‘Facilitating digital inclusiveness is one of OPPO’s top priorities’

Currently one of the world's most exciting smart device and technology brands, OPPO has been strengthening its presence in Bangladesh with innovations, prioritising digital inclusiveness, empowering users with advanced technologies, and creating employment and FDI opportunities. 

Damon Yang, Managing Director of OPPO Bangladesh Authorised Exclusive Distributor, recently sat with The Business Standard to share his experience of working in Bangladesh's smartphone market as well as OPPO's future plans.  

What is your view of the current smartphone market in Bangladesh in terms of demand and supply?

The smartphone industry in Bangladesh is thriving. The passionate and vibrant youths of Bangladesh are enthusiastic about adopting new technologies and digital lifestyles. 

According to a report published earlier this year, smartphone users in Bangladesh will increase to 63% by 2025 from 47% last year. Moreover, the annual handset market in Bangladesh stands at Tk11,000 crore to  Tk12,000 crore. Therefore, we can say the demand is high and rising. This gives us hope and strength to enhance the lives of people in Bangladesh.  

Furthermore, the demand for well-designed/aesthetic, youthful, and high-end brands is growing. 'Trust' remains a crucial factor. The demand for trustworthy brands has grown significantly, as has the demand for brands that deliver well-designed, aesthetic products. 

Our current product portfolio for the Bangladesh market offers great features including the most advanced camera, best-in-class design, and innovation to explore the unexplored. 

OPPO is now synonymous with trust, reliability, and innovation among Bangladeshi smartphone users. We are pleased to be able to meet the current growing market demands in Bangladesh and will continue introducing innovative technologies in the forthcoming days. 

OPPO has been locally assembling its smartphones in Bangladesh for a while now. How does this benefit OPPO and the customers?

OPPO began assembling smartphones in Bangladesh in 2019 when it launched its first local plant here. It is OPPO's tenth manufacturing plant in the world, reflecting our commitment to improving the lives of our users and community. 

OPPO is always bent on ensuring that customers experience the best technology. It has been in our DNA since the inception to conform to the highest standards globally and locally, while offering innovative products and services to the customers. 

At OPPO, we strictly follow quality control procedures, including a stringent testing process, before making products available in the market. At our plant in Bangladesh, we follow the same strategy - do not ever compromise on quality and standards. 

This strategy has helped us to win the hearts of millions of Bangladeshis as a reliable and trustworthy brand in a very short period of time. 

With its plant, OPPO is also directly contributing to the economy of Bangladesh by creating employment opportunities and enabling FDIs. As the country is on the verge of entering the fourth industrial revolution, we are providing the local workforce the necessary training to enable and equip them with future-ready skills to contribute to their communities. 

What values do customers in Bangladesh look most for in a smartphone, as per your observation?

In today's world, a smartphone is an indispensable necessity. Hence, while purchasing a smartphone, customers look for the best available option. They look for a trustworthy brand offering a well-designed product that packs advanced, useful and relevant technologies. OPPO is responding to this trend by bringing smartphones that resonate with these requirements.

Along with the local assembling plant, we have 33 customer service points across Bangladesh to deal with customers' service requirements. As a user-centric brand, we have launched services such as International Warranty Service, Face-to-Face Repair, and 1-Hour Flash Fix.  

These initiatives have helped us to become a trustworthy and reliable brand. Besides, our smartphone models are extremely well-designed and provide practical technologies. 

Our industry-leading VOOC (Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging) flash charge technology, for instance, has enabled customers to use their smartphones without any worry of charge draining. 

For example, our latest device – OPPO F21s Pro has a 33W SUPERVOOC charging facility, therefore users can talk for 2.68 hours with only five minutes of charge on this phone. Moreover, our 150W SUPERVOOC with Battery Health Engine sets a new record for mobile phone charging and discharging cycles, while 240W SUPERVOOC sets a new industry standard for fast charging. 

What USPs are OPPO augmenting to its new products to stay competitive in Bangladesh?

OPPO is focused on improving the digital lifestyle of its users by incorporating latest technology into its products. OPPO uses out-of-the-box ideas to augment existing products while introducing new ones to stay competitive, as we believe in 'Inspiration Ahead'.   

Recently, we launched OPPO F21s Pro in the Bangladesh market. This device was chosen by world-renowned all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in his signature S#75 colour. That demonstrates our efforts to add new dimensions to the contemporary fashion aspirations of our customers. 

We are focused on transforming the style of youngsters while also ensuring that innovative and advanced features are at their disposal. OPPO Glow processing, anti-glare glass, dynamic camera setup, powered by a microlens at the back and the self-developed RGBW (Red, Green, Blue and White) technology at the front, SUPERVOOC fast-charging facility, and long-lasting battery are some USPs of OPPO that perfectly balance visual beauty with touch-and-feel vibe. Through continuous innovation, we are ensuring a phenomenal experience for OPPO users.

How is OPPO contributing to the digitalisation of lifestyles in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has set its vision to become 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041. In this journey, digital transformation via smartphones will play a major role. The people of Bangladesh have shown great enthusiasm in adopting digital lifestyles. 

Therefore, this area is our utmost priority, as we are committed to playing our roles in improving lives. Our growing product and service ecosystem aspires to enable digital inclusion for all. 

What are OPPO's plans in the Bangladesh market in the foreseeable future?

OPPO is already contributing to the Bangladeshi smartphone industry with imaging technology, charging technology, new designs, and 5G connectivity optimisation technologies. 

In the foreseeable future, we are planning to build on our strength in terms of camera and design through products that are reliable and trustworthy. We are also looking forward to introducing more exciting new high-tech devices in the market. We hope to continue growing in the Bangladesh market and satisfy our consumers' growing and evolving requirements.