mistakenly as an African brand. Junjie Liu recalled that in 2010 when Cameroon travel and a chance encounter TECNO phone users to chat, chat to the source of the brand, the other evaluation, said: This is the German manufacturing, good quality." Such an evaluation to make him feel happy, but also some complex mood.
Along with the domestic mobile phone Chinese saturated, many businesses saw the African market potential, many mobile phone manufacturers began the "coveted" Africa this piece of meat. At the same time, as the second step in the company's global strategy, speaking in 2016 announced formally enter India this emerging market. Just, in the face of such a number of competitors, this go around the city, the road of alternative, do not know whether to achieve a real breakthrough.
