The success of Allphones

MANILA, Philippines - How did Allphones, a newcomer and a dark horse in the mobile phone retail sector back in late 2013, expand to 62 stores across the country in less than six months?  It is a phenomenal growth that teaches lessons on how to find one’s place and achieve success in a very competitive market. Essentially, Allphones became the game changer that offers a leveled-up mobile phone retail experience—more fun, more high-tech, more convenient, and more affordability with value-for-money.

“When we came in, there were already many established stores in all the major malls that were into mobile phone retail. So the very first challenge was to set Allphones apart—to establish the brand and its identity in such a way that would peak mobile users’ interest,” says Maureen Gallant, Allphones head of marketing.

The look, layout, and philosophy of an Allphones store were established first. According to Gallant, the approach was not to simply focus on the products themselves but on the mobile phone lifestyle. 

“We had to emphasize more than just the products. After all, so many stores were already selling mobile phones. What Allphones offers is a way of enabling mobile phone users to enjoy the mobile lifestyle to the fullest—more fun, more affordably, and more conveniently. ”

Fun and high-tech.  The leveled–up shopping experience is immediately felt when entering an Allphones store. Live demo units are prominently displayed for hands-on trials by customers. It’s simply more fun to choose a mobile phone that way: instead of just reading a list of technical specs in a brochure or poster, the customer may actually try out the mobile phone’s features.

Allphones was also the first to mobile phone retail store to provide paperless, digital processing of postpaid subscriptions. Instead of having the customer fill-out several forms and submit several documents, he or she only needs to enter required data on a tablet device. This data is protected by a military grade security protocol to ensure customer privacy. This, high-tech, paperless system is also helpful to the environment.

Affordable with value for money.  Allphones offers exclusive in-store deals that provide huge discounts on outright purchases of mobile phones. Postpaid subscribers may even opt to get mobile phones for free when these are bundled with the subscription. Besides mobile phones, there are also tablet devices and other gadgets that are bundled with the postpaid plans. “Allphones makes sure that our exclusive deals are not only affordable but also packed with features and services like unlimited voice, texting, or Internet. The customer enjoys features and services at a greater value than what they pay for monthly,” says Gallant.

Convenience and protection.  Allphones always looks for ways to make it even easier for customers to take home the mobile phones of their choice. One example is the tie-up between Allphones and Home Credit, a global consumer finance company. This partnership results in easy payment terms for customers to pay for their mobile phones and other gadgets on a very convenient installment basis. An Allphones customer can conveniently have a Home Credit application approved quickly so that he or she walks out the store with the chosen mobile phone/gadget in hand.

“By focusing on the lifestyle more than the product, we are able to bring more advantages to our customers over and above what they would normally get from another store where they simply purchase a product. Our mobile phones are our lifelines nowadays—keeping us connected to our jobs, our businesses, schools and classmates, loved ones and friends. It’s a product that is so essential to our lives that we can’t imagine being without them.

“Allphones recognizes this; that’s why we offer more than just products; we’re not just a retail chain but an enabler for a quality mobile lifestyle for more and more people. This has gone a long way in educating the public about the kind of retail experience they deserve. We’ve upped the game, so to speak, and expanded on what a customer can rightly expect from his or her mobile phone retail store. And we’re very happy to meet these new expectations,” says Gallant.

After experiencing the leveled-up retail experience at Allphones, it’s no wonder that it has become the country’s fastest growing mobile phone retail chain. To know more about the Allphones shopping experience, as well as the sweet deals available in its stores, go to www.allphones.com.ph.