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<ul><li>The launch was the first-ever Twitter campaign in the market that enabled physical, tangible on-ground interaction with a brand. </li><li>It helped OnePlus garner 21.2 million overall impressions and viewership of 1.2 million for the live stream of the launch on the service.</li></ul>Meet <keyword id="10538938" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="twitter-next">Twitter Next</keyword>, a.k.a the team driving brands to create human-centric ideas worth talking about. It comprises of strategists, planners, technologists and producers. Together they help businesses launch new products and connect with audiences through one-of-a-kind technology and data-driven campaigns on Twitter. One such campaign was OnePlus’s Nizam Palace store launch in Hyderabad. In the midst of the pandemic, instead of backing down, OnePlus pushed the boundaries and opened the doors to its largest store in the world. The brand chose Twitter to plan its virtual store launch and deliver maximum impact. The strategically planned campaign, which used technology to cut through an ever more cluttered media landscape, delivered 21.2 million overall impressions and viewership of 1.2 million for the live stream of the launch on the service. The launch was the first-ever Twitter campaign in the market that enabled physical, tangible on-ground interaction with a brand. With every Like that the livestream received on Twitter, the inaugural curtain at the store in Hyderabad lifted, in fact, the velocity and quantity of incoming Likes were used to create an acceleration on-ground. This innovative campaign unlocked several technological and creative opportunities, paving the way for many such innovations in the future. Rishabh Sharma - Head of Twitter Next India, shared, “The <keyword id="10220473" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus-nizam-palace">OnePlus Nizam Palace</keyword> launch was a first of its kind experience for us. We’ve been collaborating with <keyword id="2613562" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OnePlus-India">OnePlus India</keyword> for a very long time and much like them, Twitter Next is always looking forward to testing and learning through technological advancements. Experiments are the core of innovation, and we’re hoping to uncover many new potentials as we continue to push our limits and that of our partners.” Siddhant Narayan, Head of Marketing, OnePlus India, said, “The digital launch of our largest ever <keyword id="4035380" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OnePlus-Experience-Store">OnePlus Experience Store</keyword> on Twitter was nothing short of phenomenal. As a community-centric brand, it is crucial for us to have our community at the heart of our initiatives. Therefore, we partnered with Twitter to drive a first of its kind digital unveil of the OnePlus Experience Store, while ensuring our community remained at the core of this unique digital engagement initiative. This resulted in an incredible impact of over 1 million live views and over 650,000 engagement impressions from our community. We look forward to driving several such innovative, digital-first campaigns with Twitter in the coming future while bringing the best of experiences to our community.” Let’s go behind-the-scenes to understand how Twitter Next and OnePlus did it. Caught on camera during a brainstorm: Twitter and OnePlus team members The Ask: OnePlus turned to Twitter to maximise its audience reach. At a time when people were staying home and maintaining social distance, the brand wanted to bring its customers even closer through an exciting experience. Staying true to its value to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopAtNothing?src=hashtag_click">#StopAtNothing</a>, OnePlus was ready to push its limits for a high-engagement launch spread over four to six weeks. The Target/Desired Outcome: OnePlus laid out clear deliverables for the campaign, and Twitter was presented with the following tasks - <ul><li>Generate awareness and excitement around the OnePlus Nizam Palace store launch through compelling digital content. </li><li>Through a technological experiment, create a bespoke solution that resonates with the brand’s audience and generates positive customer sentiment. </li></ul>Let us bear in mind that these goals had to be achieved with limitations on travel, to ensure the safety of those involved, and in the absence of the brand’s fan community on ground - the life of every launch event at OnePlus. The Roadmap: The teams set out with the OnePlus community at the core of their thinking process, knowing that in the old-normal, the event would have been on-ground with the entire community in attendance. The task at hand was to replicate the same sense of connection and excitement virtually. Devising the plan of action - <ul><li>After a thorough analysis of existing OnePlus conversations and multiple brainstorming sessions between the Twitter Next Planner, Strategist and Technologist, it was inferred that the passionate OnePlus community is always looking forward to engaging, participating and sharing. </li><li>The team then laid out a framework that would not only grab the nation’s attention but also get everyone participating in the campaign by joining in for the launch. </li></ul>Changing courses throughout the journey - <ul><li>Multiple discussions with OnePlus, external partners and internal contributors led to several changes in the initially drawn skeleton to ensure adherence to the brand’s tone of voice and alignment with their campaign vision.</li><li>The nature of the launch was such that it required close coordination with the on-ground staff at the store site in Hyderabad. Logistics and technical opportunities had to be understood from a distance in order to come up with a creative and watertight plan of action. </li></ul>Roadblocks encountered and how they were overcome - <ul><li>Unexpected weather changes in Hyderabad leading to heavy floods pushed the event causing delays as well as operational challenges.</li></ul><div type="twitter" handle="OnePlus_IN" handlename="OnePlus India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1288505652352921600/1avkV0ZZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="@SakshiJ5 To our community members, waiting for the unveiling of our biggest OnePlus Store yet, we have an update.… https://t.co/5vUkxFpEGf" createdat="1602838014000" id="1317024207537082369"></div> A well-thought change in the launch timeline, along with creative revisions helped achieve the intended impact. Final engagement goals for the campaign days <ul><li>Create anticipation: Getting the audience to opt-in for the launch event.</li><li>Create an experience: Consistently communicate and reiterate to immerse the audience as if at an on-ground event. </li><li>Own conversations on launch day: Scale reach of the launch event by owning Twitter timeline.</li><li>Sustain conversations post-launch: Keep people talking for the next 48 hours by delivering an engaging experience and reminding them of what’s more in store. </li></ul>Standby, Rolling, Action: Pre-event <ul><li>Teasing the brand’s patrons for the launch with a series of Tweets, OnePlus used Twitter’s Heart-to-Remind functionality to cue people in for reminders for the event’s live stream. <div type="twitter" handle="OnePlus_IN" handlename="OnePlus India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1288505652352921600/1avkV0ZZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="10202" retweetcount="733" status="We #StopAtNothing. Even when it comes to offline experiences. Announcing the biggest OnePlus Store in the world, co… https://t.co/taCJqQ3QoA" createdat="1602248221000" id="1314550432920870914"></div></li></ul>Everyone who liked the Tweet and opted-in for the reminders received personalised Tweets on the launch day, calling them to join the event. <div type="twitter" handle="OnePlus_IN" handlename="OnePlus India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1288505652352921600/1avkV0ZZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@SakshiJ5 Ready your 💕. OnePlus' largest store in the world - The #OnePlusNizamPalace is opening its doors in Hyder… https://t.co/i9fJxrQT2i" createdat="1604471155000" id="1323874097567248386"></div> Leading up to the launch day, OnePlus kept the buzz alive and the conversation going, reinstating the excitement around launch through a series of Tweets. <div type="twitter" handle="OnePlus_IN" handlename="OnePlus India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1288505652352921600/1avkV0ZZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="11306" retweetcount="392" status="Marking off the festive season with the exclusive unveiling of the Biggest OnePlus Store in the World! Join us on… https://t.co/jENZCuXKcF" createdat="1604219759000" id="1322819663349260288"></div> Event day On the day of the launch, OnePlus took over Twitter’s premium real estate via the Promoted Trend Spotlight to ensure maximum visibility and scale the reach of the event broadcasted via Twitter live. <div type="twitter" handle="OnePlus_IN" handlename="OnePlus India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1288505652352921600/1avkV0ZZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="9995" retweetcount="752" status="Ready your 💕. OnePlus' largest store in the world - The #OnePlusNizamPalace is opening its doors in Hyderabad. Join… https://t.co/uP8q37rmBm" createdat="1604470184000" id="1323870022461128704"></div> Post-event To sustain conversations after the launch, OnePlus continued to roll out exciting video Tweets giving people a peek into how the event was executed amidst challenging situations. <div type="twitter" handle="OnePlus_IN" handlename="OnePlus India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1288505652352921600/1avkV0ZZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="625" retweetcount="19" status="With help from our digital community, the raised the curtains for the biggest OnePlus Store in the world - the… https://t.co/okCC6M9wMg" createdat="1604742924000" id="1325013976791486464"></div> The Impact: <ul><li>The first-of-its-kind store unveil campaign recorded a whopping 21.2 million overall impressions, with the Live stream making 4.64 million impressions across timelines.</li><li>Around 10.2K people opted-in for reminders to the launch event on Twitter.</li><li>While the Live video recorded a viewership of 1.2 million, the overall video views for the campaign stood at 3.3 million.</li><li>The Live stream received 9K hearts within minutes to open the curtain and unveil the store.</li></ul>

Case Study: OnePlus uses Twitter to announce the launch of its Hyderabad store, garners 21.2 million overall impressions

Chinese smartphone maker <keyword id="2210217" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus">OnePlus</keyword> on Wednesday unveiled its largest experience store globally here. Spread across 16,000 sq.ft,the experience store "<keyword id="10220473" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus-nizam-palace">OnePlus Nizam Palace</keyword>" also includes a <keyword id="10224586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="large-customer-service-center">large customer service center</keyword> with dedicated glass cubicles for customers to meet and consult service executives, thus ensuring transparency in the service provided, a company press release said. In addition, the store exhibits unique visual display elements showcasing the newly launched OnePlus 8T 5G. <div type="twitter" handle="MinisterKTR" handlename="Minister for IT, Industries, MA &amp; UD, Telangana" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1048807734848643073/XjSa3JEv_normal.jpg" favoritecount="677" retweetcount="70" status="Hyderabad gets its newest landmark! Elated to announce that the world's biggest OnePlus Store has been unveiled in… https://t.co/fCXMtniswK" createdat="1604567258000" id="1324277182936412161"></div> Highlighting the futuristic elements of the brand, the visual display elements offer one of a kind consumer experience with holographic display of the key product features, while emulating a camera lens effect. Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, <keyword id="2613562" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OnePlus-India">OnePlus India</keyword>, said "OnePlus remains committed to achieving long-term growth in India. We chose Hyderabad to open our first R&amp;D centre in the country and today we are proud to be back in the city with our largest experience store. The new OnePlus Nizam Palace sets a new benchmark in the retail segment, redefining how consumers experience the premium OnePlus offerings," he said.

OnePlus opens largest experience store in Hyderabad after launching its first Indian research centre in the city

<ul><li>OnePlus is expected to enter the wearables segment with the launch of the <keyword id="10521756" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus-band">OnePlus Band</keyword> in India in 2021.</li><li>The OnePlus Band is likely to be priced under ₹3,000 ($40), pitting it against the Mi Smart Band 5 in the country.</li><li>The OnePlus Band will be launched ahead of the OnePlus 9 series launch.</li></ul>OnePlus has become one of the top smartphone companies in India in the premium segment and has also forayed into the Smart television market. Now, the company is set to debut in the wearables segment in India in 2021. The earlier rumours had suggested that the company is working on a smartwatch, which was also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/oneplus-watch-will-be-launched-early-next-year-says-pete-lau/articleshow/79914759.cms">confirmed</a> by the company’s CEO Pete Lau. However, a new <a href="https://www.androidcentral.com/oneplus-will-release-40-fitness-band-similar-xiaomi-mi-band-5">report</a> has revealed that its first wearable device will be a cheaper fitness band that will take on the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5. And it is expected to make its global debut in India first. OnePlus Band expected launch date The OnePlus Band is likely to be launched in Q1 2021. As per the above report, the company’s fitness band will be unveiled a few weeks ahead of the OnePlus 9 series. This puts the expected launch of the fitness band sometime in January or early February. OnePlus Band expected pricing Xiaomi is currently one of India’s leading brands in the wearables segment and its affordable Mi Smart Band lineup has become very popular. The OnePlus Band will reportedly be priced under ₹3,000 ($40), pitting it against the Mi Smart Band 5, which is priced at ₹2,499 ($34). This is in line with the company’s strategy of capturing the affordable smartphones segment with the OnePlus Nord smartphone launch. The company is expected to announce the premium <keyword id="8293954" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus-watch">OnePlus Watch</keyword> sometime later this year. OnePlus Band expected features The OnePlus Band is expected to offer similar features as the Mi Band 5, including an AMOLED display, water-resistance and a long battery life. OnePlus currently sells smartphones, televisions, audio products such as the OnePlus Buds, OnePlus Bullets Wireless and power banks in India. OnePlus had introduced its TV lineup first in India and similarly, the OnePlus Band is expected to make its global debut in India. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/oneplus-watch-will-be-launched-early-next-year-says-pete-lau/articleshow/79914759.cms">OnePlus Watch will be launched early next year, says Pete Lau</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-8t-concept-shows-off-touchless-notifications-and-colour-shifting-technology/articleshow/79842248.cms">OnePlus 8T Concept phone shows off touchless notifications and colour shifting technology</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-opens-largest-experience-store-in-hyderabad-after-launching-its-first-indian-research-centre-in-the-city/articleshow/79055606.cms">OnePlus opens largest experience store in Hyderabad after launching its first Indian research centre in the city</a>

OnePlus' $40 challenge to Xiaomi's fitness band will launch in India first

<ul><li>The <keyword id="10472122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus-8t-concept">OnePlus 8T Concept</keyword> smartphone comes with a special metal oxide-infused glass film on the back, called <keyword id="10472120" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ecmf">ECMF</keyword> design.</li><li>When metal oxide is activated, the colour of the phone shifts between dark blue and light silver.</li><li>Apart from this, a combination of ECMF design and 5G-based <keyword id="10472121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mmwave-technology">mmWave technology</keyword> can be used for touchless notifications and breathing monitor.</li></ul>After unveiling the first concept smartphone earlier in 2020, <keyword id="2210217" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus">OnePlus</keyword> is back with another concept ahead of <keyword id="10472123" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-consumer-electronics-show-2021">the Consumer Electronics Show 2021</keyword>. The <keyword id="9184481" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OnePlus-8T">OnePlus 8T</keyword> Concept is based on the latest flagship smartphone from the company, building on the theme of the original concept phone. The new <keyword id="10472124" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oneplus-8t-concept-phone">OnePlus 8T Concept phone</keyword> is the product of the brand-new OnePlus Gaudí design studio, comprising 39 designers from Shenzhen, Taipei, New York and India. What’s new in the OnePlus 8T Concept phone? <div type="image" title="OnePlus 8T Concept" msid="79842253" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;OnePlus 8T Concept&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The primary highlight of OnePlus’ new concept phone is its <keyword id="10472119" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="colour-shifting-technology">colour shifting technology</keyword>. The phone has a metal oxide-infused glass film on the back that shifts colour between dark blue and light silver. The colour shift happens when metal oxide is activated. OnePlus calls this ECMF – Electronic Colour, Material and Finish. More than just the looks In addition to giving the phone a different look, the ECMF design also has other real-world use cases. OnePlus has combined ECMF design with mmWave technology to showcase an interesting feature – touchless notifications. The mmWave technology is borrowed from 5G. OnePlus’ implementation allows the phone to perceive, image, locate and track objects. For example, when a call is received on this phone, ECMF can be used to flash a colour to notify the user. The user can then use a gesture to accept or reject the call – all without ever touching the device. This, OnePlus says, is just the first step in what can be done using the combination of ECMF and mmWave. Apart from this, the company also demonstrated a breathing monitor feature. This feature uses the mmWave technology to track the movement of your chest, and also calculate your breathing rate. As was the case with the Concept One, the OnePlus 8T Concept is just that – a concept, at this point of time. It might not go on sale, but it is a window into the world of possibilities that can be achieved with some experimentation. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-8t-smartphone-review-checkout-8gb-ram-and-12gb-ram-oneplus-8t-mobile-price/articleshow/79153134.cms">OnePlus 8T review — refined flagship experience at mid-range price</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-opens-largest-experience-store-in-hyderabad-after-launching-its-first-indian-research-centre-in-the-city/articleshow/79055606.cms">OnePlus opens largest experience store in Hyderabad after launching its first Indian research centre in the city</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/oneplus-buds-review-affordable-and-high-on-quality/articleshow/78275876.cms">OnePlus Buds review – affordable and high on quality</a>

OnePlus 8T Concept phone shows off touchless notifications and colour shifting technology

It’s surprising how all the major online only mobile phone brands in India that have been known to create virtual stampede every now and then are now moving back to brick and mortar stores. Smartphone brands like <keyword id="874458" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xiaomi">Xiaomi</keyword>, <keyword id="2210217" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OnePlus">OnePlus</keyword>, <keyword id="11148" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Motorola">Motorola</keyword> and others have been extremely popular in India; they have all managed to make quite an impact and money off of their online only presence. Then you wonder why in the last one year, all of these brands have tried to one up each other in building offline shops in the country. Most recently <keyword id="299328" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Coolpad">Coolpad</keyword> announced the launch of its first experience zone in India and the company is looking to expand its offline presence by opening six exclusive experience zones in all major cities in the country including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore by end of this year. After being present in India since 2014, Motorola too launched six retail set ups simultaneously across the country and the company plans to open 50 more, which are called Moto Hubs, by the end of this financial year. However Motorola does not see it as an offline expansion strategy but an expansion of experience strategy, Sudhin Mathur, Country Head, <keyword id="13722" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lenovo">Lenovo</keyword> Mobile Business Group, India said, “There is a strong demand from our consumers to touch, feel, and experience our products. The market has become very big, more than 100million customers now buying smartphones and we need to cater to all kind of consumers through all kinds of channel”. With these Moto Hubs across the country, Motorola hopes to create open, engaging hubs for 18 to 30yrs old customers at all buzzing retail sites in India. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="image" title="moto" msid="60394073" hostid="261"></div>




























 Known world over as online only brand, Xiaomi too invested in offline stores called <keyword id="4539022" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="mi-homes">Mi Homes</keyword> in India. After opening about 50 stores in China, Xiaomi brought its first Mi Home in India this year in May at a shopping mall in Bangalore. Even though the Mi Homes in India were a vastly different from the big experiential Mi Homes in China, it was a big move for Xiaomi as the company was seen as one of the most popular online smartphone brand in India. The latest Mi Home however is an experience store in one of the most popular mall in NCR and Xiaomi has already set up five stores and has plans to open 100 more stores in India in next two years. Xiaomi has a bigger reason for propping up offline stores across the country, <keyword id="2555690" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jai-mani">Jai Mani</keyword>, Lead Product Manager, <keyword id="2210169" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="xiaomi-india">Xiaomi India</keyword> said, “Last year we launched Mi air purifier, I think a lot of people have definitely not bought a product like air purifier online. So if people come to the store to see the phone, they will see the air purifier and see what it looks like so it's a great way for people to experience our products. For those products (non smartphone) offline is really the key experience and MI home lets us control how the products are displayed, and control the experience of the people who walk in the store. It’s a great way to reach more people and helps us sell different types of products.” Xiaomi has a huge product portfolio in China but in India, the company is mainly seen as a smartphone brand. Xiaomi is looking to expand to more categories in the future like TVs, laptops etc. Also Read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Google-has-finally-realized-there-is-a-market-beyond-budget-phones-for-Android-One-turns-to-Xiaomi-for-take-two/articleshow/60379742.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Google has finally realized there is a market beyond budget phones for Android One, turns to Xiaomi</a> Smartphone brands with mainly offline presence like <keyword id="10591" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword>, Micromax have always made a much bigger splash in India than online only brands. An offline presence certainly helps these companies in making their presence felt in the tier I and tier II cities where offline purchases are much higher. And especially around festive season when the offline sales shoot up for mobile phones, it seems to be the right way forward to set up shops in order to acquire new customers. Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus had the most unique online only strategy when they brought in their first OnePlus flagship phone where customers needed an invite to buy their phone. Even with an invite only scheme, OnePlus managed to create quite a stir in the India market. OnePlus smartphones have been exclusively available on <keyword id="6354743" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="amazon-india">Amazon India</keyword> since the sale of OnePlus One commenced in the country. OnePlus too went offline with their first experience store in Bangalore earlier this year. OnePlus is onto its fifth flagship device and it still continues to sell its products online through Amazon along with the offline store. It is clear that the skew is heavily in favour of going offline, all smartphone players in India are working on strengthening the offline channel but it does not mean that the online market is not doing well, all players still consider online as an important platform to reach consumers and the offline push is only going to push their online growth, Manish Tiwary, VP, Amazon India says, “Most of them(offline stores) are for experience, for customers to be able to touch and feel the new products. I think it really helps for a complete customer experience, there is only so much you can do online but if you supplement with offline experience stores, it just brings it alive for the customers so we love when our brand partners do that, it definitely improves sales for us online”. The smartphone market in India has been through many changes in the past couple of years, consumers in India are not hankering for cheap phones anymore, almost 70% of the consumers go for mid to premium phones and in order to sell phones upwards of Rs. 15000, it is important for brands to be able to give a touch and feel experience. In terms of telecom services, we have seen a huge growth in 4G network penetration in the last two years that is certainly going to up the demand for smarthones in smaller cities. Most importantly 67% of the consumers in India still buy phones offline and there is now saturation in the online marketplace, that leaves these smartphones brands no choice but to invest in offline expansion in order to grow in the fastest growing smartphone market in the world.

Why Mobile phone brands in India are moving (back in time) towards setting up brick and mortar stores

In the biggest <keyword id="2210217" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="oneplus">OnePlus</keyword> event held till date in India, OnePlus launched the newest flagship <keyword id="3845242" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OnePlus-5">OnePlus 5</keyword> in India after it's Global launch in the US. The event was attended by the OnePlus fans too. During the event it was clear that OnePlus now is mainly competing with the premium phones. There were many tests shown by OnePlus depicting how OnePlus fared better against <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> 7 and Samsung S8 whether they were talking about camera or phone's dash charge feature. One plus 5 is certainly one of the most awaited phone off 2017 and it comes packed with many features including a reading mode too that changes the color temperature of light to make the reading experience more comfortable. OnePlus 5 sports a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display covered in Gorilla Glass 5 with a standard 16:9 aspect ratio. The new device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 mobile platform and backed by the Adreno 540 GPU, OnePlus has always opted for a strong processor. In terms of memory, you have two options: a model with 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage or a higher-end version with a massive 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. OnePlus 5 runs on OxygenOS based on the latest version of Android, 7.1.1 Nougat. It comes in two colors slate grey and midnight black. The battery of the OnePlus 5 is actually smaller than OnePlus 3T which had a 3400 mAh battery but the OnePlus 5 has a 3,300 mAh unit battery and the reason is simple, it is the slimmest phone from OnePlus till date measuring just 7.25 mm thin. Let's talk about the biggest new focus of the new OnePlus 5, the camera. The OnePlus 5 has a dual camera setup on the back, with one 16 MP sensor with an ƒ/1.7 aperture, and another 20 MP telephoto lens with an ƒ/2.6 aperture. The feature and the way it's placed will certainly draw comparison (putting mildly) with iPhone 7. But OnePlus is most excited about this feature and claims the feature will help users capture bokeh and portrait shots perfectly. As for the price of the devices, the 6 GB of RAM with 64 GB of storage variant will be available at Rs. 32,999 and higher-end version 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB storage will cost Rs. 37,999. Both the devices will be available on Amazon on June 22nd, 4.30pm onwards. OnePlus 5 will also be available at pop-up stores across 5 cities in India, Mumbai(22nd June), New Delhi(23rd June), Bangalore and Chennai (24th June) and Hyderabad(25th June). OnePlus had somewhat cracked the code in terms of what works and it looks like it's clearly trying to stick to what has worked for the brand so far.

OnePlus 5 launched in India starting at Rs. 32,999; looking to compete with iPhone 7 and Samsung S8

<ul><li><keyword id="9854452" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bikayi" source="Orion">Bikayi</keyword> enables SMBs to scale up their digital operations and reach out to a wider set of audience base.</li><li>Bikayi claims that its merchant base has grown five-times over the last eight months, and has a user base of 4 million.</li><li>The company had raised $2 million in seed funding led by Y Combinator in August 2020.</li></ul>Hyderabad-based Bikayi, which helps small businesses set up a digital store, has raised $10.8 million in a Series A round led by Sequoia Capital India. It plans to use the latest Series A funding to accelerate product development, market penetration and talent acquisition. The company had raised $2 million seed funding led by Y Combinator in August 2020. Founded in 2019 by Sonakshi Nathani and Ashutosh Singla, Bikayi enables small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to scale up their digital operations and reach out to a wider set of audience base. The company offers professional features and tools to help these small businesses grow. These features include a dedicated business coach, catalogue listing, shipping facility, payments and insights on customer behaviour. Bikayi claims that its merchant base has grown five-times over the last eight months. This has also resulted in a multifold increase in its annual gross merchandise value (GMV). The three-year-old startup claims to have a user base of 4 million. “Our vision is to empower every small business to win in the emerging online market by providing them with affordable tools, helping them achieve unimaginable goals. We are on a mission to fulfil the aspirations of millions of small businesses that drive our economy,” Bikayi’s co-founder and chief executive (CEO) Nathani said. She further added that some merchants have made over a million dollars using the Bikayi e-store in the span of a year. Meanwhile, Sequoia Capital India’s vice president Shraeyansh Thakur emphasised that there are over 75 million SMBs in India and this accounts for 30% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Rapid digitisation of SMBs and deepening e-commerce ecosystem are huge trends, which Bikayi is catering to, Thakur added. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/like-apple-and-samsung-boat-makes-earphones-and-smartwatches-in-vietnam/articleshow/85889423.cms">INTERVIEW: This Indian challenger to Apple and Samsung explains why it chose Vietnam to make a bulk of its products </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/reliance-just-dial-mahindra-and-other-hot-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-september-3/slidelist/85886767.cms">Reliance, Just Dial, Mahindra and other hot stocks to watch out for on September 3</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/oneplus-buds-pro-review-india/articleshow/85887425.cms">OnePlus Buds Pro Review — Love bass? Your search ends here</a>

An e-store creator gets $10.8 million after a five-fold increase in users in last eight months

<keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is consistently being bandied as the next major growth market for all smartphone companies, but there is one company that’s really struggling to crack India. The company in question is the most valuable one in the world -- <keyword id="6354427" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="apple">Apple</keyword>. According to CounterPoint’s latest report, Apple’s market share has dropped to an all-time low in India, with its share of the smartphone market dropping to below 2%. The problem is a combination of the nature of the Indian smartphone consumer, Indian laws and Apple’s stubbornness. This quarter Xiaomi and Samsung have emerged as the defacto leaders with their combined market share in India pushing 30%. Samsung managed to regain its lead in India with a share of 29%, up from 24% in the previous quarter, as per a report by Canalys. Xiaomi also grew to 28% market share in the country. While Tim Cook has reiterated often that India is a key market for the Cupertino-based giant, Apple has hit a new low in India, which is clearly the most important smartphone market outside of China. Pricing doesn’t allow Apple to compete for market share in India The problem for the company is that India is primarily a sub Rs 15,000 market, while the cheapest <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> – the iPhone SE costs Rs 26,000, and runs three-year-old hardware. Apple doesn’t make cheap products because it doesn’t want to be perceived as a mass market smartphone brand. The Indian market is wildly different from the one in the United States, Europe and even China, which is Apple’s favourite market off-late. These markets are dominated by the operators and their contracts, where users can get the latest and greatest iPhone for about the same Rs 15,000 amount, put in as down payment. The space for phones that cost more than Rs 30,000 is just 4% of the Indian smartphone market. And that is commanded by OnePlus, followed by Samsung. Even if Apple were to get 100% market share in the premium space, it would still only command 4% of the market. Even when competing on price, older iPhones like the 6S and 7 lose out to newer phones from companies like OnePlus on both marketing and also technical capability. Indians tend to buy phones on the basis of specifications and even some of the newer models lose out to brands like OnePlus in the premium segment as the iPhone 6S and 7 models are perceived to be inferior. Hardware disadvantage Apple’s hardware disadvantage swells up when one talks about the cheapest iPhone models in this country. Apple simply doesn’t have a product in that price bracket, the sub-Rs 20,000 zone, and that’s the price point where the market for new smartphones is exploding. While the cheapest iPhone, the SE, costs Rs 26,000, it’s not the best selling iPhone here. It is the iPhone 6, which first popped up in 2014...and here we are in 2018. There are two reasons for this -- first, the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen (4.7-inch) which is more to the liking of Indian users; and second, design-wise, it’s not too dissimilar from the iPhone 8 which came out at the fag end of 2017. With the entry of Reliance Jio in India in late 2016, Indians have developed a voracious appetite for consuming video on the go. The iPhone SE, which uses the design of the iPhone 5 and 5S, has a rather small 4-inch screen. Newer phones like the Redmi Note 5 have much larger 5.99-inch screens. That’s a difference of 2-inches and considering mobile video, it's a huge one. The iPhone SE and iPhone 6, which are the two cheapest iPhones in India also have dated cameras. Nowadays, phones like the Honor 9 Lite and Redmi Note 5 Pro also offer dual cameras with an iPhone X-like bokeh mode -- something these older, cheaper iPhones can’t hope to match. Network conditions in India are often quite poor, connectivity wise, which results in smartphones consuming more battery. Apple’s iPhones have never been known for battery life. The most affordable iPhone in India (iPhone SE) has a meagre 1,624mAh battery, while phones half its price are pushing battery packs that are more than double the size. iPhones also don’t offer hardware features that are popular in emerging markets like ours. For instance, there is no support for dual SIM cards, and there is no support for expandable memory. With newer models like the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, there isn’t even a headphone jack -- something competitors like Samsung and OnePlus are providing to customers in the premium segment. Apple hasn’t been able to push its design as a premium advantage either, as Chinese smartphone manufacturers have aped iPhone-like designs on almost all their phones. In fact, the design of the iPhone X has been democratised by Chinese smartphone makers. For instance, the iPhone X-style notch display can be found even on new phones like the Honor 9N that starts at just Rs 13,999 while offering dual cameras on not only the back but also for selfies, and also providing a battery that’s almost twice as big as the iPhone SE. Even their software is designed in a way that Android looks more like iOS. Android modifications from vendors like <keyword id="6357456" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="huawei">Huawei</keyword>, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo follow the same basic iOS-like design language. Software disadvantage It’s bad enough that many Android smartphone makers have designed their software to mimic the look and feel of iOS, but Apple’s problems are compounded by the fact that its own services perform poorly in India or are non-existent. Apple Maps is perhaps the biggest no-show. It doesn’t do turn-by-turn navigation in India and its mapping coverage is abysmal in the country. It is a matter of fact that Apple Maps can’t be used in India as a reliable tool for commuting. Apple Pay isn’t available in India at a time where digital payments are taking off in the country. Paytm and Google’s Tez payments systems are taking off in India massively. Samsung launched Samsung Pay in India last year. Apple Pay is dependent on NFC, while Samsung Pay uses a combination of NFC and magnetic secure transaction (MST), which mimics the magnetic signal a credit or debit card makes to a POS machine. Siri, on most days doesn’t understand the Indian accent as well as the Google Assistant, and nor can it do much. Heck, <keyword id="10387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa do a better job and this is despite the fact that Apple was the first company to deploy a virtual assistant. While Apple’s services hobble on its own trophy -- the iPhone -- its competitors -- Google, Amazon and Microsoft have their services performing better on iOS. For mapping, most people use Google Maps. For search, Google Search becomes the default, and for productivity, Microsoft’s Office crushes Apple’s iWork apps. Rarely, you’re using Apple software on the iPhone in India. Even Apple Music, which is one of the rare examples of an Apple service doing well in the country, has been flanked by local competition like Ganna.com, Jio music, Wynk and Saavn. All of whom have a free tier. On older iPhones, Apple’s iOS updates have also crippled the experience of the iPhone. A couple of years ago, there used to be a strong argument in favour of the iPhone as it would perform well for over two years. Apple’s recent updates have made older iPhones inferior in comparison to newer Android phones that cost the same. Apple is addressing this issue in this year's iOS 12 update, which makes huge performance improvements to older iPhones, but it could be too little too late. The app store also doesn't make life easy for users as it demands a credit card for a user to even download free apps. That's not the case on the Google Play store. Apple has been late in localising services for India The larger issue here is that Apple isn’t localising its services for India in the way it has attempted to for China. This is indicative of the fact that Apple hasn’t taken the time or put enough resources behind localising its services for this country. Samsung and Huawei have R&amp;D centres in India customising services for the market. Xiaomi also prioritises and customises products for India. Apple opened an App Accelerator in Bangalore and a facility for Apple Maps in Hyderabad only in 2016. Google has had software and services being developed out of India since the mid-2000s, while Microsoft has been in India since the early 90’s. This has, in turn, inhibited Apple’s ability to quickly pivot. Its biggest competitor, Google, on a platform level, makes products for India. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said last year, “India shapes how we build products. If something works in India it will work globally.” And this philosophy can be seen in the customisations that Google has made to core services like Android, Maps, YouTube, Search and even payments. Its next billion division has made “Go” editions of Android, YouTube, Search and Maps, which are designed to work better on low power phones and poorer network conditions. They have even invested in KaiOS that powers feature phones like the Jio Phone creating its own versions of YouTube, Google Search and Assistant in India. For Apple to replicate its China success in India, it has to do a lot more than what it did in China. Even in China, Apple’s momentum has slowed so it has a steep slope to climb there as well. In China, Google and Amazon are almost non-existent. In India, they are big players. Apple isn’t able to compete with Google with regards to services. Most people use Google services which are part of all Android phones and one doesn’t need to buy a comparatively expensive iPhone to enjoy them. Apple and the Indian government: Frenemies? Apple hasn’t seen eye to eye with the Indian government for long. Apple expected concessions for manufacturing in India. It never made headway with that. While it lobbied for tax concessions -- brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei all got on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme which grants locally assembled phones some tax concessions. Only recently, Apple has started manufacturing both the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S in India. There are some reports that Apple has locked in a deal with one of its ODM vendors to manufacture even the iPhone X, but that’s not happening right now. The price variance between the iPhone X and the new Samsung Galaxy S9+ is quite startling. The iPhone X tops out at a whopping Rs 1,07,999 while the latest Galaxy S9+ tops out at Rs 69,000 for its top-end model in India. That’s almost a gap of Rs 40,000 which ironically is the cost of the 128GB model of the OnePlus 6 which is currently the best selling smartphone in the premium segment in this country. In the US, the iPhone X costs $1,149 which is around Rs 79,000 and the Galaxy S9+ costs $792 (around Rs 55,000). This points towards the fact that India is the most expensive place to purchase an iPhone and also the fact that Samsung’s phones have a huge price advantage in India that they don’t enjoy even in the US. And a lot of this is due to the fact that the S9+ is assembled in Samsung’s factory in Greater Noida (a satellite town outside New Delhi) which also happens to be the largest smartphone manufacturing plant in the world. The iPhone is further hobbled by the fact that it has an international warranty and India has a bubbling <keyword id="395545" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="grey-market">grey market</keyword>. It’s totally possible for someone to buy an imported iPhone for much lesser than the official price in India and still enjoy global warranty on the product. For years, Apple has been hoping to get permissions to set up its iconic Apple Stores in India. Indian law stipulates that single brand retail can only happen when products use 30% raw materials that are locally sourced -- that’s a hard problem to solve for Apple. That’s led to it selling its phones via resellers who often have discounted products to move inventory, thereby diluting Apple’s premium identity. In order to move more affordable iPhones, the Indian government has also rejected Apple’s plan for selling refurbished iPhones in India. More recently, Apple has been deadlocked in a stalemate with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in India over the installation of its spam reporting app on the iPhone. The telecom regulator has been reported to be taking extreme steps which could result in the iPhone being blocked from telecom networks in India if Apple doesn’t play ball, but that seems to be changing. An update in iOS 12 could possibly pave the way for an extension in the iMessage app for the TRAI to push out its spam reporting feature. The big takeaway is that Apple’s brand positioning makes its life hard enough in a market where feature phone sales are still growing, however, it hasn’t helped its own cause by not investing in India in a timely manner and also not adopting and partaking quickly enough in initiatives of the Indian government which has put it at a disadvantage with regards to lobbying.

Here’s why the iPhone can’t compete in India

India is perhaps the most promising smartphone market in the world, growing 29.5 percent from 2015 to 2016 according to <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160804006577/en/Strategy-Analytics-Android-Captures-Record-97-Percent">Strategy Analytics</a>. While the smartphone market in India grew at an exponential pace, <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> saw 33% drop in sales from a year earlier which cut the market share of Apple in India by half bringing it down to a 2% from an earlier 4% market share. 
Well to some extent you guessed it right, high prices for iPhones are a big reason for Apple’s shrinking market share more so now than ever before in the India market. India now has a multitude of choices in terms of smartphones at a fraction of the price. Chinese smartphone brands like Xiaomi, LeEco, OnePlus are finding many takers in India and not just because of their affordable pricing, some of the phones from these brands give almost spec to spec competition to major hi-end phones in the market. And their growth in India has been phenomenal. For instance, Chinese internet ecosystem company, LeEco is just about eight months old in India and has already sold over one million smartphones, the company is looking to open 10 retail stores by the end of the year and has already started manufacturing in the country with an aim to make India its export hub going forward. That’s the kind of fast paced growth India is currently seeing in the smartphone market. And with the growing popularity of these phones Apple may find the India market a lot tougher to crack than before. 
 By now we know that Apple does not believe in cheaper <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword>s and that is not even an option but apart from the pricing, Apple also lags behind in terms of retail presence in India. Most of the smartphone brands have extensive retail presence now in India including its old time rival Samsung. Apple products are generally bought as a ‘premium product’ and setting up state of the art Apple stores in India will help Apple cash in on that image. Even though it wanted to but Apple could not set up shop in India due to stringent sourcing norms. But now with the changes in the sourcing norms companies like Apple can look at opening up retail stores without hassles. Tim Cook told analysts during Apple’s quarterly earnings, “We’re looking forward to opening retail stores in India down the road, and we see huge potential for that vibrant country.” Apart from Apple stores, Apple has also tried to sell their refurbished iPhones in India which did not get a go ahead from the Indian government. That was certainly a big blow to the company considering iPhones are extremely popular in India and for many buyers the only factor stopping them from buying an iPhone is the high pricing. Selling used iPhones or refurbished phones would have proved profitable for Apple and promising for consumers. 
 Also most of the new players in the country are looking at India as a long term bet, reason why many come to the market with the intention or infrastructure for local manufacturing. Apple is still behind on that. On his first visit to the country in May, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and they reportedly discussed about Apple manufacturing iPhones in India. During his visit, Cook announced the setting up of an app development unit in Bengaluru and opened a development centre for Apple Maps in Hyderabad, with an investment of $25 million. But no announcement was made on manufacturing iPhones in India. Report suggests that Apple may still take 2-3years to start manufacturing in India and one of its main manufacturers <keyword id="6354671" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Foxconn">Foxconn</keyword> has been asked to study the India market for possibility of making iPhones in the country. Manufacturing in India could benefit Apple in a big way and improve its market share in the country as local manufacturing is also likely to bring down the pricing of the iPhones. 
 According to Strategy Analytics, <keyword id="6355645" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="android">Android</keyword> captures 97% of India market and India is expected to buy some 139 million smartphones this year, but the majority of these will be Android devices costing less than Rs. 10,000. Looking at the current market scenario, it’s difficult to say if the new phone from Apple, <keyword id="6388494" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone-7">iPhone 7</keyword> will change Apple’s situation in India market but there certainly is a lot that Apple is doing in India and there is still a plenty of room for Apple to boost sales in the country. 
 
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