Adoptation of New product by consumers due to Trialability - examples from Do Mobile (Sri Lanka))

 

According to the diffusion theory it is explained that the "Trialability" is one of the factors which affects on adaptation of a new product(Innovation). Do Mobile brand was recently introduced to Sri Lankan Market in 2011 by Digital Cells (Pvt) Ltd. 

It was amazing experience to Sri Lankan customers when they sell their mobile phones recently in past few months by using huge promotions on  Trialability. This means they offer products to customers just for try and if it is not match, they can submit the product back to the particular seller. 

They had allowed three days for customers to use the product and by this process customers are simply adopted to the product even though it was not match with their expectations. It is clear that this company has really identified the customers behavior on such type of purchasing. Most of the time a customer who paid nearly two thousand rupees for a mobile phone is not willing submit it back due to the ethical aspects. As well as features of the mobile phone is directly capture the customers perception since they offer the products at very low price. 

Therefore the Trialability concept can be used as a marketing/promotional  strategy and this will be beneficial for you to introduce your product to the market easily. 

Key terms

Diffusion is defined as the process by which an innovation is adopted and gains acceptance by members of a certain community.

Trialability is the degree to which a product can be experimented with on a limited basis

Do you know who offers Subscriber Identity Modules cards in Sri Lanka?

 The term Subscriber Identity Module refers simply for a SIM card that we use as our mobile phone connection.

According to the Central Bank published data, Sri Lanka telephones overtake population and further it emphasized that mobile phone users grew more than 20%. Even though there are some rules and regulations were introduced in order to control the ownership of multiple Sim cards by individuals,in current scenario  it is not highly valid.By owning multiple SIMs, cost conscious subscribers can get the benefits of different packages.

Who are the players of mobile Sim Market in Sri Lanka ?

• Dialog
• Etisalat
• Mobitel
• Hutch
• Air tel

The mobile Sim market is operating by these firms and those are owns different portions of market share among Sri Lankan mobile Phone users. 

Dialog Axiata PLC is a A private limited liability company incorporated 1993 and subsequently converted to a public limited liability company on the 2005. It is a listed entity in CSE which recently introduce 4G technology in selected  territories. There are number of innovative mobile connection solutions which was introduce by Dialog company to Sri Lankan market and basically they charge high price for Sim when it was introduced but now it is reduced to the average market prices.
 

Etisalat is the  Sri Lanka's first Cellular networks which called as Celltel inaugurated its operations in 1989. A brand name change was done on the  2007 and thereafter named "Tigo" .Now it is a company fully owned and operated by the giant Emirates Telecommunication Corporation in UAE  officially commenced its operations in Sri Lanka on the 25th of February 2010 as Etisalat. Its dynamism is its customer-centric approach and making each customer feel superior making its tag line a truism – “It’s About You!”. 2011 launched HSPA+ services becoming the first LTE (Long Term Evolution) ready mobile network in the country and also the it announced the commercial launch of DC-HSPA+ service on August 2012, the first operator in the South Asian region and the 63rd in the world to do so.

Mobitel (Pvt.) Ltd. is a mobile phone network in Sri Lanka which owned by Sri Lanka Telecom. It is known as the  'National' mobile service provider in Sri Lanka. It is acquired by Sri Lanka Telecom in 2002 and currently it  uses 3.5G technology. Basically they targeting special customer groups such as government workers to make the competition low. The " UPAHARA " is one of the major example that they used to differentiate their product from the competitors. The company slogan is "We Care. Always." and the company owns higher brand loyalty and reputation too.

Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. (“Hutchison Telecom Lanka”) which is constantly expanding its network to reach the entire country. Basically hutch company make partnerships with various organizations in order to expand their value added services to the customers.  As examples the relationship with Flytxt who is the technology leader in mobile marketing and campaign management as well as  relationship with Pizza Hut can be stated. The hutch couple packages are one of the  the most popular product among the communities such as university students since it is much cost effective for them.

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading integrated telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa and the Headquartered in New Delhi, India. It was introduced to Sri Lanka with an aggressive marketing campaign Since there is a huge competition existed in the market. All the mobile Sim Providers are excited to some extent with the arrival of new competitor and most of the customers are beneficial from this process. Air tel Sim cards were highly available at a low cost(or free) in various regions of Sri Lanka and most of the customers are highly enthusiastic to check the product. Even though the Sales of Sim cards were increasing still it is to be analyzed that whether the consumers are continuously using those Sim cards or not.

The telecommunication industry is one of the major competitive market in Sri Lanka  since it is developing rapidly. Most of the time there are new opportunities and threats for customers in this industry. The basic requirement to gain the advantages from these opportunities while mitigating the risk is to have the information on various aspects including following factors.

         Price of a SIM
         Value Added Services (VAS)
         Network coverage and speed
         Customer service
         Conditions that applied
         Frequency of changing the terms and conditions when introduce new offers