Huawei Consumer Business Group recently launched a new smartphone called Honor 9i from Goa. P Sanjeev, vice president, sales, Huawei Consumer Business in an interaction with The Goan Everyday
The Goan: Why exactly Huawei Consumer Business Group (HCBG) chose Goa to launch Honor 9i?
P Sanjeev: Honor is for the digital native generation of today; a group that is vibrant, adventurous and brave. Honor 9i is made for the young at heart, those driven by passion and nothing exemplifies these sentiments as much as Goa. Therefore, there was no doubt in our minds when it came to selecting the location to launch Honor 9i.
TG: In your assessment, what are the possible game-changers in the smartphone market in India from one year's perspective?
Sanjeev: Huawei has always believed that innovation is the key to success and with that in mind we have invested 10% of our revenue towards research and development (R&D). We believe that devices, which incorporate features like ‘dual cameras' and ‘full view display' will act as game changers. Also, Artificial Intelligence will have a huge role to play in revolutionising the smartphone segment and we have already unveiled Kirin 970, HUAWEI's first mobile AI computing platform, this year at IFA2017.
TG: Brands like Vivo have come up with dedicated brick and mortar stores as a sales channel. Is HCBG looking at starting such stores to push sales in India?
Sanjeev: We are already present in 30,000 plus retail shops through 400 plus distributors and will expand as per business requirements because India holds immense strategic importance for Huawei. We have revamped our retail and service network and have plans to grow and cultivate our offline distribution network by partnering with multi-brand retail stores in key markets. We have recently announced a partnership with leading modern retail chains like Croma, Sangeetha and Reliance Digital.
