Text/JING Review/Zi Yang Correction/Zhiqiu
On December 12, Samsung Electronics announced on its official website that it would name the newly merged mobile division and consumer electronics division as the device experience division. In the author's view, this move is an effective means for Samsung to consolidate its consumer electronics business and compete with Apple.
The vice president led the team back to China
It is worth mentioning that less than a week after the establishment of Samsung's device experience department, the head of Han Zhongxi announced that a new business team will be formed in China. It is reported that in the future, Samsung Electronics' business in China will be fully responsible for it.
In addition, Han Zhongxi's establishment of a new team for China business is also regarded by many industry insiders as a sign of Samsung's return to the Chinese market.
Although from 2018 to 2020, Samsung moved many factories out of China, the number of employees fell by 40%, and the net sales of Chinese subsidiaries decreased by 3.78 billion won, in fact, Samsung has always attached great importance to the Chinese market.
Business insiders also said that Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will visit China and other places next year.
And from an objective point of view, Samsung moved the factory out of China is really a last resort. Samsung mobile phone sales continue to decline in China, and continuing to manufacture mobile phones in China is harmful to Samsung.
Boycotted by users for discrimination
Of course, Samsung mobile phones are not popular with consumers in China, and they are also self-inflicted. Samsung was once the most popular brand in China's mobile phone market, with excellent industrial design and excellent sense of quality, making it the first choice for many young people to buy a machine.
Even if Samsung did not adapt to market changes in time and make changes in sales methods. However, at the time of the 2014 and 2015 online machine fires, Samsung mobile phones also relied on the help of loyal fans in China and were firmly in the first-line array.
However, the explosion of Samsung Note7 directly blew up the foundation of Samsung in the Chinese market. Even if the defects of the product can be compensated by improving the design, once the user's trust is lost, it is difficult for Samsung to find it back.
From this perspective, the discrimination notice of "global recall, Chinese mainland appearing outside" has made Samsung mobile phone users despair more than the explosion of mobile phones. The Samsung Note7 has also become the last straw that crushed Samsung's mobile phones in the Chinese market.
Can Samsung phones turn over
However, can Samsung phones really not turn over in China? In my opinion, it is not.
From the perspective of strength, Samsung is no worse than any Chinese mobile phone manufacturer. One UI has a concise design, rich features, and an experience comparable to iOS.
In terms of hardware, Samsung's own screen and memory are in a leading position. Not only that, Samsung has strong strength in the field of image sensor research and development, processor design.
In the author's view, Samsung's strong hard power has always been the basis for Samsung to return to the Chinese market.
Of course, it is not easy for Samsung to achieve a turnaround. Samsung mobile phone sales in the Chinese market is not high, in the author's opinion, there are three main reasons:
A poor brand image, the brand brand is something that Samsung cannot change in the short term;
Second, Samsung mobile phones lack cost performance, which means that Samsung mobile phones are difficult to gain consumer favor in the low-end mobile phone market;
Third, the Samsung dealer model is not suitable for the times, domestic mobile phones are dealers directly with the store docking, mobile phone orders can be picked up.
And even if Samsung wants to buy a mobile phone, it can't find a salesman. Samsung's return to China must establish a new dealer system, and this will take a long time.
Write at the end
On the whole, the author is not optimistic about the performance of Samsung mobile phones in the Chinese market. Especially in the context of the collective impact of domestic mobile phone brands on the high-end and technological breakthrough, the advantages of Samsung mobile phones have become less and less obvious.
Do you think Samsung mobile phones can turn around in the Chinese market under the leadership of the vice president?