India had a rapidly expanding digital market before the Jio Revolution in 2016, which forced providers of digital products to keep up with the rate of adoption of new technologies. With the introduction of the Jio Bharat Phone, a handset produced in India in collaboration with Karbon that retails for an astonishing Rs 999, the paradigm is now poised to shift again.
The feature phone with 4G compatibility has 1000 mAh battery, SD card support up to 128 GB, HD calling, call recording, UPI payments, and OTT services. Jio concurrently unveiled an affordable data package dubbed the Jio Bharat Mobile Plan in order to serve the phone’s target demographic (TG), many of whom will be mobile internet users for the first time. With the launch of the feature phone, Jio wishes to see a rise in people using the internet to go forward in society.
Small, affordable, and boomed with features, the Jio Bharat Phone will definitely attract a major crowd in the country that can’t afford to buy the latest 4G or 5G-enabled smartphones. Analysts say the time has come again when people will rush for the Jio Bharat Phone like they did once for the Jio Phone and Jio Phone 2.
Ankit Banga, CBO, FCB/SIX India, notes that Jio has transformed the digital media scene by making data more accessible, helping India become the second-largest country with regard to internet users.
Ankit says that the launch of the Jio Bharat Phone is as special as it gets. He believes launching the phone in the market along with affordable data packs will make internet data viable and accessible to the 250 million people who still starve on 2G internet. Ankit also says that this event will present an opportunity for advertisers to engage with a new wave of customers.
According to a joint analysis by market data analytics company Kantar and industry association IAMAI published in May, India’s active internet base is predicted to increase to 900 million users by 2025, with rural India driving the development. The report estimates a 56% increase in internet users section to be from rural India by 2025.
Jio’s Rs 999 offering is likely to be a game changer in more ways than one, as advertisers will gain access to a whole new tier of customers coming online. India is firmly a mobile-first market owing to the twin drives of cheap data and devices.
Sanju Menon, COO at Wondrlab India, notes that this might present a golden opportunity for advertisers to reach out to the very depths of the country as the launch of the Jio Bharat Phone facilitates users from rural India to have access to new world internet. Mansi Shah, Director, Brand Planning and New Business at Famous Innovations, also believes and has similar opinions to Sanju Menon.
Mansi Shah comments about advertisers reaching the minute section of society without worrying about the mindset or expectations. Mansi says that advertisers will now be able to connect with more and more people in an engaging and meaningful way.
According to Banga, to be successful, advertisers should emphasize simple, localized/vernacular content, and educational techniques, assuring seamless experiences for these people. In this quickly changing digital world, organizations may build relationships with consumers by assisting and enabling them along their online journeys.
With all the comments and opinions flooding with a positive note for Jio, there is still a challenge for Jio to recover from. As supposed, the Jio Bharat Phone only supports the Jio Store, and it can be very challenging for Jio to provide the same kind of experience a user would get from the Google Play Store or Apple Store. It also means users won’t be able to run apps available on the Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Source : Exchange4media
