TCL jumps into Thai mobile phone fray

The company, which is targeting sales of 300,000 sets in the last four months of the year, plans to add at least a model a month from now on, said marketing supervisor, Kanokpan Sumanont. "Next year, when we have more models on the market, we expect to sell even more than that, and be one of the top five in Thailand in three years". When demand exceeds the one million mark, the company will build a plant in Thailand, and use it as an export base to other Southeast Asian markets. "We have already launched in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, but there is most potential in Thailand," Kanokwan noted. TCL currently sells 10 million handsets annually, 80 per cent of which in China. Meanwhile, the models introduced in Thailand will be backed by a marketing campaign heavy on events, particularly road shows, and supported by PR and print ads. "Most of our customers are in the provinces, so we will have road shows to reach them," she said. "In Bangkok, people like high-tech, brand names, but in the provinces, it's just a match between function and price." The handsets, priced between 3,000 baht (US$73) and 5,000 baht, are primarily targeted at first jobbers, aged 20 to 35 years old. TCL joins the swelling ranks of mainly South Korean and Taiwanese handset makers which have successfully nibbled bits off Thailand's competitive market. Little-known Asian brands started gaining serious ground mid-last year, with South Korea's Maxon and Innostream now claiming some 14 per cent of the local handset market. Kanokwan attributes the success of the smaller brands to quicker response to fashion trends; a deeper understanding of what Asian customers need; and "size and fit in the Asian hand, which makes it comfortable to carry and use". Industry members expect the market to heat up further as smaller brands make bolder plays for bigger shares.