Economic recession has affected smartphone sales – Duan

The Country General Manager, Tecno Mobile, Eason Duan, speaks to OZIOMA UBABUKOH on how the company is managing recent after-sales complaints from consumers, among other issues

Why has your company continued to produce high-end mobile devices despite the economic recession?

High-end devices are now the leading device in the mobile market industry, so we have to move with the tide of the industry. However, we are not forgetting our source, which is the low-end device. If we produce low-end devices alone, we will lose our customers who are craving for high-end devices to send e-mails, transact business and carry out other activities. We will continue to provide products that cover all segments in the Nigerian market.

Investigation shows that the economic recession in the country has affected the sale of mobile devices in the market. How is Tecno coping with this development?

The Nigerian economy is facing very big challenges, and it is obvious because the prices of phones have increased and the demand for smartphones has drastically decreased. Before now, our consumers normally will change their phones at least twice a year, but everything has changed now. Consumers now want more affordable phones. The economic recession has affected our sales; consumers now go for feature phones and smartphones between the range of N25,000 and N30, 000.

 As a financial expert, how do you think Nigeria can come out of the recession?

Nigerians are very resilient and I have no doubt that the country will soon move out of recession. The government should invest in infrastructure and support the development of the Small and Medium Enterprises; these will lead to wealth creation for the country and then boost the economy.

 What is the company’s long-term market strategy in Nigeria?

Nigeria is one of our biggest markets on the continent; so, we are committed to creating employment and contributing our quota to economic growth. Tecno has developed a blueprint of long-term strategy in the market and in years to come, we will be implementing this strategy to sustain our market dominance.

 Is anything being done to correct the perceived negative image of Tecno among Nigerians?

We have our research and development team always taking feedback about of our products from end users and we try to produce phones that are tailored towards what the Nigerian consumers need. However, don’t forget that our products come with a whole lot of features that are comparable to our global competitors, yet people don’t have to rip their pockets to purchase these products. They are affordable mobile devices. This has made it possible for Nigerians to have access to products that can help them do whatever they want to do on their mobile phones. These are the factors that have brought us to the level we are in today.

  Many Nigerians do not fancy Tecno smartphones because they are seen as not of high quality. Why is this so?   

Tecno products are made with quality materials; these products also undergo approval processes of the regulatory bodies and government agencies in the country before they are sold in the Nigerian mobile device market. Before these phones are sold, we carry out several quality assurance tests to make sure that we are not bringing substandard products into the Nigerian market while keeping them affordable. We want to see that more Nigerians use quality and affordable mobile devices to enhance their lifestyle wherever they are and whatever they do.

 Tecno consumers’ complaints about after-sales service have not been pleasant. What could be the problem?

We are aware that after-sales service is key and a winning factor since we entered the Nigeria mobile market. Our partner for after-sales service is Carl Care. We have over 95 centres in Nigeria with over 100 well-trained engineers to deal with after-sales services. We also have 12 months warranty for our products and we make sure that any problem with Tecno products is resolved within 72 hours. We have one of the largest service centres for mobile phones in the country. You need to take a trip to our facility in Lagos. We have very comfortable offices for the repair of defective products and we have many spare parts for these devices in the country.