Huawei looks to tap both online, offline channels

Launches Huawei Emotion series, which will be sold offline

Chinese electronic devices major Huawei plans to set up experience centres in India for its smartphones, expecting its offline strategy to complement its online business. The first such centre is being set up here, to be followed by Delhi and Chennai.

After launching Honor, a phone line sold only online, the company is launching another line under the Huawei brand name, with its user interface Emotion, which will be sold offline.

According to P Sanjeev, director, sales, devices business, Huawei Telecommunications, of every 100 phones sold in India, 20 are being purchased online.

The Indian market has grown ten times for Honor phones.

Huawei Emotion is an Android-based user interface that improves usability and provides a simpler navigational experience.

Huawei is beginning to sell the Honor phones offline too.

Honor phone sales had helped increase the company’s phone sales revenue from $300 million in 2013 to $2.2 billion, Huawei said.

Of Huawei’s $46 billion global revenue, $6 billion came from consumer devices, including phones. The company, which has six devices under the Honor brand, plans to sell six devices under the Huawei brand.

Huawei aims to sell its phones in 35 cities through 1,000 dealers. About half of the company’s business comes from south India. To cater to the needs of consumers, the company said it had revamped its call centre.