adminKorean giant makes inroads into the electronic consumer market that is set to grow even further. A delegation from South Korea is expected to grace the occasion.
Although Samsung products have been available on the local market for years the first brand store located at Joina City has only been operating for the past year.
In an interview with Mr Victor da Silva of Samsung this week as they prepared to open the second brand store, he said the expansion has been necessitated by the growing demand for genuine
Samsung products and it is their aim as a brand store to give the complete Samsung experience to a broader audience.
“As a brand store aimed at providing high quality goods and services, we have faced several problems with counterfeit products that are appearing on the market and largely the distribution of products where there are no established retail sectors. There are 50 plus Samsung shops in Africa and the number is expected to continue growing as we are a growing organisation,” he said.
Ernst & Young are forecasting that US$150 billion will flow into Africa in new investment by 2015. Africa is seen as the largest and fastest growing markets for consumer goods. It expected that consumer spending will reach US$1,4 trillion by 2020.
Africa as an emerging market has been forecast as the new China with research showing the continent growing faster than Brazil in the coming five years. Such has been the focus on Africa when it comes to investment such that global superpowers are jostling for a piece of the cake . . . it’s literally the second coming of the Scramble for Africa.
Samsung Electronics plans to boost its revenue from Africa to US$10 billion by 2015, the current size of the Chinese market. Samsung’s revenue from Africa currently stands at US$2 billion, less than 5 percent of the global total. The world’s top television maker wants to grow that contribution to around 8 percent or 9 percent by 2015.
The South Korean company has increased its African footprint over the last year. It currently has a presence in 42 countries on the continent, compared to 15 at the start of 2010.
“In addition to our already well established reputation, Samsung has launched a ‘Built for Africa’ extensive research and development campaign to develop technology innovations specific to the African consumers’ unique needs, resources and conditions.
“These products are designed for optimal use in regions with high temperatures and humidity, and in communities where power and water supplies are limited and or scarce. Examples of such products include our Dura cool refrigerators which allow the fridges to stay cool without water, our Eco bubble range of washing machines which are 70 percent more energy efficient and the solar-powered netbooks,” said Mr Da Silva.
Such technological advancements, he noted, have ensured that Samsung now carries the torch of innovation by creating products that are not only advanced but also suited to the market and that have been widely accepted.
“Spotty electricity coverage in most African countries, depleting non-renewable sources of power and Samsung’s ongoing Built for Africa campaign led to the development of the NC215 solar-powered netbook. It is anticipated to be a huge success in countries like South Africa and Kenya where it has been launched,” he said.
The Samsung Netbook NC 215S features an eye-catching and intelligent large front solar panel located on the cover that captures energy from the sun and allows the user to recharge the battery automatically and without cost. Using about two hours of bright-mid-day sun, the user can charge the battery life by one hour with a fully charged battery lasting up to 14 hours of usage, and the battery can be charged up to 1 000 times over three years.
The netbook has great edge over other netbooks available on the local market due to its 14,5 hours standby capability compared to other netbooks as they have seven or eight hours stand-by capability.
The Samsung Netbook NC 215S also features an ultra-portable and stylish design, weighing just 1,3kg and featuring a slim display rim that’s as thin as a finger. The new laptop is also loaded with a SuperBright anti-reflective display and can do almost anything with a powerful dual-core Intel AtomTM processor and genuine Windows 7 Starter. This will prove a very popular laptop in Zimbabwe as Zesa has promised that load-shedding is here to stay.
Turning to the response their products have received in Zimbabwe he said their whole range has been received very well.
“There has been an incredible response to our smartphone and TV range, 3D innovation and our home appliances. This is a reflection of a genuine appreciation for our ‘Built for Africa’ range of products,” said Mr da Silva.
Samsung has shown the way to win in Africa and other multinationals keen on investing in Africa must learn. They should not expect what worked in Europe to work in Africa. Copy and paste will not work.
What would be good to see now is Samsung actually opening a manufacturing plant so as to provide employment and share the innovation not just to wait for the people’s paycheques. It will also bring down the prices of some of their products which still remain dear to the average man on a tax-paying 8 to 5 job.
In fact, its bonus month and they couldn’t have picked a better month to open a new shop especially at Borrowdale Village.
Online Reporter