Dear Samsung. Get Well Soon!

Samsung’s association with India began way back in 1995, when the Korean brand made its low-profile entry into the market with its televisions. Back then, nobody would have foreseen the impact and stranglehold the company would go onto achieve in the next decade or so. Samsung has hugely benefited from Google’s Android strategy and since then, the brand has went on to sell more than 100,00,000 smartphones in the country. The Galaxy line-up is symbolic of Samsung’s rise and to such an extent that dethroning a biggie like Apple was within their sight.

The popular line-up was continuously strengthened with Galaxy S, then SII, S3 came to the fore, S4 and finally S5. These phones have now become part Samsung’s folklore and the company’s yearly results, in tune with the high shipping numbers have resulted in profits worth trillions.

Slowly and gradually, complacency started creeping in and you cannot really blame them for going that road because, they had the right ingredients to prolong their undisputed success for years to come. But, as they say, change is constant and just like Nokia and BlackBerry among others started going downhill, the Korean brand is now creeping into that arena which undoubtedly, is still repairable, only if they realize that work needs to be done.

Warning signs have always been there, hence they can’t really argue that they did not see this coming. For the second quarter in a row, Samsung’s shipment numbers have fallen, mainly owing to rise of brands like Motorola (rebirth), Gionee, Xiaomi and Micromax among others. In India, Micromax is said to have dethroned Samsung to become leading handset vendor in Q2 this year and similar story has unfolded in China, where Xiaomi has taken the mantle over. Now, if you notice, India and China are two of the most populated countries in the world that if combined is home to the highest number of mobility penetration, with potential for further exponential growth still a distinct possibility.

The company has tried tweaking its mobility strategy off late in order to lessen its reliance on the smartphone segment, to do bulk of the business. With Galaxy Tab S, Samsung is finally looking to match up to the might of Apple iPad in the tablet space, while continually making an attempt to break the mold in the wearable segment with its Gear devices. The company has also tried its hand on the software front with Tizen, co-created with Intel that could rival the monopoly of Android in the market. But even that is yet to see light at the end of the tunnel.

It’s not the end. Samsung has all tell-tell signs that it needs to observe adopt for a brighter future. First up, the company has to refine its entry and mid-level product line-up with devices that can come closer to offering experience reminiscent to that of Moto G, Asus Zenfone 5 or even Xiaomi Mi3 for that matter. From there on, the company has to re-look at its design philosophy and try imbibing a premium approach to the same. If rumors about Galaxy Alpha hold any truth, then work is already in motion.

Now, all eyes are set on September 3 when Samsung is set to unveil its Galaxy Note 4 with some top-end features and sporting a premium design language. And this time around, there’s won't be room for excuses.