MICROMAXYu Project Caesar: What We Want To See
Micromax has managed to build up a brand image of its own on the backing of slew of interesting smartphones along with precise marketing strategy (though shall not forget they managed to get Hugh Jackman as their brand ambassador!). The company, which was once known to be an option for budget-conscious consumers, is now a force to reckon with. However, not all is rosy for the company, as there are new challengers looking to challenge its position. In the last few months, we have seen the rise of Xiaomi, which has managed to do better than Micromax in some aspects and its growing popularity should be enough to give Micromax some sleepless nights.
Micromax, which by now has a good understanding of India's mobile market was not ready to give up so lightly. Hence, it decided on building another brand under its umbrella that will get associated with set of consumers who have the tech nuances and know-how, terming them 'geeks' in a way. Yu Televentures was borne out of this planning and founded by one of Micromax's co-founder Rahul Sharma. The brand has done well with its first product, Yu Yureka which for Rs 8,999 comes across as a value offering.
So, when Sharma confirmed that Yu is working on its next product codenamed Project Caesar, it got the public excited. All we know about this hidden project is that it will run on Android Lollipop based Cyanogen OS (thanks to Micromax's exclusive deal with Cyanogen Inc). While we get more clarity on the 'Caesar', here's what we really want Yu to offer with its second product for consumers:
More of the same please
One thing we'd want Sharma and Yu is to continue with their strategy of trying to give everything to the consumer, even if that means making less margins. If you build the brand then money will surely follow. Yureka was a quality product with quality software but with Caesar things need to get better, cuz this is a new day and things need to start from scratch but we won't mind if things are kept similar to its first conquest.
Time to go metal
Yureka had the fine balance of looking good for its price and still manage to be a competent performer, if not better than the rest. But with Caesar, it's time Yu decided to up the game from playing safe with matte finishing and opt for premium-looking metal body materials instead. Samsung has taken a long, long time to understand the impact of metal and Yu should take heed from what others have gone through.
But keep the price down
Yes, it might not strike like a sound business decision but the company will only exist if they manage to sell the product first. And in order to that, Yu has to keep parity with industry's pricing for Caesar. If Yureka could have been offered for Rs 8,999, Caesar needs to become even more competitive, let's around sub Rs 7,000 price point. Recent research figures have highlighted the volume impact of budget devices and that's where the money lies. So, a metal body Caesar phone at around Rs 6,999 would be the perfect icing on the cake for the brand and consumers.
Stay true to software promise
Back when Yureka was announced, Sharma and Cyanogen promised regular updates for the phones but we're three months since the product became available and still just couple of updates have been rolled out. Cyanogen really needs to buck up on its part and make sure Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS is ready by the time Caesar is made public (sometime early April expected).
And make Yureka easy to buy
Yu decided to sell Yureka via Amazon under the flash sales model which worked out quite well for Xiaomi and Lenovo among others. So, when Caesar is announced, we expect Yu to make the bold move by selling Yureka (still online-only) but without any flash sale dates, just like how you can get Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G these days. This way you can ensure the first product doesn't lose its charm with prospective buyers.
Micromax, which by now has a good understanding of India's mobile market was not ready to give up so lightly. Hence, it decided on building another brand under its umbrella that will get associated with set of consumers who have the tech nuances and know-how, terming them 'geeks' in a way. Yu Televentures was borne out of this planning and founded by one of Micromax's co-founder Rahul Sharma. The brand has done well with its first product, Yu Yureka which for Rs 8,999 comes across as a value offering.
So, when Sharma confirmed that Yu is working on its next product codenamed Project Caesar, it got the public excited. All we know about this hidden project is that it will run on Android Lollipop based Cyanogen OS (thanks to Micromax's exclusive deal with Cyanogen Inc). While we get more clarity on the 'Caesar', here's what we really want Yu to offer with its second product for consumers:
More of the same please
One thing we'd want Sharma and Yu is to continue with their strategy of trying to give everything to the consumer, even if that means making less margins. If you build the brand then money will surely follow. Yureka was a quality product with quality software but with Caesar things need to get better, cuz this is a new day and things need to start from scratch but we won't mind if things are kept similar to its first conquest.
Time to go metal
Yureka had the fine balance of looking good for its price and still manage to be a competent performer, if not better than the rest. But with Caesar, it's time Yu decided to up the game from playing safe with matte finishing and opt for premium-looking metal body materials instead. Samsung has taken a long, long time to understand the impact of metal and Yu should take heed from what others have gone through.
But keep the price down
Yes, it might not strike like a sound business decision but the company will only exist if they manage to sell the product first. And in order to that, Yu has to keep parity with industry's pricing for Caesar. If Yureka could have been offered for Rs 8,999, Caesar needs to become even more competitive, let's around sub Rs 7,000 price point. Recent research figures have highlighted the volume impact of budget devices and that's where the money lies. So, a metal body Caesar phone at around Rs 6,999 would be the perfect icing on the cake for the brand and consumers.
Stay true to software promise
Back when Yureka was announced, Sharma and Cyanogen promised regular updates for the phones but we're three months since the product became available and still just couple of updates have been rolled out. Cyanogen really needs to buck up on its part and make sure Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS is ready by the time Caesar is made public (sometime early April expected).
And make Yureka easy to buy
Yu decided to sell Yureka via Amazon under the flash sales model which worked out quite well for Xiaomi and Lenovo among others. So, when Caesar is announced, we expect Yu to make the bold move by selling Yureka (still online-only) but without any flash sale dates, just like how you can get Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G these days. This way you can ensure the first product doesn't lose its charm with prospective buyers.
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