Huawei’s next big move in India is likely to strike a partnership with the Indian regional operating system, IndusOS. The move will grant Huawei access to over 400K regional applications in India in over 12 different Indian languages. This could turn out to be an important strategy for the Chinese giant’s revival in the Indian market this year.
The report comes via Economic Times which states that a deal between Huawei and IndusOS will soon be finalized. The Chinese giant hasn’t been able to crack the Indian market, unlike its rivals like Xiaomi, Realme, and OPPO. The trade ban last year further impacted the company’s business in the region. Therefore this is a very important deal for the company that’s looking to make a comeback in the Indian market.
Huawei’s partnership with IndusOS makes sense. Last year, the same company partnered with Samsung to offer over 400K regional apps to Galaxy smartphone users via its App Bazaar platform. Further, in July 2019, Samsung’s investment arm, Samsung Ventures acquired a 20 percent stake in the company. IndusOS is also the default app store on a number of local smartphone brands like Micromax, Intex, Karbonn.
Tapping the regional market is vital for Huawei’s growth in the region. The lack of Google apps like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps is going to be a huge drawback for Huawei in India. However, with the right strategy which includes a customized experience for Indian users, the company may have some hope for revival.
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Huawei’s retail strategy will also decide its success in the Indian market. As IDC India research director, Navkendar Singh notes, retailers will play a vital role in helping consumers choose a smartphone brand. He adds that they can “easily convince buyers to go to phones with Google support”.
Software is the biggest pain point for Huawei right now. But it has already allocated $1 billion for a global fund to boost app development. The company is also promising incentives up to $17K to the top 150 developers in India to publish apps on its own Huawei AppGallery store. In an official event in late February, the company revealed that Huawei AppGallery is currently the third-largest app store in the world.
However, even if its store features millions of published apps, it remains to be seen whether regional customizations and strategic tie-ups with top developers is enough to convince consumers to use alternatives for highly popular apps like Gmail and YouTube.
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