Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom subsidiary of Reliance Industries has acquired a sizeable market share through the
sale of LYF handsets within six months. Although Jio’s network services are yet to be launched commercially, the telecom
brand has already captured a substantial share with its recent entry into the smart phone sector.
Current market standing
Despite being a new entrant, LYF is said to be India’s third largest selling smart phone brand, according to a report by
Cyber Media Research and Services Ltd. As per the report published on the 17
th of June, LYF has acquired a
12.6% market share in the March quarter leaving behind its rivals.
Availability in the market
LYF
Smartphones are available offline
and sold through the company’s retail outlets such as Reliance Digital and Digital Express stores. It is also available
online on the brand’s official website, mylyf.com.
Along with their distribution channels, the company has also tied up with various mobile phone retailers such as Poorvika
Mobiles, Sangeetha Mobiles, Lot Mobiles, and Big C Mobile. Apart from their offline availability, the handsets are also
available on e-commerce portals like Flipkart and Amazon.
Reliance Industries Limited currently owns a total of 3,245 stores, from which 1,748 stores fall under its sub brands
namely Reliance Digital, Digital Express and Digital Express Mini.
LYF’s smart phone range
LYF smart phones are available in four series: FLAME, EARTH, WATER and WIND and are priced between Rs. 5,490 to
Rs.19,999. With the launch of 15 variants of LYF devices, the company has cumulatively sold 1.5 million devices till the
month of April.
According to Sunil Dutt, president for devices at Jio, Reliance LYF handsets were designed to be consumer-centric and
further enhance the digital experience of smart phone users. Furthermore, he said that LYF was the first company to
dedicate an entire range of smart phones to voice over long term evolution (VoLTE).
Distribution channels and service centers
LYF sales have highly benefitted from Reliance Retail’s large distribution network. With over 1,200 retail partners, who
have been reaching out to 115,000 retail points of sales that sell smartphones.
Along with distribution channels, the retail arm has over 1,000 service centers backed by the support of 3,000 service
engineers. Additionally, the company has also tied up with five original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for production of
LYF phones.
Reliance Industries and their subsidiaries
Reliance Industries’ Chairman, Mukesh Ambani has described Reliance Jio as the world’s largest start-up and has gone on
to invest around Rs. 1.5 trillion in its telecom venture.
With the introduction of smart phones and smart televisions, the company is set to launch its
4G services in india towards the end of
the year. Along with this, Reliance Industries Limited also has future plans to introduce electronic devices like
dongles, cameras, tablets, and electronic wearables under its brand,LYF.
Summary
Reliance Jio Infocomm, the telecom subsidiary of Reliance Industries has garnered a large share in the smart phone sector
with sales of LYF phones. It has also established itself as the third-largest smart phone brand in terms of sales.