TECNO takes 'Moving Retail Shop' to rural India

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand of Transsion Holdings, on Monday launched "Moving Retail Shop" initiative to make its products easily accessible to customers in rural India.

The move comes at a time when the pandemic has led to restricted mobility, particularly among the vulnerable sections of the population.

Operating out of a moving van, the initiative will first pilot in Western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the Moving Retail Shop will travel across towns covering more than 15,000 km in over 150 markets and ensure presence in all popular weekly "haats" and local bazaars along the way, the company said.

Its "display, demonstration, and delivery" (D2D) campaign aims to provide the smartphone experience to potential consumer base living in the interiors of the country and strengthen the brand's retail network.

"TECNO commands substantial presence and market share in the greater Bharat on the back of our SPARK series, which focuses on battery, display, and camera in sub-Rs 10,000 smartphone category," Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of Transsion India, said in a statement.

"With our unique ‘Moving Retail Shop' initiative, our objective is to expand our retail presence to the smaller cities and towns of the aspirational Bharat that have limited access," Talapatra said.

TECNO said it is already receiving a strong response from consumers across the smaller towns during the first phase of the project held in Western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

"We plan to take this initiative to other Tier 3 and 4 towns of rural India. Following all the necessary hygiene and safety practices while regulating crowds and maintaining social distance, TECNO ‘Moving Retail Shop' outlets will be fully safe for consumers to visit," Talapatra said.

TECNO has been aggressively building its offline business in India since 2017.

In the first phase of the campaign, TECNO's ‘Moving Retail Shop' is expected to reach over 20,000 residents.

With over 1,000 demonstration sessions, the "display, demonstration, and delivery" campaign will assist retailers in selling smartphones directly to consumers across 22 towns in Western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, TECNO said.

The moving shop will showcase six best seller products from wide range of TECNO's portfolio such as SPARK Go 2020 Rs 6,499, Spark 6 Air (2+32) at Rs 7,699, Spark Power 2 Air Rs 8,499, SPARK 5 Pro Rs 10499, CAMON 16 Rs 11,499, Hipods H2 Rs 1,699, Minipod M1 Rs 799.

On the back of the new products launched under Spark Series, TECNO has strengthened its position as one of the Top 6 smartphone brands in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment, according to recent Counterpoint report for Q3 this year..