Cellular phones still top items<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"I was really mad,\" a chum from my university
\ndays said to me recently as we lunched together after so many
\nyears. He was talking about Christine, his only daughter, who is
\na second-year senior high school student. The young girl had
\ndecided that, for her improved grades, her father must give her a
\nreward of her own choice: a new cellular phone.<\/p>\n
\"She was already using the best cellular phone in the house,
\nbut she wanted a new Nokia because everyone in her gang had
\nbought that model.\"<\/p>\n
We all know that, almost immediately after it became available
\nhere, the cellular phone has hardly been regarded just as a
\ncommunication tool. Some of us buy a cellular phone and then use
\nit in its original configuration for many years. We do not change
\nit until it really breaks apart. We do not even bother to upgrade
\nthe software or create our own unique ringing tone. We just use
\nit as it is.<\/p>\n
However, we are the small minority. The rest seem to regard
\ncell phones as status symbols. If they cannot afford a Jaguar
\nSovereign 4.0, at least they can buy the most expensive cellular
\nphone and show it off in public.<\/p>\n
Even if the cellular phone is not really considered a status
\nsymbol, it has become part of fashion, an accessory. That is also
\nwhy the cellular phone comes in various colors and with add-ons.<\/p>\n
A recent survey by the University of Hong Kong revealed some
\ninteresting facts about cellular phone users in the territory. As
\nreported by Xinhuanet, the study found that 75 percent of its
\n1,500 respondents change their cellular phone at least once a
\nyear. Around 7.4 percent of all respondents change their cell
\nphones between four to 10 times each year. Almost two-fifths of
\nthem do so to get a more trendy-looking cellular phone rather
\nthan to take advantage of the new technological features.<\/p>\n
What crisis?<\/p>\n
What about Indonesia, which has been plagued with crisis after
\ncrisis? When it comes to buying new cell phones, it seems that
\nIndonesians -- including Christine -- are oblivious to any
\ncrisis, and you would be forced to agree with this if you visited
\nRoxy Mas in Jakarta, a place regarded as the largest shopping
\ncenter for cell phones and accessories in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Further proof of the vibrant cellular phone market in this
\ncountry might be the rapid growth of a company called Trikomsel.
\nStarted in 1996, it has become one of the three biggest cellular
\nphone distributors in the country. In five short years, it has
\nopened almost 100 retail cellular phone outlets, known as OKE
\nShops, in more than 14 cities and towns across Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Through these shops and outlets, the company offers all brands
\nof cell phones -- Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, Ericsson, Alcatel,
\nPhillips, Samsung and Sagem. It also offers a very broad range of
\naccessories including batteries, headsets, add-ons and clip-ons.<\/p>\n
To accommodate consumers' perpetual thirst for the latest and
\nthe greatest, Trikomsel also boasts a continuously trained,
\nknowledgeable sales force that can answer a lot of questions
\nconcerning cell phones -- including the latest models.<\/p>\n
\"We even have a library that contains all cellular phone
\nmodels and their documentation. Everyone can use the resources.
\nThey can borrow a new unit for two or three days and learn about
\nall its features from the manual and other supporting material,\"
\nexplained Rara Wilis, Trikomsel's public relations manager, in an
\ninterview recently.<\/p>\n
And here is another interesting fact: as a distributor, the
\ncompany only sells products that are accompanied with a warranty.
\nIt obtains these products directly from their respective cellular
\nphone makers. As a result, the prices at these retail outlets can
\nbe up to 50 percent higher than the prices in the gray market,
\nwhere the products are imported by traders and therefore do not
\ncome with a warranty.<\/p>\n
The fact that Trikomsel has been able to expand its business
\nso fast -- despite the crises -- shows that Indonesian consumers
\nnot only buy a lot of new cellular phones and accessories, but a
\nlarge majority of them also buy products that come with a
\nwarranty -- which means a higher price tag.<\/p>\n
\"Cell phones are delicate devices,\" explained Rara. \"Those who
\nbuy new cell phones mostly come from the well-educated, mid to
\nhigh income groups. They want to make sure they can have their
\ncellular phone fixed if it should ever malfunction.\"<\/p>\n
As an authorized distributor, Trikomsel is also under
\nobligation to provide repair services for all the cellular phone
\nbrands and models that it carries. \"We have the technicians and
\nthe expensive testing equipment for every brand that we sell,\"
\nsaid Rara. The point is, all of these investments would not have
\nbeen possible in a slow marketplace.<\/p>\n
Services too<\/p>\n
The company, which is run by professionals and is free from
\nmanagerial interference by its owner, also realizes that it could
\nnot maintain the rate of growth simply by selling the hardware.
\nIt has extended its business into the area of services as well.
\nIn fact, its ISP, called OKE Net, is scheduled for a soft launch
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
An interesting feature of this ISP is that it allows users to
\naccess the Internet using a prepaid access service. So, for
\nexample, a hotel guest can buy a starter kit and a voucher at any
\nOKE Shop outlet and then access the Internet from their hotel
\nroom. And they will have better control over their Internet
\nexpenses.<\/p>\n
Another service that Trikomsel has already made available is
\nwhat it calls OKE SMS. Using their cell phones, members can send
\nSMS questions to this service, and they will receive a wide
\nvariety of information, including the names of restaurants that
\nare offering special discounts and what movies are showing at
\nwhich theaters.<\/p>\n
The rapid growth of a company like Trikomsel can indeed be
\nregarded as testimony that the cellular phone business continues
\nto flourish in Indonesia. It can also be seen as another strong
\nindication that the mid and high income brackets have not been
\naffected by the crisis.<\/p>\n
Still talking about cell phones, the same survey by the
\nUniversity of Hong Kong also uncovered a very interesting
\nphenomenon. Respondents who consider themselves members of the
\nelite said that they refrain from using their cell phones at
\nsocial functions. Isn't it intriguing that, in a place where 70
\npercent of the people use cell phones, talking on a cellular
\nphone in a public place is beginning to be regarded as
\n\"unsophisticated\"? (zatni@cbn.net.id)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cellular-phones-still-top-items-1447893297",
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