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Google has captured a 10% share of the premium smartphone segment in India after what analysts said was a strong initial showing with the Pixel which took advantage of the absence of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 in the market.
Google shipped 33,000 units of the Pixel to India as of October end, becoming the No 3 player for the month in the segment where the smartphone costs Rs 30,000 or more. Apple has trumped Samsung to capture the No 1 position in this segment.
“A refreshing and feature-packed Pixel is making for a good preposition against Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s S series,” analysts at
Counterpoint Research said.
Apple had a 66% share of the high end of the smartphone market as of last month, as shipments of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus outdid those of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and other variants. Samsung had a 23% share.
“Google does not want to miss out on the opportunities and is leaving no stones unturned with heavy spend on marketing. Going by spends on advertisement and offers provided by the company, Pixel is sure to be maintaining its market share if not extend it in the quarter,” Counterpoint said.
The search giant, which started selling its first made-by-Google phone in India on October 25, was offering no-cost EMIs starting Rs 3,167 for all online and offline purchases. It was also offering cashback of Rs 7,000 for HDFC card holders who wanted to buy the phone, which has a starting price of Rs 57,000.
Google had also run an exchange programme on Flipkart, which took pre-orders from October 13 to November 25, where an extra discount of Rs 5,000 was offered. While Google didn’t share the advertising expenditure, it has run a 360 degree campaign in the top seven cities, print and digital, to build the brand.
“We are very enthused by the feedback from Indian customers and the initial response for Pixel has been extremely positive and in line with our expectations,” a Google India spokesperson said.
Pixel's shipments for the first month alone were over a third of the 95,000 units of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P combined that were shipped between October 2015 and September 2016, according to import data from Cybex Exim Solutions. This, analysts say, is an indicator of Google’s push behind Pixel and its possible success in the India market. Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P were flagships of the older, now discontinued, Nexus smartphone series that Google launched last year.
“The Pixel is Google’s take on the total user experience as we envision it — bringing the best of Google’s software, such as the Google Assistant, with hardware that really brings the experience to life,” the spokesperson said.
The Alphabet-owned company showcased the Pixel and Pixel XL in key stores of large-format retail chains including Croma, Reliance Digital, Spice Mobility and Jumbo, a strategy adopted by the company for the first time to catch eyeballs in the retail market.
Pixel has managed to carve out a space in the face of competition from Apple, which brought in 2,13,000 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus into India in October, as per data from Cybex Exim Solutions. Samsung diverted all marketing focus to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but could not fill the void created by the absence of the Note 7 after it was discontinued over safety concerns.
Retailers said demand for Pixel could have been higher than that seen now, but for demonetisation which was announced by the government within a fortnight of the product’s offline sales beginning on October 25. The nullification of the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes has severely impacted demand for all mobile phones, leading to sales dropping by as much as 50% in the first few days since the November 8 announcement.
Analysts expect mobile phone, tablet and PC sales to fall by as much as 33% in the quarter ending December, sequentially. The situation is unlikely to ease up till March, or till the time cash is easily available in all denominations across the country.
Google Pixel in India: Google's Pixel makes strong start in India, captures 10% share in premium segment - ET Telecom
Google shipped 33,000 units of the Pixel to India as of October end, becoming the No 3 player for the month in the segment where the smartphone costs Rs 30,000 or more. Apple has trumped Samsung to capture the No 1 position in this segment.
“A refreshing and feature-packed Pixel is making for a good preposition against Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s S series,” analysts at
Counterpoint Research said.
Apple had a 66% share of the high end of the smartphone market as of last month, as shipments of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus outdid those of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and other variants. Samsung had a 23% share.
“Google does not want to miss out on the opportunities and is leaving no stones unturned with heavy spend on marketing. Going by spends on advertisement and offers provided by the company, Pixel is sure to be maintaining its market share if not extend it in the quarter,” Counterpoint said.
The search giant, which started selling its first made-by-Google phone in India on October 25, was offering no-cost EMIs starting Rs 3,167 for all online and offline purchases. It was also offering cashback of Rs 7,000 for HDFC card holders who wanted to buy the phone, which has a starting price of Rs 57,000.
Google had also run an exchange programme on Flipkart, which took pre-orders from October 13 to November 25, where an extra discount of Rs 5,000 was offered. While Google didn’t share the advertising expenditure, it has run a 360 degree campaign in the top seven cities, print and digital, to build the brand.
“We are very enthused by the feedback from Indian customers and the initial response for Pixel has been extremely positive and in line with our expectations,” a Google India spokesperson said.
Pixel's shipments for the first month alone were over a third of the 95,000 units of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P combined that were shipped between October 2015 and September 2016, according to import data from Cybex Exim Solutions. This, analysts say, is an indicator of Google’s push behind Pixel and its possible success in the India market. Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P were flagships of the older, now discontinued, Nexus smartphone series that Google launched last year.
“The Pixel is Google’s take on the total user experience as we envision it — bringing the best of Google’s software, such as the Google Assistant, with hardware that really brings the experience to life,” the spokesperson said.
The Alphabet-owned company showcased the Pixel and Pixel XL in key stores of large-format retail chains including Croma, Reliance Digital, Spice Mobility and Jumbo, a strategy adopted by the company for the first time to catch eyeballs in the retail market.
Pixel has managed to carve out a space in the face of competition from Apple, which brought in 2,13,000 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus into India in October, as per data from Cybex Exim Solutions. Samsung diverted all marketing focus to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but could not fill the void created by the absence of the Note 7 after it was discontinued over safety concerns.
Retailers said demand for Pixel could have been higher than that seen now, but for demonetisation which was announced by the government within a fortnight of the product’s offline sales beginning on October 25. The nullification of the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes has severely impacted demand for all mobile phones, leading to sales dropping by as much as 50% in the first few days since the November 8 announcement.
Analysts expect mobile phone, tablet and PC sales to fall by as much as 33% in the quarter ending December, sequentially. The situation is unlikely to ease up till March, or till the time cash is easily available in all denominations across the country.
Google Pixel in India: Google's Pixel makes strong start in India, captures 10% share in premium segment - ET Telecom
