South Korea’s leading home appliance giants are bolstering efforts to expand their presence in India with over 1.2 billion population by introducing innovative products and marketing schemes that are specifically tailored for Indian consumers.
By Baishakhi Dutta
Samsung Electronics Co.’s consumer electronics (CE) division held a strategy meeting in India to discuss its marketing plans in India and Southeast Asia this year. The meeting was attended by CE Division CEO Yoon Boo-keun and other executives.
As its tagline ‘Make for India,’ Samsung Electronics is making all-out efforts to further penetrate the Indian market, one of the world’s largest consumer markets.
On July 5, the company launched 44 types of new TV sets in India to attract local customers with a customized marketing approach. For example, the Korean consumer electronics has developed the Joy Beat TV specifically for Indian consumers who like to entertain themselves in groups. The TV is embedded with a high power speaker Tweeter on top of a basic speaker to ensure clear music sound with background noise.
It also rolled out an app for an Internet-connected smart TV that allows viewers to check cricket game results in real time while viewing other programs on different channels. This app was developed by Samsung Electronics’ R&D center in India where cricket is the most popular sport game.
Given Indians’ eating habit to consume a lot of veggies, Samsung Electronics launched a convertible refrigerator that can convert a freezer into a fridge. The Active Wash washing machine with a small washboard on the top for prewash and soaking is also one of Made for India products.
Recently, Samsung Electronics signed a partnership agreement with Flipkart, the India’s largest e-commerce company.
LG Electronics Inc., another leading consumer electronics maker in Korea, is also gearing up to further boost its market share in India. One of its India-specific products is the Mosquito Away TV. This product emits ultrasound waves that are not detectable by human ears to repel mosquitoes. LG Electronics plans to sell this product in other countries such the Philippines and Sri Lanka affected by mosquito-borne infectious diseases.
The company’s high-power audio X Boom is also well received in India. This product boasts a maximum output of 4,800 watts (W), loud enough for a house party or a small event. Ordinary TV audio stands at 20 to 40W.
