Unstoppable

Realme has achieved 518 percent growth in the mobile phone market in 2021. For a company founded in 2018, that’s not even that much to talk about, as the top of a growth curve always curves steeply upwards. However, realme is already one of the TOP4 mobile phone brands in Europe, and has even made it to the podium in Poland, where it is ranked third in the market. We spoke to Lukasz Lyzwa Sales Director, realme Poland about the company’s results and plans.

In less than four years, realme has become one of the leading mobile phone brands. What do you think is the reason for this success? What are the ingredients of this success?

Realme is young brand. Built by dynamic, creative and passionate team. Those qualities are being reflected in our products and in our communication. Consumer electronics industry constantly changes with huge demand to meet. realme leveraged on a niche but captive youth market that was over-promised but underserved. It’s clear to me that we easily stand out with cutting-edge technology, trendsetting design and position ourselves as a 5G democratizer.

Although realme is a young company, the investors behind the company are also interested in brands such as Oppo and Vivo. Is there any collaboration between these brands?

Although we belong to one family – BBK Electronics – we try to be as competitive in our group, as we are with other brands. That drives our development and helps to push forwards in terms of R&D or offers we can present to end-users.

European markets seem to be playing an increasingly important role in the company’s strategy. Right?

Europe is huge market. People here are open to new products and new solutions, they follow tech news and want to be up to date with what these innovations bring to the table. We aim to continue the growth our presence in European market. We plan to familiarize consumers with our rich portfolio of smartphone and AIOT products, (including small household appliances) which will be successively developed by us. And most importantly, as a 5G democratizer, we will aim to make 5G devices more accessible to customers – not just smartphones, but also smart devices enabled by 5G services.

How is Europe a different market? Can those solutions work that have led to success for example in India? Or are you taking a completely different approach?

It differs on so many levels, just to mention different regulations or different consumer habits and needs. As a young brand we carefully analyze our decisions – we adapt and develop strategies that work. On the other hand, we draw conclusions from decisions that don’t bring expected results. The high adaptiveness and flexibility is our huge strength.

The first European realme store opened in Budapest at the end of May. Why Hungary was chosen, as in Poland, for example, the brand is already third in the mobile phone market.

Brand stores are meant to show the full potential of  realme and build realme brand awareness. We believe Hungarian market has all it takes for our brand to become successful, yet we need to make realme stand out from competitors and allow people to get familiar with who we are. That is why we decided to open our first store here. Not to mention the support we got from our local partner who was very keen to stand alongside us in this project.

Operators are an important factor in mobile phone sales. What role does this channel play in your strategy?

Operators are extremely important part of the whole market. They are not only sales drivers but play a key role in building brand awareness. We see their interest in our offer is increasing. We execute campaigns together – bringing customers special, dedicated offers and rising awareness of our brand. Our portfolio is expanding, and so is our exposure in operator channels. I believe that mutual trust and cooperation is crucial for realme’s success in Europe.

The realme model range is quite wide. Why do you need such a large range, what is the reason for having so many models on the market at the same time?

We’re aiming to offer best products to every possible client. Consumers differ – in  needs, budget they can spend on devices or expectations from tech innovations. Our goal is to democratize the asses to 5G and its possibilities. That’s why even with our low-end smartphones we create opportunity to benefit from what 5G has to offer.

For mobile phones, upgrades are an important aspect. What does realme offer in this area?

With new smartphones we underline the 2-year support and update. However we also don’t forget about users of previous models. Updates are very important – especially from security perspective. We work hard to supply all of our users with required update, but in time we feel it’s safe to share and doesn’t provoke unnecessary issues that needed fix with patches.

The brand’s offer is not limited to phones. What other product segments are you present in and what role do they play in your strategy?

Apart from smartphones, we already have great smartwatches, laptops or tablets. We naturally plan to grow in those segments. However, as I mentioned before, we will aim to expand in area of AIOT.  Therefore we will put efforts in development of our earbuds, but also TVs and small home appliances. Naturally smartphones are our core products and this won’t change. Meanwhile, we want consumers to have opportunity to enjoy our quality and prices in other segments, that they connect with realme.

What are your objectives for the brand in the near future?

To continue our growth. In Poland we aim to be number one. In Europe, we want to become one of three biggest smartphone providers. We will also continue to stay on the path of 5G democratization. We believe that 5G is the future and everyone should have a chance to benefit from it directly.

További rovatainkból: