New Delhi, Jan 29 The smartphone market in India is set to further pick up pace this year, riding on robust demand from rural markets and led by the continued rapid growth in the premium segment, Samsung Southwest Asia President and CEO, JB Park, said on Wednesday.
The strong growth in the sales of premium smartphones in the country has helped original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung and Apple to post double-digit growth.
"2024 turned out to be a great year for Samsung. Our efforts to democratize premium experiences helped us, with Galaxy S24 breaking the record for flagship sales in India,” Park said in a statement.
“We hope 2025 will be bigger for India’s smartphone industry. We are confident that Galaxy S25 will prove to be even more popular than S24 series," Park added.
Demand in rural markets is likely to aid the adoption of premium smartphones this year.
The company said it is looking to expand its offline presence in rural markets in a big way so that consumers can experience the new AI features that are the biggest draw for its latest Galaxy series.
"In many parts of Indian rural towns. I see there are consumers that are more attached to an experience. Today, everything is available on YouTube, Instagram, where you can see products virtually,” said Park.
“Our strategy is to build experience centres across smaller towns, especially in rural markets, where you can walk in, and our promoters or field sales force can help the consumer to touch and learn and experience the technology," he added.
The South Korean giant is planning to double the number of its economy experience stores to 800 by the end of 2025. Samsung Finance+, the company’s propriety lending platform, will be a key enabler for rural sales, he added.
"If you look at Bihar or Jammu and Kashmir or the North-east region, there are many states where we have more than a 60 per cent to 70 per cent 'attach rate' with our Samsung Finance+ to serve these needs," Park noted.
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