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Long way still for Sony Ericsson... |
thanasis Joined: Mar 07, 2002 Posts: 204 From: London & Athens PM |
I was one of those people that was really impressed with Sony Ericsson's results, posted last monday. Profitability, increased sales, positive outlook... all the elements were there. But the end of the week has arrived and all the other companied have also posted their results. This is where one wonders how on earth Sony Ericsson sold only 8 million handsets in the previous quarter. Yes ok it was an 18% increase in sales but did anybody else see how SE's two main competitors did in the quarter. Siemens claims to have shipped 15.2 million handsets while Samsung 15.5 million handsets. And you can forget Nokia who spipped more than 55 million handsets.
So my question is did Sony Ericsson really achieve so much as far as sales are concerned, in 2003. The T610 was one of the greatest mobile phone success stories of all time if you look at its sales. In fact it still hard to buy one in some markets due to stock deficiencies. But from what it looks like you cannot be a major player with just one phone in such a fiercely competitive market.
Sony Ericsson made big mistakes with its mid-end handsets the t300 and t310. They had really high hopes with the first one when released in November 2002 but as the phone started to reach the markets public opinion did not take a liking to the phone's looks. Dare i say that a phone with the capabilities innovation and price of the t300 would have immediately achieved best seller status had it carried a decent and fashionable design. Therefore SE launches the t310 in March 2003 with even higher hopes. Yet again the results are dismal. the t310 is a phone that should have had sales on par with the t610, being cheaper and appealing to larger market, but no it underperformed.
One has to also cite the issue of inability to deliver sufficient handsets to retailers in order to meet demand. You cannot be a major player when you cannot meet the demand for the phones. Consumers are not going to wait untill SE decides to make stock available, when there is such a vast range of other phones to choose from. This problem was alarmingly evident in the days of the T68m, where Ericsson missed out on huge Christmas 2001 sales because it could not meet the extraordinary demand. The same lessons have not been learnt two years later when Sony Ericsson cannot satisfy the consumer demand for its latest offering, the Z600. If a company cannot benefit from Christmas sales when is it going to benefit?
Finishing off, i can say that there is huge potential for Sony Ericsson. Finally they have a nearly complete product line on the market if we exclude the low end segmet where the T100 is showing its age. Sales of the fashion models z600, z200 and t630 should result in a rise in market share providing Sony Ericsson can again satisfy demand, although that is not much of an issue in the 1st quarter of a year. What Sony Ericsson needs is a powerful and good looking middle class segment phone (t330 & z300 anyone?) to give its sales a big boost. Because at the end of the day Sony Ericsson will always deliver for us , the higher segment with products like the t68, t610 and p800 and p900. Therefore no worrying about the T650 because it should be a great phone!
Just my 2 pence on this issue... |
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redtooth Joined: Jan 05, 2004 Posts: 132 PM |
I couldnt agree more... they had and are still having such huge problems with stock.. cant get any Z600's or P900's even now!. I meean you need to really look around for them. OK so P900 stock is getting better but people like CPW still have no stock of the Z600
Brand New Sony Ericsson Z600 for Sale, buyer can collect from London or I will post anywhere in UK £220 PM if interested. |
Vlammetje Joined: Mar 01, 2003 Posts: > 500 From: Den Haag PM, WWW
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has already come a long way. Comparing with larger competitors is useless in absolutes, coz has come from a very deep low and still has a long long way to go before they get in the right figures again.
However there is a visible inprovement since the yr before, and that's waht counts.
Shortages are partially caused by shortage of chips worldwide, and it's not just who's having trouble supplying phones.
Time will tell if they can continue their way up
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energetic Joined: Jan 13, 2003 Posts: > 500 From: Athens, Greece, Europe, Earth, PM, WWW
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Buyers are a great factor for sales.
I know people, that believe that Nokia phones are excellent and that they dont have problems and never "stuck".
They buy their phone and then after a while they have this problem and this and that etc. "Stuck".
Even after all these problems the same people again are buying Nokia phones.
I believe their mind is a bit limited! "Stuck"!!!
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bart Joined: Feb 03, 2002 Posts: > 500 From: Flanders PM, WWW
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what SE needs to do is build more phones and ship them. they could've sold much more and also siemens if they would've deliverd more phones. in some country's like mine they didn't sell much because of limited stock.
T230 will sell good, but idd limited supply. T610 best seller out of stock here for the last 4weeks, same for P900 and Z600.
thank god the Z200 is availeble everywhere and selling normal
on http://www.usep.be you'll find some things that SE will lauch this year. |
701 Joined: Nov 26, 2002 Posts: > 500 From: Romania PM, WWW
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Here the p900 isn't available,the p800 just in a few stores. Most of us just buy phones from the grey market cuz the prices r 30 to 50% lower than in shops.
This message was posted from a T610 |
BobaFett Joined: Jan 06, 2004 Posts: > 500 From: Kamino (wish it would be Lund) PM, WWW
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Patience is asked 4. Our favourite child is 3 years old, just learned 2 walk, we shouldnt force him 2 run. SE is on a good way. Smells like silence b4 d storm. Reg
This message was posted from a R520 |
energetic Joined: Jan 13, 2003 Posts: > 500 From: Athens, Greece, Europe, Earth, PM, WWW
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SE for ever!!!
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vanquish Joined: Mar 20, 2003 Posts: > 500 From: Wor Newcastle Phone: V600i PM, WWW
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turtally dude!
[addsig] |
Saka Joined: Jan 21, 2004 Posts: 165 From: Sweden PM, WWW
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I completely agree. Also I think the production line is not as complete as it seems.
OK, we have a great P900 as most advanced phone and we have middle phones like T610 and Z600.
But what about something between T610 and P900? Where is a symbian phone without PDA? Something to compete 6600 and 3650?
A smaller phone with symbian in the price range between T630 and P900 would make wonders.
Then there is this components problem. T630 is still not on market. We are waiting for it for several months and it is really a minor upgrade from T610.
I wouldn't say T310 is total miss but when they realised that it would be better with nicer design and better LCD (T230) it is still not available due to component problems.
So they need to launch more new models (low and low-middle t330 & z300, middle-high symbian T700?) and they must be much quicker with actually suplying them. A customer should not wait for 6 months for his model to go from "comming soon" fase to market. |
Vlammetje Joined: Mar 01, 2003 Posts: > 500 From: Den Haag PM, WWW
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what;s the use of a symbian phone without PDA functions?
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Saka Joined: Jan 21, 2004 Posts: 165 From: Sweden PM, WWW
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Better games, useful applications, GPS, media player etc, etc. |
bart Joined: Feb 03, 2002 Posts: > 500 From: Flanders PM, WWW
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phones stores like the phone house, belcompany, carphone storehouse (or something like that) don't always order as much SE phones as demanded, not everybody loves SE and there for tryes to hold back sales. i know we would do the same make sure that there are alot of SE phones but less nokia and siemens. but still this is a bit unfair i think
With Ericsson and Nokia gone: we must keep their spirits alive and buy JOLLA or YOTA |
dondori Joined: Feb 12, 2002 Posts: 199 From: Toronto & Middle East PM |
i guess the ok for the time being |
Kevyinus Joined: Jan 24, 2004 Posts: 69 From: Manchester and Huddersfield PM |
SE does have problems with its stock. I found salvation moving from the Nokia to SE P900 2 weeks ago, but it took me 3 visits to 3 different Carphone Warehouses to find a P900 in stock. Good job I had a determination to get it, or i would have got another Nokia.. |
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