Landscape of the Telecom market
In the early days the Indian Mobile Retailing
industry was highly fragmented with no organized retail players. Mobile
handsets were expensive (an average price of USD 500 per handset), with
the grey market players dominating the market. There were no branded
showrooms to showcase an entire range of products.
The Entrepreneur
Mr. D. Sathish Babu founded UniverCell in November,
1997, selling post paid mobile connections as a Skycell Teleshop (now
AirTel Connect). Studying the buying behavior of his customers, Sathish
understood that what consumers really wanted was to make intelligent and
informed shopping decisions in an ambience that combined both comfort
and a high degree of service.
In February 2000, using savings and some capital from family, Sathish
opened Chennai’s first large-format mobile retail store in an upscale
location in Chennai, India. Since then, Sathish and UniverCell have been
cresting the wave of the Indian mobile revolution from the retailing
front, growing and evolving to become India’s largest mobile retailer
and one of India’s best known brands.
A strong believer in mind share, Sathish Babu has
consistently promoted the UniverCell brand through the various mass
media available to him. Using a clever mix of targeted advertising
campaigns and promotions aimed at localities as well as generations,
UniverCell is well entrenched in the hearts and minds of the Indian
consumer. One can see and feel its presence through its large format
retail outlets as well as in print, television, cinema, special event
promotions, billboards and FM radio.
Determined to take UniverCell and mobile phone
retailing to the heights of excellence, Sathish constantly looks to
incorporate innovative modern retailing concepts into his own
organization. The series of core improvements initiated five years ago
has now resulted in a world-class retailing organization that is powered
as much by technology as by its people. The foundation for growth well
in place, UniverCell has its sights on replicating its success Pan
India. These same investments in technology and processes have earned
UniverCell the ISO 9000-2001 certification (March 2004) for quality
management systems.
Strong relationships with all the manufacturers, the
e-portal @ www.univercell.in and wap.univercell.in, its pan Indian
presence, UniverCell has been able to leverage efficiencies of scale,
providing the highest levels of service and options to consumers.
UniverCell presenting a single face to its customers assures the same
level of support (warranties, service, etc) from every single outlet
across the country.
The UniverCell Workforce
The ability to attract, develop and retain a
spirited, motivated and committed workforce is one of the key reasons
for UniverCell’s success. In keeping with the mobile generation, the
average age of a UniverCell employee is 24, evenly distributed between
girls and boys. From a team of five it has now grown to an organization
with over 1500 employees
The UniverCell Customers
There are 200,000 people buying UniverCell handsets
every month. This is the highest of any retailer in India. One out of
every three handsets sold in the market is from UniverCell. Its current
customer base stands at 10 million. This includes numerous celebrities
and other high profile customers as well as many of the top corporate
organizations in the country.
| The UniverCell Differentiators |
| UniverCell having the first mover advantage has pioneered its way through the mobile industry. |
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