Samsung seeks to double sale of tablets

Samsung Electronics is targeting to double sales of tablets in India in the current year. The company clocked sales of three lakh units in 2011 and sees a challenge in growing the tablets penetration dramatically. “Our present share is fairly small, in single digit, as of now. We have devised plans to at least double the sales during the current year,” Samsung India Mobile and IT Country Head Ranjit Yadav said. The market for tablets was set to grow significantly as also the demand for smartphones in which Samsung was a leading player. Mr. Yadav dismissed suggestions that the entry of low cost smartphones had an impact on major players asserting that the major brands continued to take a dominant share in the market. “The pricing-related issues are a bit overplayed,” he said adding that innovation and providing solutions and content suiting customers continued to guide the market. Samsung, which reportedly registered Rs.20,000-crore turnover in 2011, is, therefore, working on innovative upcoming technologies such as AllShare that will take support of the cloud, if essential, keeping customers' requirements in mind. Elaborating on the price pattern, he said prices of smartphones would come down as the economies of scale progressed. Samsung Home Appliances, on its part, is targeting to double its market share in the smart TV segment. This segment is small, with a mere 3 per cent penetration in the country in 2011 and this is expected to grow 5 per cent in the current year. The average gap between the prices of traditional CRTs and flat panels was coming down significantly and the company was keen on addressing customers' concerns such as electricity fluctuations and need for louder audio systems in designing its products. “Indian costumers are more particular about value for their money in terms of price and features”, Samsung consumer electronics business vice-president Raj Kumar Rishi said.