14 DAY TRIAL // Mobile phone maker Motorola has seen an increase in sales in the UK in the past six months, the latest report coming from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows, and Moto G is the main growth driver, it seems.
According to the research firm, Motorola managed to secure 6 percent of the sales in the smartphone segment in the country in February, although it had practically none six months before.
The Kantar report also unveils that Moto G owners are mainly users on a budget, with 83 percent of them being male. Moreover, the company says that almost half of those who purchased Moto G are aged between 16 and 24.
Moto G is also said to have helped Android maintain its top position in Europe, where it holds 68.9 percent market share. Apple’s iOS is placed second, with 19 percent share, while Windows Phone comes in third with 9.7 percent of the market.
“Motorola was nowhere in Europe before the Moto G launched in November last year, but the new model has since boosted the manufacturer to 6% of British sales,” Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, commented.
“It highlights the speed at which a quality budget phone can disrupt a market. The same pattern can be seen in France with Wiko, which has 8.3% share, and Xiaomi in China with 18.5%.”
He also notes that consumers today are more tech savvy than they were only a few years ago. Moreover, he says that more and more people are relying on online views and that the cost of new handsets also influences their purchase decisions.
Apparently, around 40 percent of consumers in the UK are influenced by internet reviews when it comes to buying a new device, with around 48 percent of Moto G sales being made online.
“With virtually no existing customers to sell to in Britain, the Moto G has stolen significant numbers of low-mid end customers from Samsung and Nokia Lumia,” Dominic Sunnebo continued.
However, Moto G has not managed to attract only users in the UK. Recent reports also show that the smartphone has seen a lot of traction in emerging markets as well, including India, where it became the fastest selling Motorola handset soon after launch (although it has seen some stock issues there).
Moto G is currently the cheapest smartphone from Motorola, though the company is expected to launch new models before the end of this year, including a rugged version of this smartphone, destined for Latin America.