VietNamNet Bridge - Though the Windows Phone models launched in the Vietnamese market all bear strong brands and have surprisingly low prices, the mobile phones are becoming less attractive to Vietnamese buyers.

Two or three years ago, Nokia, which is Microsoft Mobile now, enjoyed great success with its strategy on developing low-cost smartphones. 

Lumia 520 and Lumia 525, when they hit the market, made basic changes in the low-cost market segment thanks to powerful configuration, attractive selling prices and strong brand.

However, the strategy has become no more effective recently. Microsoft has launched new models at very attractive prices, including Lumia 532, priced at VND2.19 million, Lumia 435 at VND1.79 million, Lumia 430 at VND1.59 million. But the sale of the products has been slow though they are described as “dirt cheap”. 

The lists of the 10 best sellers in April provided by three biggest retailers – The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World), FPT Shop and Vien Thong A, only include one Windows Phone – Lumia 730. The price of the product has been slashed from VND4.99 million to VND3.99 million.

Not only low-cost, but mid-end and high-end products of Lumia series have been selling very slowly. Lumia 930 and Lumia 830 are reported uncompetitive with iPhones and Android-based phones which are updated regularly.

Private shop owners note that the sales of Lumia models are very low. Lumia 640 XL is the only model which has satisfactory sales. 

A big sale agent in Hanoi said he is considering stopping the sale of Lumia models because of low demand.

An analyst noted that Lumia sells slowly because of the manufacturer’s marketing strategy.

“The products have strong configuration and good selling prices. However, as Microsoft continuously launched new models recently, Vietnamese customers cannot update too much information such within a short time,” he said.

“The design of low-cost Lumias nearly remain unchanged over the last several years,” he said. “Meanwhile, Vietnamese have become choosier about smartphones, including low-cost products.”

Microsoft is slow in upgrading the operating system and updating new apps, thus making Windows Phone less attractive in the users’ eyes. The important apps such as Facebook and Instagram on Windows Phone have been reported as unsatisfactory. 

Meanwhile, its big rivals using Android change the designs, upgrade configurations and integrate new versions of the operating system on low-cost models.

Lumia 930 was considered the most high-end Windows Phone model. However, it is now ignored in Vietnam one year after it first hit the shelves one year ago. Meanwhile, users have been told they will have to wait until the third quarter of this year to see a new model.

Buu Dien