Description
PROJECT ON VIRGIN MOBILE
Virgin Mobile
Retail strategy for entering the Indian Handset market
An Update
On 1st March 2008, Virgin Mobile has entered the Indian Market, tying up with Tata Tele-services.
Virgin is primarily an MVNO company, and retail distribution is only a part of the overall strategy.
However, it is a very important piece.
Even for an MVNO like Virgin, having a finely crafted retail strategy can mean the difference between a strong subscriber uptake rate or a mediocre showing among the target audience.
Agenda
Virgin Mobile - Company Brief The Indian Opportunity Competition and Positioning The Indian Consumer VM?s Entry Strategy Review
Analysis and Recommendations
Virgin Mobile
The Company
Global Reach
Virgin Mobile Charter
To add a personal touch to our customer experience: the little extras…. As a customer, there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a faceless bureaucracy or a member of staff who tows the party line. A little something extra can really go a long way to improve a their experience and their opinion of Virgin. E.g. A Virgin Trains manager took all the placemats from First class and folded them into fans for the passengers caught in an unpleasantly hot carriage when the air-conditioning failed.
Virgin Mobile Charter
Speak from the heart, not a script. Talk to people the way they prefer to be talked to – with warmth and humanity. When Virgin Money sends people letters about their financial services they recognise it’s the customer’s money, not theirs. They don’t write in jargon but as one human being to another
To offer an experience that’s 100% human, treating customers with respect.
Organizational Mission
Keep it simple
Do what you say
Take the leap of faith
Keep on checking
Stay true to your values
Love the locals
Virgin?s New Venture Strategy
When we start a new venture, we base it on hard research and analysis. Typically, we review the industry and put ourselves in the customer's shoes to see what could make it better. We ask fundamental questions: Is this an opportunity for restructuring a
market and creating competitive advantage? What are the
competitors doing? Is the customer confused or badly served? Is this an opportunity for building the Virgin brand? Can we add value? Will it interact with our other businesses? Is there an appropriate trade-off between risk and reward?
The Indian Opportunity
Market Size, Structure and Segments for Handset Retail
Mobile Retail - The Numbers
New Connections per month = 60,00,000
Handset Retail = 3,50,00,00,00,000
Airtime
+
Accessories
+
Handset
=
7,50,00,00,00,000
The Demographics
50%
What Virgin Needs To Know
No Bundling - Handsets sold directly so far, not by operators. This works in the favor of retailers, though it has begun to change.
7-9 Models added every month.
Replacement sales account for as much as 60%.
People are replacing handsets every 18-24 months
Organized Retail
There are 95000 retail outlets in all
Only 1% of these are organized retailers
By Sales, organized retail has a share of
7%
The Future - Growth Rates
Handset retail market has been growing at a CAGR of 60%
Overall, the Mobile retail market is growing at 20%
According to Gartner figures for Sep 07, India recorded the fastest growth in mobile handset sales
The Future - Volumes
Retail Size (Rs. Crore)
600 500 400 300 200 100 0
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 20
Subscribers Handsets
20
20
20
20
20
Year
20
The Potential - Handset Retail
Handset Retail Growth
Retail Size (Rs. Crore)
100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0
04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Organized Unorganized
20
20
20
20
20
20
Year
20
The Future - Trends
Saturation in the urban market
Rural India will drive growth, accounting for 3538% of total handset market.
Aggressive promotions to get more common
Low priced handsets and handset bundle offers.
PEST – Politico-Legal Environment
Politically stable country. However, there are
certain parties with vested interests that act as bottlenecks. FDI allowed upto 24% for foreign players w.e.f.
April, 2008
Availability of cheap as well as professional labour Weak consumer protection laws Increasing recognition of the potential in the retail space by the government.
PEST - Economic Environment
7-9% growth rate; mobile retail growing at 20%. Credit Sales have started, and Cell Phones are being sold on EMI. The Monetary policy aims to contain inflation close to
5.0% in 2007-08 while conditioning expectations in
the range of 4.0-4.5%. Indirect taxes like service tax on immovable property adds to the costs. The retailers want to move the service tax on rent, telephone, etc to sales tax. Consumer confidence in the organized retail format is high and encouraging.
PEST - Social Environment
21.5 crore people between the ages of 14 – 25 years Demographics - A lot of demand is coming from Rural India, as as much as half of the newly added subscriber are from rural areas. Growing middle class and youth with an increasing propensity to save. Changing attitude- live for today
PEST - Technological Environment
The mobile sector has grown more than tenfold from 2001 to around 6 crore subscribers by mid2005.
10% of the ISPs have 90% of the subscribers
The country?s mobile market stands at Rs. 35,000 crores and is growing at an annual rate of 60%.
Porter?s Five Forces
Th re at from Ne w Entrants: High Rising cost of retail real estate makes nationwide competition difficult, but numerous national and foreign players are interested to enter Competitiv e Rivalry: Mode rate Margins are thin at mere 4%. Pressure from Second hand sales makes it worse.
New Entrants
Supplier Power
Competitive Rivalry
Buyer Power
Supplier Power: Mode rate Supplier s have strong brands and often have a presence in retail themselves Network Operators are able to push cheaper brands (e.g. Reliance Classic)
Buyer Power: Buyers Demanding greater variety at lower prices
Threat of Substitution
Th re at of Substitu tion: Second hand phone market and unorganized retail is strong. Most demand is from rural areas Š where organized retailers donÕ t have a presence.
Porter?s Five Forces
Threat from New Entrants: High
Rising cost of retail real estate makes nationwide competition difficult, but numerous national and foreign players are interested to enter
Porter?s Five Forces
Competitive Rivalry: Moderate
Margins are thin at mere 4%. Pressure from Second hand sales makes it worse.
Buyer Power: High
Buyers Demanding greater variety at lower prices
Porter?s Five Forces
Supplier Power: Moderate
Suppliers have strong brands and often
have a presence in retail themselves
Network
Operators
are
able
to
push
cheaper brands (e.g. Reliance Classic)
Porter?s Five Forces
Threat of Substitution: High
Second
hand
phone
market
and
unorganized retail is strong.
Most demand is from rural areas – where organized retailers don?t have a presence.
Competitive Landscape
Players, Positioning and Strength
Existing Players
Nokia Samsung Sony World ConvergeM (Future Group)
Mobile Store (JV between Essar and Virgin)
MobileNxt Univercell Hotspot (Spice Telecom) RPG Cellucom Subhiksha M Bazaar
Nokia
Around 50% market share in Indian mobile market Focus on “Mother Brand” than on “Another
Brand”
Addressed all five needs “REAPS” of Indian Consumer
Strong focus on distribution network
Reduced their prices to counter the grey market
Mobile Store
Essar Group venture - entered Jan 2007 Target Segment - 18 to 45 years Eyeing 10% market share, 2500 stores, 600 cities, and breakeven by 2010 Plans to invest 1250 cr by 2010 3 Formats - large medium and compact, in 20:60:20 ratio
Against Franchising - dilutes brand value
Positioning Map
Consumer Need Analysis
Segments, Buyer Behavior and Gaps
Consumer Segments
Pioneer Youth
I want everything from my mobile and I want it now To stay ahead of the game you need the best tools
Careerist
Mainstream Youth
My phone means I belong amongst my peers
New experiences, new possessions, new technologies – that’s what I want
Experiencers
In-touch Organizers
My life is a juggling act – my mobile keeps me connected
I’ll adopt new technologies if you show me a good reason
Family Phoners
Mainstream Materialists
I want a phone that makes me look good - even when I can’t afford it I’ll carry a mobile if I need to…
Basic Phoners
The Indian CellPhone Buyer
Replace handsets every 18-24 months High demand from upgraders Price Sensitive - bulk of demand from sub 5000 price range VAS such as Texting very popular among Urban, Young customers
The Opportunity
Urban youth: Distinct mobile needs
More and longer out-bound voice calls Large calling circles for both making and receiving calls
Large users of SMS
Both the earliest adopters and highest users of valueadded services Higher usage for both voice and SMS at weekends
Urban Youth: More Than Just A Segment
India has 21.5 crore people between the ages of 14 – 25 years old. Incremental urban youth subscribers between 2008 and 2010 will be more than 5 crores.
Urban youth mobile service revenues > Rs. 35,000
crores by 2010 Mobile as a badge of self-expression: brand and
style very important
Indian Market Entry Strategy
Target Segment, Positioning and Objectives
Virgin India Strategy
Target Segment - Urban Youth Sales Objectives Revenues of Rs. 35000 Crores by 2011 (including connections, handsets and accessories) Image Objectives Establish the brand name Market Share Objectives 10% of the market in 3 years
Positioning - Seeking Youngistan
Mainstream Youth and Materialists 14-25 years Young executives / students / Youthful Adults
Virgin India Strategy - Differentiation
Win a 10% share of the urban youth market by… Delivering imaginative solutions that offer Value for money & flexible tariffs that reflect their unique needs Innovative, game-changing value-added services
Great handsets at great prices
Personalized customer care
Virgin India Strategy - Cost
Whilst achieving a low operating cost per customer
through
Sharp focus on India?s top youth markets Fewer, stable propositions with low support and
service costs
Imaginative, eye-catching advertising & PR that gets youth talking A lean, enthusiastic team supported by simple processes
Differentiation Strategy Customer Care
Taking the hassle out of buying a cell phone Try before you buy Real conversations: no scripts End-to-end ownership of problems: same Champ call-back Champ empowerment: authorized to resolve issues on the spot Welcome calls: all customers are personally welcomed to Virgin Mobile A real returns policy
Returns Policy
q. Lost my charger, battery fell off and someone threw my phone…gasp! a. Tension nahin leneka. Whatever your problem you can walk into any service center and get replacements for
faulty* items in your pack. Here?s a list of our service
center . *conditions apply. But don?t get scared about it.
Differentiation Strategy
Value for Money and Flexible Service Offerings
Differentiation Strategy - First Time In India
Get paid to receive calls
50 paise to any local network
TGI the weekend Bolt-on One Touch access to V-Bytes
Unlimited access to V-Bytes for a simple daily charge
„100% colour, 100% FM? handsets Easy Handset upgrades Personalised Care Safe Secrets
Virgin India Strategy Promotions
Think Hatke Campaign 10 paise every minutes on incoming
Virgin India Strategy - Location And Ownership
“You have to be in front of the right people.” Howard Handler CMO, Virgin Mobile
Virgin India Strategy - Location
Shop in Shop and Kiosks Non exclusive, extensive coverage, lower costs
The one commonality all of the retailers
share is they are places where teens shop, because that's Virgin's core market.
A Virgin Kiosk
Virgin India Strategy Expansion Plans
To begin with, Virgin Mobile services were
launched in 50 cities with 15,000 handsets &
40,000 top-up outlets. Also, with 55 Virgin Mobile kiosks & Shop-in-Shops. Plan to expand to 1000 cities by 2008-end Aims to acquire 50 lakh subscribers over the next 3 years, by when it would be profitable. By the end of 2008, when the new GSM players start rolling out their services, Virgin Mobile aims to offer similar services on GSM as well.
Virgin Mobile
Analysis and Recommendations
South African Experience
Virgin entered as a 50-50 partnership with Cell C,
H1, 2006 Classified itself as an ESP, since MVNO?s are illegal in SA Premium Pricing, supported by a strong brand, superior customer service and pricing plan
simplicity
Singapore Experience
Entered through a tie-up with SingTel Exited the market - citing premium pricing and crowded market
Customers placed more premium on Price
SingTel tariffs too high texting too
expensive
Strategic Choices for Mobile Retailers
High
Volume
Low Cost StrategyViable
Not sustainable
Low Cost StrategyUnviable
Premium PositioningViable
Low
Price
High
Positioning Virgin
OFFER SIMILAR ACROSS RETAILERS EXPECTED
ASSORTMENT
CONSUMER
PRICE COMPETIVENESS
MORE EVOLVED
SHORT LIVED
BRAND ENGAGEMENT CAN BE THE ONLY DIFFERENTIATOR
….one of the most exciting brands in the world
200 companies worldwide, employing 48 500 people, an annual Virgin Group turnover of £10.8bn/US$20.4bn
SWOT
Opportunities
India a growth story - 20-30% CAGR, volumes. highest handset sales
Threats
Rising Retail Costs Lack of number portability -
switching barriers
Organized Retail mere 7% by
revenue, 1% by outlets. Most entrants are new, few
Unclear Government Policy on
MVNO Falling Handset prices - lower margins
established competitors
Saturation - Mobile penetration
in excess of 40%.
SWOT
Strengths
Strong Global Brand Limited overlap with Tata?s existing customers Very low fixed costs as it leases Network Time Not tied to a particular
Weaknesses
Dependent on Partners for pricing, capacity Non serious image may not go
well with conservative Indian
consumer. Limited understanding of India Market
Technology
Capitalizing On Strengths
Into retailing + service provider If the GoI allows MVNOs then after tying up with GSM players, can beat Reliance
Good brand recall
Structured pricing of airtime serves as a loyalty incentive, encouraging active use
Making Weaknesses Irrelevant
People not familiar with the MVNO concept Tata Teleservices does not have a good brand image
Confusion in the minds of consumer about
the Virgin-Tata deal- a re-branding exercise by Tata Teleservices?
Recommendations
Key advantage over other (non-operator) retailers - presence in both retailing and airtime
Key advantage over operators - not tied to
technology (as an MVNO)
Recommendations
Forge deal with a GSM player Offer bundled plans - subsidize handset costs with Airtime
Offer for both CDMA and GSM - greater
assortment Offer plans for 2 years, with upgrade options
Recommendations
VM is moving in the right direction but time is still not ripe for a big bang entry into handset retailing
Need to see the response to Airtime and expand in other cities
Continue tie-ups with existing Mobile retailers like Univercell, Hotspot, M Bazaar, M Port, Vishal, etc.
Thank You !!
doc_509428081.ppt
PROJECT ON VIRGIN MOBILE
Virgin Mobile
Retail strategy for entering the Indian Handset market
An Update
On 1st March 2008, Virgin Mobile has entered the Indian Market, tying up with Tata Tele-services.
Virgin is primarily an MVNO company, and retail distribution is only a part of the overall strategy.
However, it is a very important piece.
Even for an MVNO like Virgin, having a finely crafted retail strategy can mean the difference between a strong subscriber uptake rate or a mediocre showing among the target audience.
Agenda
Virgin Mobile - Company Brief The Indian Opportunity Competition and Positioning The Indian Consumer VM?s Entry Strategy Review
Analysis and Recommendations
Virgin Mobile
The Company
Global Reach
Virgin Mobile Charter
To add a personal touch to our customer experience: the little extras…. As a customer, there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with a faceless bureaucracy or a member of staff who tows the party line. A little something extra can really go a long way to improve a their experience and their opinion of Virgin. E.g. A Virgin Trains manager took all the placemats from First class and folded them into fans for the passengers caught in an unpleasantly hot carriage when the air-conditioning failed.
Virgin Mobile Charter
Speak from the heart, not a script. Talk to people the way they prefer to be talked to – with warmth and humanity. When Virgin Money sends people letters about their financial services they recognise it’s the customer’s money, not theirs. They don’t write in jargon but as one human being to another
To offer an experience that’s 100% human, treating customers with respect.
Organizational Mission
Keep it simple
Do what you say
Take the leap of faith
Keep on checking
Stay true to your values
Love the locals
Virgin?s New Venture Strategy
When we start a new venture, we base it on hard research and analysis. Typically, we review the industry and put ourselves in the customer's shoes to see what could make it better. We ask fundamental questions: Is this an opportunity for restructuring a
market and creating competitive advantage? What are the
competitors doing? Is the customer confused or badly served? Is this an opportunity for building the Virgin brand? Can we add value? Will it interact with our other businesses? Is there an appropriate trade-off between risk and reward?
The Indian Opportunity
Market Size, Structure and Segments for Handset Retail
Mobile Retail - The Numbers
New Connections per month = 60,00,000
Handset Retail = 3,50,00,00,00,000
Airtime
+
Accessories
+
Handset
=
7,50,00,00,00,000
The Demographics
50%
What Virgin Needs To Know
No Bundling - Handsets sold directly so far, not by operators. This works in the favor of retailers, though it has begun to change.
7-9 Models added every month.
Replacement sales account for as much as 60%.
People are replacing handsets every 18-24 months
Organized Retail
There are 95000 retail outlets in all
Only 1% of these are organized retailers
By Sales, organized retail has a share of
7%
The Future - Growth Rates
Handset retail market has been growing at a CAGR of 60%
Overall, the Mobile retail market is growing at 20%
According to Gartner figures for Sep 07, India recorded the fastest growth in mobile handset sales
The Future - Volumes
Retail Size (Rs. Crore)
600 500 400 300 200 100 0
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 20
Subscribers Handsets
20
20
20
20
20
Year
20
The Potential - Handset Retail
Handset Retail Growth
Retail Size (Rs. Crore)
100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0
04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Organized Unorganized
20
20
20
20
20
20
Year
20
The Future - Trends
Saturation in the urban market
Rural India will drive growth, accounting for 3538% of total handset market.
Aggressive promotions to get more common
Low priced handsets and handset bundle offers.
PEST – Politico-Legal Environment
Politically stable country. However, there are
certain parties with vested interests that act as bottlenecks. FDI allowed upto 24% for foreign players w.e.f.
April, 2008
Availability of cheap as well as professional labour Weak consumer protection laws Increasing recognition of the potential in the retail space by the government.
PEST - Economic Environment
7-9% growth rate; mobile retail growing at 20%. Credit Sales have started, and Cell Phones are being sold on EMI. The Monetary policy aims to contain inflation close to
5.0% in 2007-08 while conditioning expectations in
the range of 4.0-4.5%. Indirect taxes like service tax on immovable property adds to the costs. The retailers want to move the service tax on rent, telephone, etc to sales tax. Consumer confidence in the organized retail format is high and encouraging.
PEST - Social Environment
21.5 crore people between the ages of 14 – 25 years Demographics - A lot of demand is coming from Rural India, as as much as half of the newly added subscriber are from rural areas. Growing middle class and youth with an increasing propensity to save. Changing attitude- live for today
PEST - Technological Environment
The mobile sector has grown more than tenfold from 2001 to around 6 crore subscribers by mid2005.
10% of the ISPs have 90% of the subscribers
The country?s mobile market stands at Rs. 35,000 crores and is growing at an annual rate of 60%.
Porter?s Five Forces
Th re at from Ne w Entrants: High Rising cost of retail real estate makes nationwide competition difficult, but numerous national and foreign players are interested to enter Competitiv e Rivalry: Mode rate Margins are thin at mere 4%. Pressure from Second hand sales makes it worse.
New Entrants
Supplier Power
Competitive Rivalry
Buyer Power
Supplier Power: Mode rate Supplier s have strong brands and often have a presence in retail themselves Network Operators are able to push cheaper brands (e.g. Reliance Classic)
Buyer Power: Buyers Demanding greater variety at lower prices
Threat of Substitution
Th re at of Substitu tion: Second hand phone market and unorganized retail is strong. Most demand is from rural areas Š where organized retailers donÕ t have a presence.
Porter?s Five Forces
Threat from New Entrants: High
Rising cost of retail real estate makes nationwide competition difficult, but numerous national and foreign players are interested to enter
Porter?s Five Forces
Competitive Rivalry: Moderate
Margins are thin at mere 4%. Pressure from Second hand sales makes it worse.
Buyer Power: High
Buyers Demanding greater variety at lower prices
Porter?s Five Forces
Supplier Power: Moderate
Suppliers have strong brands and often
have a presence in retail themselves
Network
Operators
are
able
to
push
cheaper brands (e.g. Reliance Classic)
Porter?s Five Forces
Threat of Substitution: High
Second
hand
phone
market
and
unorganized retail is strong.
Most demand is from rural areas – where organized retailers don?t have a presence.
Competitive Landscape
Players, Positioning and Strength
Existing Players
Nokia Samsung Sony World ConvergeM (Future Group)
Mobile Store (JV between Essar and Virgin)
MobileNxt Univercell Hotspot (Spice Telecom) RPG Cellucom Subhiksha M Bazaar
Nokia
Around 50% market share in Indian mobile market Focus on “Mother Brand” than on “Another
Brand”
Addressed all five needs “REAPS” of Indian Consumer
Strong focus on distribution network
Reduced their prices to counter the grey market
Mobile Store
Essar Group venture - entered Jan 2007 Target Segment - 18 to 45 years Eyeing 10% market share, 2500 stores, 600 cities, and breakeven by 2010 Plans to invest 1250 cr by 2010 3 Formats - large medium and compact, in 20:60:20 ratio
Against Franchising - dilutes brand value
Positioning Map
Consumer Need Analysis
Segments, Buyer Behavior and Gaps
Consumer Segments
Pioneer Youth
I want everything from my mobile and I want it now To stay ahead of the game you need the best tools
Careerist
Mainstream Youth
My phone means I belong amongst my peers
New experiences, new possessions, new technologies – that’s what I want
Experiencers
In-touch Organizers
My life is a juggling act – my mobile keeps me connected
I’ll adopt new technologies if you show me a good reason
Family Phoners
Mainstream Materialists
I want a phone that makes me look good - even when I can’t afford it I’ll carry a mobile if I need to…
Basic Phoners
The Indian CellPhone Buyer
Replace handsets every 18-24 months High demand from upgraders Price Sensitive - bulk of demand from sub 5000 price range VAS such as Texting very popular among Urban, Young customers
The Opportunity
Urban youth: Distinct mobile needs
More and longer out-bound voice calls Large calling circles for both making and receiving calls
Large users of SMS
Both the earliest adopters and highest users of valueadded services Higher usage for both voice and SMS at weekends
Urban Youth: More Than Just A Segment
India has 21.5 crore people between the ages of 14 – 25 years old. Incremental urban youth subscribers between 2008 and 2010 will be more than 5 crores.
Urban youth mobile service revenues > Rs. 35,000
crores by 2010 Mobile as a badge of self-expression: brand and
style very important
Indian Market Entry Strategy
Target Segment, Positioning and Objectives
Virgin India Strategy
Target Segment - Urban Youth Sales Objectives Revenues of Rs. 35000 Crores by 2011 (including connections, handsets and accessories) Image Objectives Establish the brand name Market Share Objectives 10% of the market in 3 years
Positioning - Seeking Youngistan
Mainstream Youth and Materialists 14-25 years Young executives / students / Youthful Adults
Virgin India Strategy - Differentiation
Win a 10% share of the urban youth market by… Delivering imaginative solutions that offer Value for money & flexible tariffs that reflect their unique needs Innovative, game-changing value-added services
Great handsets at great prices
Personalized customer care
Virgin India Strategy - Cost
Whilst achieving a low operating cost per customer
through
Sharp focus on India?s top youth markets Fewer, stable propositions with low support and
service costs
Imaginative, eye-catching advertising & PR that gets youth talking A lean, enthusiastic team supported by simple processes
Differentiation Strategy Customer Care
Taking the hassle out of buying a cell phone Try before you buy Real conversations: no scripts End-to-end ownership of problems: same Champ call-back Champ empowerment: authorized to resolve issues on the spot Welcome calls: all customers are personally welcomed to Virgin Mobile A real returns policy
Returns Policy
q. Lost my charger, battery fell off and someone threw my phone…gasp! a. Tension nahin leneka. Whatever your problem you can walk into any service center and get replacements for
faulty* items in your pack. Here?s a list of our service
center . *conditions apply. But don?t get scared about it.
Differentiation Strategy
Value for Money and Flexible Service Offerings
Differentiation Strategy - First Time In India
Get paid to receive calls
50 paise to any local network
TGI the weekend Bolt-on One Touch access to V-Bytes
Unlimited access to V-Bytes for a simple daily charge
„100% colour, 100% FM? handsets Easy Handset upgrades Personalised Care Safe Secrets
Virgin India Strategy Promotions
Think Hatke Campaign 10 paise every minutes on incoming
Virgin India Strategy - Location And Ownership
“You have to be in front of the right people.” Howard Handler CMO, Virgin Mobile
Virgin India Strategy - Location
Shop in Shop and Kiosks Non exclusive, extensive coverage, lower costs
The one commonality all of the retailers
share is they are places where teens shop, because that's Virgin's core market.
A Virgin Kiosk
Virgin India Strategy Expansion Plans
To begin with, Virgin Mobile services were
launched in 50 cities with 15,000 handsets &
40,000 top-up outlets. Also, with 55 Virgin Mobile kiosks & Shop-in-Shops. Plan to expand to 1000 cities by 2008-end Aims to acquire 50 lakh subscribers over the next 3 years, by when it would be profitable. By the end of 2008, when the new GSM players start rolling out their services, Virgin Mobile aims to offer similar services on GSM as well.
Virgin Mobile
Analysis and Recommendations
South African Experience
Virgin entered as a 50-50 partnership with Cell C,
H1, 2006 Classified itself as an ESP, since MVNO?s are illegal in SA Premium Pricing, supported by a strong brand, superior customer service and pricing plan
simplicity
Singapore Experience
Entered through a tie-up with SingTel Exited the market - citing premium pricing and crowded market
Customers placed more premium on Price
SingTel tariffs too high texting too
expensive
Strategic Choices for Mobile Retailers
High
Volume
Low Cost StrategyViable
Not sustainable
Low Cost StrategyUnviable
Premium PositioningViable
Low
Price
High
Positioning Virgin
OFFER SIMILAR ACROSS RETAILERS EXPECTED
ASSORTMENT
CONSUMER
PRICE COMPETIVENESS
MORE EVOLVED
SHORT LIVED
BRAND ENGAGEMENT CAN BE THE ONLY DIFFERENTIATOR
….one of the most exciting brands in the world
200 companies worldwide, employing 48 500 people, an annual Virgin Group turnover of £10.8bn/US$20.4bn
SWOT
Opportunities
India a growth story - 20-30% CAGR, volumes. highest handset sales
Threats
Rising Retail Costs Lack of number portability -
switching barriers
Organized Retail mere 7% by
revenue, 1% by outlets. Most entrants are new, few
Unclear Government Policy on
MVNO Falling Handset prices - lower margins
established competitors
Saturation - Mobile penetration
in excess of 40%.
SWOT
Strengths
Strong Global Brand Limited overlap with Tata?s existing customers Very low fixed costs as it leases Network Time Not tied to a particular
Weaknesses
Dependent on Partners for pricing, capacity Non serious image may not go
well with conservative Indian
consumer. Limited understanding of India Market
Technology
Capitalizing On Strengths
Into retailing + service provider If the GoI allows MVNOs then after tying up with GSM players, can beat Reliance
Good brand recall
Structured pricing of airtime serves as a loyalty incentive, encouraging active use
Making Weaknesses Irrelevant
People not familiar with the MVNO concept Tata Teleservices does not have a good brand image
Confusion in the minds of consumer about
the Virgin-Tata deal- a re-branding exercise by Tata Teleservices?
Recommendations
Key advantage over other (non-operator) retailers - presence in both retailing and airtime
Key advantage over operators - not tied to
technology (as an MVNO)
Recommendations
Forge deal with a GSM player Offer bundled plans - subsidize handset costs with Airtime
Offer for both CDMA and GSM - greater
assortment Offer plans for 2 years, with upgrade options
Recommendations
VM is moving in the right direction but time is still not ripe for a big bang entry into handset retailing
Need to see the response to Airtime and expand in other cities
Continue tie-ups with existing Mobile retailers like Univercell, Hotspot, M Bazaar, M Port, Vishal, etc.
Thank You !!
doc_509428081.ppt