By Claire Reilly
With the launch of Samsung’s Tab 3 range of entry-level tablets into the Australian market, the Korean brand has shown its commitment to the Galaxy sub-brand and the broader category of connected mobile devices as a whole. With a range of specs, sizes and price points on offer, consumers are now spoiled for choice.
Speaking to Current.com.au today, Samsung Electronics Australia’s vice president of telecommunications said the brand was making a concerted effort to communicate with retailers and consumers the benefits of each of its tablet devices, and to ultimately offer more choice in the category.
“From our perspective it’s about offering a broad range of devices — bringing a mainstream range and then bringing a premium range,” said McGee.
“I think one of the key points is about giving consumers choice. We do a lot of research into consumer behaviour and consumer needs, and we’re taking that and making sure that we’re positioning the products and talking to the right consumers.
“We have also taken the key learnings from our smartphone business — the reality is we have a lot of smartphones, more than we do tablets. So we take learnings from our smartphone business on how to clearly demarcate and communicate at retail and we continue to work on that.”
According to McGee, one of the key ways consumers learn about different feature sets and what suits their needs is by getting up close and hands on with products. With that in mind, Samsung is “investing in retail with key retail partners to make sure consumers have the ability to experience it”.
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Samsung’s range expansion is indicative of a broader trend in the tablet category, which has exploded in recent years.
“We’ve seen an increase in consumer demand for tablets in Australia,” he said. “According to GfK data, the tablet industry volume has grown by 70 per cent year-on-year [April 2012 to April 2013]. I’m pleased to say that Samsung has considerably outpaced the industry and we’ve grown our tablet business by 383 per cent over the same period.
“Following a successful 12 months, our position in the Australian tablet marketplace has strengthened considerably. We’re now a clear alternative to the number one player. From May 2012 to May 2013 we’ve achieved over seven times market share growth across Samsung Galaxy tablets.”
McGee also noted that 31 per cent of Australian households are now home to a tablet, and that “children are driving tablet consumption at home” — households with children under 16 are more likely to have a tablet, according to Samsung’s research.
But with all the talk of volume, McGee is not too concerned about reaching market saturation and he said there is still value to be found for retailers, especially as consumers continue to upgrade.
“The reason why we have a broad range of products is because we see value as just as important for our business; we’re not 100 per cent focused purely on volume,” he said.
“I think as long as we continue to bring innovative products and compelling reasons for consumers to purchase, I don’t think there’s any reason to hit saturation. Australians love new technology, we’re early adopters of new technology. And I think as we continue to bring exciting tablets to the marketplace, people will continue to replace their existing tablets.”