Surpassing major smartphone brands, Chinese smartphone manufacturing company Vivo Mobile (Vivo) has become the world’s fifth largest smartphone manufacturer.
According to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Q1 2016 Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, the brand shipped 14.3m units in the period — a year-on-year increase of 123.8 percent– achieving 4.3 percent of global market share.
According to Vivo’s global vice president and chief marketing officer Alex Feng, “Vivo’s outstanding performance mainly depends upon its commitment to new product development and precise understanding of customer needs. We saw consumers’ needs for better quality devices, and we positioned our brand as a premium one.”
“The high ranking of Vivo in the IDC tracker suggests that vivo has the potential to embrace users from mature markets such as the U.S. and Western Europe,” he added.
While still relatively unknown outside China, Vivo has become a mainstay of the Chinese smartphone landscape since it first opened its doors seven years ago. While Xiaomi and Huawei made their names by initially offering budget and midrange devices, Vivo has always focused on the high end market.
Vivo began its global expansion in 2014, establishing a presence in Southeast Asia and India. In 2015, the company made a breakthrough with its refined product design, releasing the new generation smartphone V3 which focused more on smart functions and Hi-Fi (High-Fidelity) sound quality. The company is mainly targeting India, the world’s fastest growing market, where it’s the lead sponsor for the popular Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
“Our style is to design products with features to make life easier and better,” says Feng, “and we’re committed to the seamless integration of technology with life. We hope to provide more options and products for various users worldwide in the near future.”
Vivo also furthered its global reach this year by promoting its newly launched flagship phones the V3 and V3MAX and co-branding with Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. The two devices offer users with a faster, and more efficient, fluent and enjoyable video and Hi-Fi quality audio experience.’