Google’s Android One
phones struggle
to make sales in India
Google introduced
Android One earlier this year targeting the budget smartphone segment but it
doesn’t seem like it has worked out as planned.
The three phones
produced by Micromax, Spice and Karbonn were initially available
exclusively online but as it did not set the cash registers ringing, it was
then made available to retailers across India. However,
the devices haven’t sold well and many major retailers are refusing to
stock the phones.
According to anonymous
executives who spoke to The
Economic Times, eight major electronics retailers in India
including Tata-owned Croma, Future Group, Planet MRetail and Next
Retail, BigC, Lot Mobiles, Reliance Retail and Sangeetha Mobiles, which
between them have 1,800 stores, have not stocked any of the three
Android One smartphones launched so far.
The CEO of a top
consumer electronics retail chain was quoted as saying that the margin
offered for Android One was around 3-4% which is much less than the industry
average of 9-10%.
Android One launched
in India with three devices namely Spice
Android One Dream ,Karbonn
Sparkle V, and Micromax
Canvas A1. All three phones did not generate enough buzz for people to
purchase them online. In comparison, there has been a lot of interest in Xiaomi which
also sells their products exclusively online. As there are other devices in the
market offering similar specifications at a similar price, consumers
don’t seem keen to invest in the Android One devices just yet.