By Elton Gomes
South Korean technology giant Samsung is looking to dominate the Indian market by setting up what it calls the world’s largest mobile experience centre. Bengaluru’s iconic Opera House theatre on Brigade Road was given a facelift as it was transformed into the Samsung Opera House.
Todays consumers, especially millennials, seek unique experiences. They want to interact with the brand. This is what Samsung Opera House is about. We have curated never seen before experiences that will excite people, H.C. Hong, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Samsung southwest Asia, said, Business Standard reported.
Samsung will be expected to open more experience centres in some of Indias metropolitan cities in India, though the company did not offer a specific timeline of starting other such centres. By opening the world’s largest mobile experience centre, Samsung is looking to gain an upper hand in the Indian smartphone market while offering customers a first-hand experience of products related to Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and more.
What are the centre’s features?
Samsungs experience centre will display the companys products including mobiles, tablets, QLED televisions, Smart TVs, refrigerators, wearables amongst others. The home theatre zone can be pre-booked so that customers can watch movies with family and friends free of cost. The centre will be equipped with 4D Sway Chairs as well as the Whiplash Pulsar 4D chairs that offer 360-degree three-dimensional movements to better the VR experience.
The centre will also have on display Samsungs latest smartphones and wearables lineup. Customers will also be able to get their hands-on other Samsung products like phone covers, cases, power banks, and other accessories. Furthermore, the Samsung experience centre will include a range of Harman Kardon, JBL, and Samsung audio products.
The centre will also have a home appliance zone, wherein a chef will give live cooking demonstrations using Samsungs smart ovens.
Samsung sets up the world’s largest mobile factory in Noida
Samsung is leaving no stone unturned in taking over the Indian smartphone market. In July, the South Korean company announced an expansion plan for its mobile production unit in Noida. Samsung had been facing an uphill task in toppling Chinese firm Xiaomi in India, but it managed to regain top spot after introducing several launches in the Indian market.
Samsung said that it was ready to expand its current capacity of 68 million units a year to 120 million by 2020. The facility in Noida was touted to be the worlds largest mobile manufacturing factory after completion, Samsung executives said, Business Standard, reported.
The new 35-acre facility at Sector 81 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in landing together to officially inaugurate it. In June 2017, Samsung had announced an investment of Rs 4,915 crore to expand the Noida plant.
Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research, said that the new facility gives Samsung an advantage as it reduces the time to market. “This will help Samsung bring some local features to the devices powered by R&D here. Apart from this, the company can also bring in export opportunity for Samsung to SAARC and other regions,” Pathak told news agency IANS.
Samsung takes on Xiaomi, other Chinese rivals
As the battle for smartphone supremacy heats up in India, Samsung is currently seeking to reinvent itself as a younger brand. Introducing several new models and bagging sponsorship rights for Mukesh Ambanis IPL team might have helped Samsung in regaining the top spot in India.
“Samsung was living in a sort of denial of the threat that Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo posed but now they’ve come out of the ostrich hole,” said Rushabh Doshi, research manager at industry tracker Canalys. “Now they are fighting back, definitely,” Reuters reported. India – the world’s second largest smartphone market has been estimated at $20 billion annually, and will certainly be a big prize for Samsung. Samsung fans will surely be delighted as the company goes the extra mile to assert its dominance in the Indian market.
Elton Gomes is a staff writer at Qrius