Poco is going big on 5G; Himanshu Tandon, President, Poco India, says India is a priority market for us

Boko India President Himanshu Tandon

As the year draws to a close, we sit down with Himanshu Tandon, President of Poco India to talk about how 2022 has been for the brand.

With the advent of 5G connectivity in India, what are POCO’s plans to launch affordable 5G smartphones in the country?

We believe that 5G will play an important role in transforming the smartphone industry. Consumers are definitely looking for 5G-enabled smartphones, and so, if you look at POCO’s product portfolio, we’ve really built a 5G-ready portfolio across price points. Anticipating the transition to 5G, our first launch of the year was the POCO M4 Pro 5G followed by the POCO M4 5G – one of the most affordable 5G smartphones, the POCO X4 Pro 5G to the POCO F4 5G – all products with unique features across price segments.

We will continue to launch 5G enabled smartphones in the future as well. Having said that, we’ll stay true to our commitment to delivering uncompromising devices on the cusp of 5G. Yes, 5G will play an integral role in the overall product strategy, but we will ensure fair innovation and performance to deliver a complete package.

POCO’s entry into the smartphone market was marked by the launch of the POCOphone F1 back in 2018. Considering that POCO has been a point of holding in the mid-range segment ever since – can we expect a flagship model in the near future?

The launch of the POCO F series was a watershed moment for us. POCO F1 did wonders in the market with its performance and was one of the most sought-after devices in the segment. With the recently launched F3 GT and POCO F4 5G, we’ve stuck to our core principle of “everything you need”. With our flagship ships, we will take into account the latest needs of customers and make a leap in innovation. I am confident that with our strong price-performance ratio, POCO flagships will continue to become the de facto choice in their category.

Can you list POCO’s big achievements for 2022?

It’s been an exciting year for POCO so far, from product launches across price segments to entering the exclusive sales and service center space. At POCO, we have made sure to deliver powerful products with a perfect balance of innovation. In order to meet the demands of consumers and maintain the price-performance ratio, all the products launched in 2022 have achieved outstanding success in the market. We received overwhelming response from the consumers and their love and trust made POCO become the No. 1 Selling Brand during the Flipkart Big Saving Days of July and the Top Selling Brand on Flipkart during the Independence Day Sale.

Then came the festive season, where our approach was to reach out to the masses and let them try POCO products – thus, we announced exciting deals and offers on all our products. We have recorded sales of 400,000 units of POCO C31 – the best selling smartphone on Flipkart under the Rs 8K category; Selling 300,000 units of POCO M4 Pro AMOLED which was the best selling AMOLED smartphone under Rs 15,000 price category; and POCO X4 Pro 5G, which recorded sales of 150,000 units during the Flipkart sale.

Sticking to our commitment to strengthening our after-sales network, we have launched exclusive POCO-branded sales and service centers in Kolkata and Mumbai. A one-stop destination for consumers, POCO Sales and Service Centers provide consumers with the option to try all POCO products and make informed purchasing decisions. Finally, with the aim of reaching out to POCO fam directly and expressing our gratitude for their comprehensive support, we hosted fan meetings in different cities – Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata. Meetups have given us an opportunity to directly feedback for us to deliver better services and products, every time.

What is POCO’s immediate roadmap for Q1 2023?

From a global standpoint, India will continue to be a priority market for POCO and consumers will see a lot of synergies and integrations with global launches, upgrades and new features being rolled out to the device, among others.

In place of a 5G revolution, integrating 5G into our product portfolio will continue to be our priority. Our primary focus is to continue to deliver products that truly solve consumers’ requirements and offer them a device that is ready for the future, but with affordable price tags.

We are also expanding our offline presence by launching exclusive POCO sales and service centers in different cities.

In addition to the great response, suggestions and feedback from consumers on POCO products, for us, strengthening the POCO community will be another priority. The community will not only help us communicate with consumers directly and regularly, but also pave the way for a better industry perspective to include in our overall strategy.

Is POCO planning to enter the smart accessories sector?

We believe in a product that enhances the overall customer experience and thus, our team is cracking a differentiator for products other than smartphones. Having said that, getting into other product categories will be one of the key areas for us. We want to spend a great deal of time understanding the need gap and bring in devices that will truly redefine the users experience. We’re exploring several IoT and other categories at the price-performance ratios offered, fine-tuned for the market here. We will continue to cater to people’s demands and reach a larger consumer base, without compromising on value and features across whatever category we decide to enter.