Vivo, the Chinese smartphone company that is looking for its place in Spain

In October 2020, in the middle of the year of the pandemic and with a situation marked by uncertainty, the Chinese telephone company Vivo landed in Spain. Since then, this market has become one of the markets that is giving the Asian firm the best results in Europe, so expectations for 2023 are quite high.

And it is that this company that is beginning to be noticed in our market, has managed in the second quarter of 2022 to win first place as the brand that sells the most phones in China, a very complex market and with not many similarities to the European one, but which gives the firm the necessary clues to know how to grow outside of Asia. "The European market is smaller in volume, but has greater purchasing power. The European consumer is informed and demanding, so the only real way to reach them is to offer a great product. Despite these differences, our overall strategy with both is the same: go step by step. Success in China did not come in a day, nor will success in Europe come in a day. We return to the Ben Fen philosophy that has allowed us to be an established brand in Asia, and it is the path we are following in Europe as well", says Steven Yao, Senior Director of Brand

This strategy to which the manager named Ben Fen refers responds to doing the right thing at the right time. "In Spain, we have waited until we have a certain presence in the market to bring our highest range, and the same happens with the devices that are being developed. For us it does not make sense to saturate the consumer with products, but we opt for the approach more practical to grow as the client demands it", he adds.

Thanks to maintaining a slower pace and a more restrained number of launches than other Asian brands, the firm has been expanding its presence in the European market and globally.

In fact, according to Canalys and Counterpoint, Vivo remains the fifth company that sells the most phones in the world despite the drop in sales in recent months, with approximately a 9% market share. "Having a 9% share in just two years is something we are very proud of. Our next goal is to break double digits," says Yao.

Regarding the Spanish market, Vivo has gone from having 13 experts in its Madrid offices to around 40. "Spain is one of the markets with the best results in Europe. In external studies and analyzes we have already left the "other" category. and in some countries we are already among the top 5 brands that sell the most. Our goal is to continue growing but in a sustained manner and expanding our catalog step by step," says the manager. "We would also like to find ways to be closer to our consumers and have more presence in stores," he adds.

Currently, Vivo has been increasing its number of partners, such as Phone House, Media Markt, Orange and Jazztel among others, in addition to betting on its presence in the sports world thanks to the sponsorship of LaLiga, an impact that the company has not yet ventured to value for now.