English
Ankit Dubey
Leading Automobile and Technology Verticals of India.com ... Read More
New Delhi – Despite the rapid growth of smartphones, itel continues to dominate the feature phone market while making strong strides in the budget smartphone segment. In this exclusive interview, Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of itel India, shares insights into the brand’s sustained leadership, AI-driven innovations, and strategic differentiation in a competitive landscape. He also discusses itel’s marketing strategies, customer service initiatives, and future plans for the Indian market. With a commitment to affordability, accessibility, and innovation, itel remains a trusted name in the industry. Read on for more insights.
Q1. Despite the rise of smartphones, itel continues to dominate the feature phone market. What factors have contributed to this sustained leadership & What key strategies have contributed to this continued success?
itel continues to lead the feature phone market in 2024, securing a dominant 32% market share despite overall market stagnation. Our sustained success is driven by our strong commitment to affordability, reliability, durability, and accessibility – key factors that consistently resonate with our customers.
We have built a strong offline presence, leveraging positive word-of-mouth recommendations, which play a crucial role in purchasing decisions for consumers in this segment.We have recently crossed more than 11 crore customers – an attestation to the high brand trust that our brand enjoys amongst consumers. itel has always been a strong proponent of Make in India – we have 3 manufacturing facilities in Noida –with a capacity of producing more than 24 million handsets each year. This facility has allowed us to manufacture, retail, and customize products as per the needs of the Indian market, further strengthening its position.
Q2. With AI becoming a key differentiator in mobile devices, how is itel incorporating AI-driven features in its smartphones and feature phones?
We at itel are integrating AI-driven features to enhance user experience, efficiency, and performance. Our smartphones leverage AI-powered cameras for smarter photography and AI-driven battery optimization for longer usage. Additionally, we are working on intuitive AI assistants and personalized user interfaces to make our devices more responsive to individual preferences. In our mobile phones, AI plays a role in optimizing performance and voice-assisted functionalities, ensuring smarter and more convenience. At itel, we are committed to democratizing technology by bringing AI-driven innovation for everyone. We have many exciting productsin pipeline this year.
Q3. With the increasing competition in the budget smartphone segment, how is itel differentiating itself?
In the highly competitive budget smartphone segment, itel has differentiated itself by emerging as the number one brand in the sub-10K phone category (including both Feature Phones and Smartphones), with a strong 22% market share. We have firmly established ourselves as the preferred brand by delivering the perfect blend of value for money, durability, reliability, ease of use, and trust—key factors that drive strong word-of-mouth recommendations from our satisfied users.
itel has an extensive offline distribution network with more than 1.3 lakh retailers and 1100+ distributors, ensuring easy availability of itel products even in remote areas of India. This expansive reach enables us to serve a diverse consumer base—from those seeking 2G feature phones to users preferring 4G devices and those looking to transition from 4G to 5G smartphones.itel offers cutting-edge features in its feature phones, such as Time Talker and King Voice, enhancing user convenience and accessibility. As a trailblazer in the industry, itel is the only brand to introduce true 5G connectivity at in the sub 10K segment – open to all operators – along with an exclusive free screen replacement offer, setting it apart as the only brand providing such benefits in the sub-₹10K segment.
Q4. How does itel ensure its marketing campaigns reflect its brand philosophy and vision?
itel’s marketing campaigns are deeply aligned with our brand philosophy of “Enjoy Better Life”, which revolves around affordability, accessibility, and trust. We have adopted a localized marketing strategy tailored to Aspirational India, where affordability and availability play a crucial role in purchasing decisions. Our marketing campaigns include integrating tools like AR and interactive storytelling into our advertising, we aim to create experiences that captivate and inform, offering a deeper, richer connection to our products. One of the very popular campaigns of itel “Compare Kiya Kya” integrated QR codes effectively to start conversations digitally about our A50 smartphones. This was done through 500 wall wraps which were installed at strategic locations throughout the country.
We have a strong presence in both offline and online channels, helping us to create word-of-mouth marketing to ensure that first-time mobile users feel confident transitioning to smartphones. Additionally, we maintains a robust presence in both retail and digital channels to cater to the growing number of consumers who research online but prefer to purchase offline (ROPO customers).
Q5. What are itel’s top strategic priorities for the Indian market this year?
According to a report by Counterpoint report, around 220 million people in India are 2G users and that is a significant part of our country. We will always have a strong focus on feature phones- both 2G and 4G – in which we have been No. 1 since the last few years. Furthermore, we will be expanding our smartphone and smartgadgets portfolio with several innovative features, designed to provide the best experience for our consumers. AI is going to play a vital role in our upcoming products.
Q6. What initiatives is itel undertaking to enhance customer experience and after-sales service?
itel has established a robust service network with over 1,000 service centres throughout India, ensuring unrestricted access to after-sales support for our customers. Our relentless commitment to reliability and durability continues to inspire customer trust, positioning itel as one of the most preferred mobile brands in the country. We are very confident about our product quality and that is why we provide an industry firstfree screen replacement offer within 100 days. This no questions asked guaranteeprovides customers with peace of mind, further enhancing their confidence in our brand. Strong customer service is the cornerstone of a loyal customer base and the high brand trust enjoyed by itel is a testament to that.
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