Nokia and WP still has a huge marketing challenge! (Samsung stabbing Nokia in Finland)

[hary536]

This is the most recent story from last week.

You may be surprised to know that Samsung is attacking Nokia and Apple on Nokia's home front: Finland.

A friend went to at-least three different stores looking for a new phone(open to Lumia 920, iPhone5/4s and Galaxy. Prior GS2 owner): 2 carrier stores and 1 third-party retailer.
All of them tried to sell him/her ONLY GS4. Said iphone is not sexy.(damn, it's way sexier than GS4 IMO), Lumia is good from outside only. Doesn't have home screens like
Galaxy. Can scroll in vertical direction only. Doesn't have good apps. iphone5 is boring, nothing new from 4s,etc bull****. (As if GS4 has lot of new things than GS3?)
GS4 has big screen, can use phone without touching the screen, 13 MP camera, higher than Lumia and iphone,etc.

Not a single person mentioned about Lumia's edge in navigation, camera, smoothness of OS,etc.

He/She is not techy and doesn't read online blogs/reviews. Was easily swayed by these stores. Now is not considering Lumia.
Started considering iphone 4s instead of 5 and GS4, with most likely leaning towards GS4. I tried to explain that for someone like you who is
upgrading from GS2, iPhone 5 and Lumia 920 are a better upgrade than GS4 both in terms of usability and price. If really want to go Galaxy, should go to GS3 instead of GS4(since my friend is price conscious).

This is my best friend and still not convinced by my reasons that GS4 speech that those stores gave was bull****.

This is a perfect example(and not a solitary example: since my friend's sister and other friends also got GS4) that how much difficult it is there to sell non-Samsung phones, even in Finland where most of Lumias are selling only because of word-of-mouth or because of Nokia loyalty.
Unlocked GS4 costs more than 750 euros. Wheres Lumia costs 500 while iphone 5 700.

Hope Nokia/MS seriously realize the task ahead.(which sometimes it feels that they don't realize it enough).

 

[mase123987]

Welcome to the usual.

 

[Coolknight1968]

They work on commission...

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Galaxy S4 looks good on paper which is why an average Joe might be swayed into buying it. More cores, more RAM, more resolution, more gimmicky features etc etc. How would you explain this to a buyer like that?

 

[Rich White]

Its worse during the Holidays in the States. They hire newbies who know only 3 products: all of them named Galaxy. If the user specifically asks for an iPhone they show it. Let the iPhone and Mini sell themselves. Windows Phone? It's one of those other phones they dont stock deep and donlt like to sell and don't need to know about to push product. They turn those sales over to someone else if the going gets deep,

 

[hary536]

Galaxy S4 looks good on paper which is why an average Joe might be swayed into buying it. More cores, more RAM, more resolution, more gimmicky features etc etc. How would you explain this to a buyer like that?

I am sure, you can make some creative advertisements to convey that point. Can show that more core, more RAM, doesn't matter. What matters is how it performs. I think adds similar to " I am MAC" campaign for WP vs others may help here.

 

[mprice86]

By contrast, I was in Phones4U in Belfast on the day the S4 came out and the sales guys were plugging the Lumia line like mad. They set up a lovely older couple with a pair of Lumia 720s, did a brilliant job of selling it too.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

I am sure, you can make some creative advertisements to convey that point. Can show that more core, more RAM, doesn't matter. What matters is how it performs. I think adds similar to " I am MAC" campaign for WP vs others may help here.

Well the thing is Windows Phone is expected to get a spec bump later this year. Those ads would look funny then.

 

[WPFanboy]

I went to a third party store weeks ago and asked about the Lumia 920 and the guy said he will NEVER sell a Lumia because they are so bad, I was like wtf? he thinks WP8 is bad when android is laggy as f***, i'm sure few people went to buy a Lumia and ended up buying a Galaxy S.

 

[stride_time]

Its the same story in Australia too, sales staff no nothing except what the fact sheet says and never knows or seen any WP devices in action. I see them telling people to buy gs4's saying there the most simple and easy to use. I'm like are you kidding !

 

[SanjitVignesh]

By contrast, I was in Phones4U in Belfast on the day the S4 came out and the sales guys were plugging the Lumia line like mad. They set up a lovely older couple with a pair of Lumia 720s, did a brilliant job of selling it too.

I love the cyan 720 that my sister has now.

Its the same story in Australia too, sales staff no nothing except what the fact sheet says and never knows or seen any WP devices in action. I see them telling people to buy gs4's saying there the most simple and easy to use. I'm like are you kidding !

And yet, the S4 has an easy mode for new users as Samsung decided that it was so complicated.

See here.

A quote from that article : "I can't decide whether to give Samsung kudos for creating a setting that allows the phone to be much, much simpler, or to chastise it for making a phone so complicated that an Easy Mode was necessary."

 

[LMZR]

Its the same story in Australia too, sales staff no nothing except what the fact sheet says and never knows or seen any WP devices in action. I see them telling people to buy gs4's saying there the most simple and easy to use. I'm like are you kidding !

I have not seen one Windows Phone or Surface tablet in the south eastern Australia so far. I find it unusual, because i went to a shopping center and saw the Lumia 520's were almost sold out!

Tons of them on eBay though.

 

[mpt15]

Its the same story in Australia too, sales staff no nothing except what the fact sheet says and never knows or seen any WP devices in action. I see them telling people to buy gs4's saying there the most simple and easy to use. I'm like are you kidding !

same situation in India. I've visited several electronics stores where the salespeople say that android is easy to use and WP is very complicated! I let the salesperson finish his pitch about android and then pull out my lumia 800 and show him how its done the salesmen in question couldn't respond.

But its really sad that MS and Nokia haven't been able to project WP in a better light. It seems like stores probably earn more when they sell android phones, and that's what shapes their sales strategy

 

[Ashish Saraf1]

Same here in Mumbai, India...i wanted to buy l520 but the sopkeeper was persuading me to buy galaxy S duos(dual sim )


I really hate the design of all galaxy smarphones...LUMIA series are the most trendy and cool loking ones

 

[hary536]

In some cases, it is also possible that the sales people really think that android is easy to use and hate WP(not because of high/low commission).
I have seen that lot of people have allergy with the word "Windows" because they have mis-conceptions based on past Windows PCs performance and think
that anything windows is junk.
I strongly believe that if MS had used some other non-windows name, WP would have been at a much better (at-least double digit share) position.

same situation in India. I've visited several electronics stores where the salespeople say that android is easy to use and WP is very complicated! I let the salesperson finish his pitch about android and then pull out my lumia 800 and show him how its done the salesmen in question couldn't respond.

 

[angel51woo]

I was a iphone4/4s user, since I touch my windows phone on hand, I never want to touch my iphone 4s any more. WP, smooth and so cool! I use fuse instead flipboard on WP.

 

[raycpl]

L520 and L720 just hit the shops in my neck of the woods last Saturday. According to that retailer, Nokia sales are slowly picking up but really cant begin to compare with the Android hoards.
My collegues saw the ads on TV, on the web and mags/papers but they will not buy a Nokia. However, I nudged one colleague towards a red 920, then another followed us, being impressed with what the 920 can do. I just show them the nightshots!!!
Most folks here would be intrigue by W8 but wont pick one up on thew counter and actually try one. Then, even if they do want to try it out, the sales person wont know how to demo it....
... but its slowly changing. So the signs are good.

Oh... forgot to add. I got the L720 for the missus to replace her old crappy Galaxy1. Nice yellow 720. Gorgeous feel to it. Damn, wished my 920 felt as gorgeous as this!!

 

[mpt15]

In some cases, it is also possible that the sales people really think that android is easy to use and hate WP(not because of high/low commission).
I have seen that lot of people have allergy with the word "Windows" because they have mis-conceptions based on past Windows PCs performance and think
that anything windows is junk.
I strongly believe that if MS had used some other non-windows name, WP would have been at a much better (at-least double digit share) position.

Its possible that salesmen think WP is difficult. But in my case, none of the salesmen (about 4 at different stores...i was looking for phones for my parents - got them both WPs eventually) were able to tell me what made it difficult to use WP. They demo-ed androids but not WP's and couldn't tell me what made one easier over the other.

 

[Villain]

Nokia still has a challenge... they still have exclusive carriers!



yes I am bitter lol

 

[Ra_lumia_ph]

Text book corporate " espionage" its a total mind-****, and people just eat it up. Working within data support and dealing with queries all day android, blackberry and apple are the ONLY queries I EVER get, my perception of the GS4 is basically a steroided GS3 (wow it has air touch sensitivity), BFD! I'd like to see a Galaxy or Apple withstand ANY of the type of damage a Lumia can take or in general a WP. Despite the fact that Nokia & MS have quite a few issues to sort out the overall phone itself, it is a breath of fresh air, instead of being indoctrinated that APPLE and SAMSUNG are the "BEST" and that no other phone can match up too them, when Nokia has made a COMPLETE turn around, unlike the devastating blackberry Z10 (total abortion there). So all I can say is that I'm greatful to of made my own mind up instead of listening to some ****** who is being paid underhand to sell a product that isn't as great as its made out too be. Indoctrination on a mass scale.