Happy Mobile taps sari-sari stores to reach target market

CEBU, Philippines - Mobile phones will soon be available in sari-sari stores  across the country  as newest brand Happy Mobile pioneers in involving the neighborhood retail platform in its distribution network.

Operated by Universal Gadgets Manila Inc., Happy Mobile  will be the first cellular brand to make formal partnership with the sari-sari store owners specifically in the remote and rural areas in the country.

The company’s part-owner Calvin Millado made this announcement in Cebu during the brand’s official launching here.

Happy Mobile product manager Francesca De Guzman said tapping the sari-sari stores as part of their distribution network will pull up the brand’s reach to its target market.

Now distributed by well-known gadget retailers such as Junrex, Aerophone, RC Goldline, and  CellCom, among others, De Guzman said that Happy Mobile will soon land in sari-sari stores’ shelves, as mobile gadgets, especially cellular units are making its significant position in every household.

At present, there are already close to 30 Filipino cellphone brands in the market yet the market is still promising. The competition is worth fighting for,  Millado said.

Although all its products are sourced from China, Millado said the company is very particular in working with Chinese manufacturers. “We choose only the trusted phone makers in order to provide top quality but affordable cellular products to Filipinos.”

According to Millado, the company understands the tough competition between locally branded mobile gadgets, but it is confident that it could easily seize a bigger chunk of the market in the next few years.

Happy Mobile, he said, is committed to bring in the latest technology and affordability to the active mobile gadget market in the Philippines, with quality as its core advantage.

Dominated by established mobile gadget brands, the Philippine’s market usage and adoption of Pinoy mobile gadget brands is growing, but currently all the 26 players shared only five percent of the entire market spectrum.

Overtime, Millado believes that Filipinos will realize that Pinoy brands are competitive in terms of quality and features, without “hurting”  their budget.

In a separate interview with Junrex Cellphones and Accessories chief executive officer Jun Yap, he said that more Filipinos are now patronizing locally-branded phones. “The Filipino consumers are now more practical. They would rather buy low-priced gadgets with features similar to those of expensive brands than own high-end gadgets just for  show.   (FREEMAN)