'Coolpad Targeting A 3% Market Share By 2020'

The brand Coolpad is back in the picture once again – although it was not out of scene – with the recent launch of Cool 3 Plus smartphone in India. The Chinese handset maker is very ambitious about the India market as it aims to sell 3 million units by the end of this year. The company now wants to make it big in the imminent 5G era as it claims to have more than 800 patents in the name of this technology. Recently-appointed Coolpad India CEO Fisher Yuan shares his insights about the mission and vision of the company, in a conversation with Ramesh Kumar Raja. Excerpts:

- Ramesh Kumar Raja

What made you launch a smartphone (Coolpad Cool 3 Plus) in India after a hiatus of nearly one and a half years?

Coolpad has launched multiple smartphones in the India market in the last one and a half years. This includes 4 SKUs in the Mega series and one in the Cool series which was launched in January 2019. Before that, we launched a Paytm-exclusive smartphone in the Note series in October 2018. In fact, we have launched around 6-7 smartphones in the past one and a half years. However, due to a lack of media events, it might seem like we have not been around. The truth is that we have been innovating and launching best-in-class products for our customers in India and plan to continue doing so in the future as well.

From innovation to the emergence of new players such as Realme in the Indian market, a lot seems to have changed in the said period. How are you going to fill this gap and reposition the brand Coolpad in India?

Coolpad was the first brand to launch a premium smartphone in the below 10K segment in India. When the Indian market shifted from 3G to 4G in 2014, we leveraged this opportunity to our maximum advantage. Now that the market is gearing up towards the introduction of 5G technology, we are constantly innovating to capture that opportunity as well. We already have more than 800 patents in the name of 5G technology and will launch the first 5G phone in China by the end of 2019. We plan to replicate this feat and launch the 1st 5G phone in India soon. This will undoubtedly help us gain our desired market share.

What will be your strategic roadmap for optimum market penetration, as Coolpad is further strengthening its presence in India?