Indian Tablet & Smart TV Brands Trail Global Rivals In Customer Ratings: Report
Techarc analysis reveals significant gap in consumer satisfaction between Indian and global brands in key tech categories
Indian tablet and smart TV brands are struggling to match the consumer satisfaction levels of their global counterparts, according to a new analysis by Techarc, a Delhi based research firm. The report, which examined customer ratings for various smart devices sold on popular e-commerce platforms during the first half of 2024, reveals a significant gap between Indian and global brands in these key categories.
The study found that in the tablet segment, global brands achieved an average weighted rating of 4.31, while Indian brands lagged behind with an average rating of just 3.24. This represents the widest gap between Indian and global brands across all product categories examined in the report.
"It's a dichotomy that while Global brands like Apple, OnePlus and Xiaomi have resulted in an average weighted rating of 4.31 in Tablets, the Indian brands like Lava, iBall and IKALL haven't been able to exhibit similar experiencing resulting in the lowest average rating for Indian brands in this category," the report states.
Smart TVs emerged as another area of concern for Indian manufacturers, with the gap in customer ratings between domestic and global brands being the second largest after tablets. The report indicates that "Indian brands need to catch up fast in these segments to narrow the gap and deliver equitable experiences to consumers as is delivered by the global brands."
However, the news isn't all negative for Indian manufacturers. The report highlights that in categories such as smart door locks, smartwatches, and TWS earbuds, the gap between Indian and global brands is not as significant. Notably, in the crucial smartphone category, which contributes the most to sales by volume and value, the difference in average weighted ratings between global and Indian brands was just 0.20 in absolute terms for the first half of 2024.
The report emphasizes that "'Make in India' has offered best in class infrastructure to the brands as global brands like Apple, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Sony, etc. which are manufacturing their products in India are able to earn high customer ratings in their respective product categories."
To address these challenges, the report recommends that "Indian brands need to focus more on R&D, product IP and align their sourcing at par with the global brands to be able to offer equitable satisfaction and value for money."
The findings underscore the need for Indian manufacturers to intensify their efforts in product development and quality control, particularly in the tablet and smart TV segments, to compete more effectively with global brands in the domestic market.
