Pre-ordering for Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones in India began on 13 October and by the end of the month, the two models had captured 10 percent of the market share for premium smartphones. According to a report by the research firm Counterpoint, Google is now trailing Samsung and Apple in smartphone sales in India.
The company had already shipped about 33,000 smartphone units by the end of October, which is impressive given that it reached this figure in just 17 days. Notably, the Google Pixel sale price starts at ₹57,000 and Google Pixel XL at ₹67,000.
Apple is the flag-bearer of premium smartphones in India, commanding a 66 percent market share followed by Samsung at 23 percent. Apple has shown strong iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus sales in October, following its launch on the 7th day of the month.
Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge sales seem to be declining after the arrival of the iPhone and Pixel. The company was also hit by the discontinuation of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 because of problems with the battery.
"We are very enthused by the feedback from Indian customers and the initial response for Pixel has been extremely positive and in line with our expectations," a Google India spokesperson told the Times Of India.
Google seems to be working very hard on marketing the Pixel. It has placed billboards in different cities and airports, and is even holding social media influencer events to create a buzz on social networks. In addition, numerous big kiosks have been placed in shopping malls for people to experience the phone first hand. The offline approach seems to be paying off as Google is scoring points in the premium market.