How does Fly position itself in the market today?
Fly being a global brand, we have got our presence across many countries. We have a long heritage in this industry and have been operational in the country for the last four years. We are being positioned as a strong challenging brand with an exceptionally strong commitment to differentiation. Our target customers are those who are buying handsets for the second time and we try to live with these same consumers till the seventh or eighth handset buying. By doing so, it allows us to bring in maximum differentiation to the consumers and give them real value proposition. We look at these mobile devices not just as communication devices, but as part of our consumer's lifestyle, as it becomes such an integral part of today's life. We believe it has got a personality of its own. We come from an extremely strong brand building background and have an outstanding track record. We measure success by the simple fact that whether the consumers consider Fly once they change their device. We do our market research; we have our own R&D team to develop our products and then bring these products to the market. Another fact which cannot be overlooked is that India is largely a heterogeneous country, whether it is in terms of geography or consumer clusters. The likes and dislikes of consumers hailing from the North-East vary from those from the West and so on. Taking this wide variation into consideration, we are doing an enormous amount of consumer research by which we are trying to capture the aspirations of tomorrow.
With a lot many players entering in the handset space, what has been Fly Mobile's take on the recent cacophony that is being witnessed?
The good news is that the Indian market is growing and this growth is happening at an exceptionally rapid pace. The industry might still be very young and it is yet to catch up, but the fact that this is giving rise to a lot of space and opportunity to the people is, indeed, commendable. Of late, there have been a lot of entrants in this space, but the question still remains unanswered as to how many of them are equipped with that mission or the strategy to build a brand.
Do you bundle your handsets with any value-added services?
We have a zone called FlyBuzz zone in our devices. It has a whole lot of social networking options and is constantly growing and changing. This particular zone addresses specific consumer clusters, like for some clusters astrology is the end thing while for some Bollywood or stock market. So, we are trying to embrace some of these spaces and evolve with the consumers and their respective needs.
How many models do you have at present?
We have roughly about 15 models at present. We keep refreshing our roadmap practically every quarter. By and large, we come out with 13-14 handsets in a year, with an average of a handset per month. There are two key dimensions that function in this regard. One is the technology dimension, as to how is the technology progressing and second is the changing consumer aspirations. So, we constantly look at optimizing these two dimensions by reviewing consumer needs and technological upgradations.
What kind of market strategies are you looking at?
We have a national distribution system and a national service system. We have retailers and channel partners all across the country. This is a country where channel has always been the key success factor. So, our reliance on the channel is evident right from the very start. Our efforts to bring some of the best partners to our business have always been rewarded. We work in a very facilitative manner and share a seamless relationship with our partners. We also have a large number of promoters along with the retailers, whose task is to demonstrate our products.
Do you have Fly exclusive counters?
No, we don't have Fly exclusive counters, as we believe that the consumer should compare our handsets with other brands and then make the choice. It also helps us win the customer's confidence. We don’t want to impose our products on them. So, exclusive shop is a strict no-no concept for us. But, as of now, we have Shop-in-Shop concept in place with some 1,000-odd promoters well spread across the country. Our target is to reach 1,500 as early as possible.
Why you have called off your association with Bollywood Diva “Malaika Arora”?
That has always been a debatable point. Signing an Ambassador does help you grab eyeballs for your brand for people start associating the product and brand to the Ambassador, but eventually the focus moves away from the product. We, at Fly, strongly believe that our product is our brand and let that be its own ambassador. So, after the initial few years of association, we have moved on.
For more contact:
samrita@varindia.com
