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The Innjoo brand has found a home among millions of Nigeria. It has been a phenomenal growth for a brand that is less than three years in Nigeria’s fiery mobile market. In this chat with IT EDGE NEWS.NG, Anthony Nwosu and Tobi Opusunji, Country Manager for Innjoo, Rakesh Rocque, speaks on how the brand is growing market acceptance and why premium quality phones need not cost an acre on the moon.
What is the unique selling proposition of Innjoo as a brand compared to other brands?
Innjoo has been in this country since last two years. We started selling our first equipment from 2014. So now it’s the 3rd year and we are thankful to Nigerians for giving us a warm welcome and making our brand established. Innjoo is about value for money. We are a brand with a clear vision. We have thought about why a product should come to the end user at a higher cost. Our product, like Max 3 for example, which has the privilege of being the largest selling product at 6 inch goes for N50,000 (fifty thousand Naira) as an end user price. Other models with same specifications and even lesser speed are actually higher in price. So why make the price that high, is it the quality, the features or the design? We have put design at a very premium level so that the consumers only pay for the product and not the cost of marketing or anything else which is why the price is very low. We have used the same quality products to get the goods to the end user and that’s what kept us in Nigeria.
Do Innjoo phones comply with the type-approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)?
We don’t sell anything without NCC’s approval. All our products have NCC’s approval. We try as much as possible to ensure that our phones meet the country’s specifications. Apart from bringing global best practice to the fore, we understand that specifications vary from country to country and this we put into cognizance.
“We are a brand with clear vision. We have thought about why a product should come to the end user at a higher cost.”
It’s a winning marketing strategy that your devices are not so expensive, but is quality not compromised?
If you see our products like our batteries; they are ranging from 3600 to 4000 mAh. So they all have IPS display, which is also used in other premium brands. Even the cameras like Innjoo 3 with a 21-pixel camera. Innjoo is the only OEM that has brought 4GB and 6GB ram to the market, there’s no other brand that has brought a 6GB RAM phone to the market today. Yes, our devices are affordable, but that hasn’t affected the quality of our products. That is why most of our customers are previous Innjoo phone users; they always come back.
There are lots of complaints that some OEMs have poor after sales service. What’s your after sales service like?
Well, in our company, we have rules and policies that regulate our after sales and they are in line with what is applicable in other climes. We have such guidelines that pertain to our after sales service and support. One of which is this: if a phone is brought in within seven (7) days, which has a manufacturer’s defect may be, physical or internal, we swap it immediately on the spot. Also, any phone which is up to 30 days depending whatever is wrong with it, we either swap or repair as the case may be. Any phone which is within the one (1) year manufacturer’s warranty we either upgrade or swap.
Innjoo’s Country Manager Rakesh Rocque
“We have put design at a very premium level, so that the consumers only pay for the product and not the cost of marketing or anything else which is why the price is very low.”
How do you solve the issue of access rate, so customers can get genuine accessories for their phones?
Well, everybody knows that genuine accessories and genuine chargers will enhance your device life. But that’s has been done by every brand basically. How many people know if they use the battery from the road-side, it can damage their product life and if they use a better brand, it will enhance the product’s life? So how many people know this, that if they are using an X phone they have to use an X charger and so on. Secondly, our phones don’t come with a second battery so it’s not customer changeable. They have to come to our service center to change the battery and it’s not available anywhere else, this is actually to counter fakes and promote genuine products. We have five (5) service centers across the country, plus we do not charge if a product is within the warranty year.
Can you compare the Nigerian market with another country where you have your presence?
You cannot compare Nigeria with another country. Nigeria is very big in terms of population and every other country is not up to 50 percent of Nigeria’s sales, so you cannot compare. In Africa, I can say that Nigeria as a country can be called IT destination. A lot of things are going on and another thing that is good in the Nigerian market is the way the citizens embrace technology. Nigerian is a market that is majorly youth and young at heart.
What’s your flagship phone what is the level of acceptance in the market?
Our flagship model is Innjoo 1 which is still enjoying a wide range of acceptance in the market till now. But people have also accepted our Max series and our Allo series which has been giving us more than 70 % of the market share.
“You cannot compare Nigeria with another country. Nigeria is very big in terms of population and every other country is not up to 50 percent of Nigeria’s sales, so you cannot compare. In Africa, I can say that Nigeria as a country can be called IT destination.”
You just launched a laptop into the market, what has the acceptance been?
It has been booming from day in and day out. It’s like never before. Our laptop is so user-friendly that it can be charged by a car or power bank, etc. With our new laptop, you don’t need the bulky charger and cables. Moreover, the price is under (N100, 000) hundred thousand naira when we launched. But as of now, it’s below (N75, 000) seventy-five thousand naira. This laptop has given our Nigerian customers the ability to purchase a laptop with much features, sleek design, light weight, flexible charging option and advanced RAM – all below N100, 000.
