Why OnePlus is winning it like a Rockstar!

And again we hear this, OnePlus has once again topped shipments in the premium smartphone market with 30% of the market share in Q3 2018. Well, that’s some news for OnePlus fans.

Me, meanwhile being a fan of the way OnePlus has played it over the years. One can’t any less admire their choice of audience and how it has played a major role for the Indian users. Well, Let me break it up for you.

There was this time in the smartphone era (during 2014–15) when everyone was going for low priced smartphones with strong features. Companies like Micromax and Lava tried this only to be shunned by Xiaomi in the coming few years all due to the quality and durability of a Mi phone. In the price range of 10k-15k, one could get a good enough smartphone with rich features. Micromax and lava gave rich features but those smartphones showed drastic denigration in features within a span of 6 months. And hence, this is where Xiaomi came into play with a good durability of more than 20 months, making people rely more on Mi. Remember, Mi gave you a hands-on of a rich feature smartphone, not a premium smartphone!

Another market segment was defined by Apple and Samsung’s high-end smartphones. The price range today goes from 50k-80k and giving them the flagship touch ultimately, which gives their customers a sense of glory that they are using an apple or a sleek Samsung premium smartphone.

What is OnePlus’s Market Segment?

OnePlus targetted the market segment in between these two segments mentioned above. It doesn’t sell you a phone for 15k, 20k or even 25k. The pricing it sets is above 30k. The best part is, in this price range it is directly in competition with Apple and Samsung smartphones when we talk about features. It stands in competition with smartphones that are priced at 50k — 80k. Which makes it a Premium smartphone feature-wise for a much lower price. The design and the features will give you the same feel you get using a premium smartphone and this is exactly where they played it up.

Who is Actually buying OnePlus?

With the above-mentioned scenario, one might think it is best for Apple and Samsung premium smartphone users to go for a OnePlus. Well, one can’t deny this. But what market is OnePlus actually playing on, is a bit different.

OnePlus is not playing on a market, It is playing on a psyche !!!

and the psyche is —

Every user today wants to buy a premium smartphone.

This is the only one thing they caught hold of. This one line sums it all up.

OnePlus is actually eating up the 10k-20k Smartphone segment. Each friend of mine who has a budget of 15–18k to buy a smartphone first thinks about a Xiaomi but then he waits, thinks again, saves money for a OnePlus, waits for a price down or an offer and then gets it.

I have a few friends who have got the latest OnePlus smartphone. I asked each of them what was their actual budget. Everyone runs the same story, that they had a budget of 15–20k for their new smartphone. But then everyone wants a premium smartphone and hence they wait, they crave, they save and they go get it! And the gratification is like owning a golden phone.

This is the beauty of OnePlus’s strategy, playing in that price range where it can lure customers having different kinds of budget. If it would have a phone in the lower price segment the scenario wouldn’t have been the same.

This breakthrough of price segment, right branding techniques, premium smartphone choice and moreover playing with customer psychology is an important thing to learn from the leading brand in the premium smartphone segment!

This is what we need to learn from them. Not everytime you meet need different products with different price ranges. If you get just one product right, you’ll get it all right! And who hates a OnePlus, tell me? We all simply love it!