ALLPHONES GRAND LAUNCHING. Dancers in a Hawaiian-themed performance number heated up the stage before gadget giveaways were handed out to game participants. (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
An Australian telecommunications retailer firm has partnered with Globe Telecom to penetrate the postpaid mobile phone market in the country.
The Australian Mobile Telephony Group (AMT), which has expanded in the country last year under the name Allphones, sees the tie-up with Globe Telecom as a way to strengthen its hold in the market through its retail concept shop offering postpaid mobile phone subscriptions bundled with the latest gadgets.
The market in the Philippines, which is predominantly prepaid, is slowly starting to shift towards becoming a postpaid market, said TaoDharma, Inc. (TDI) chief executive adviser Geoff A. Hester in an interview last week during the launching of the partnership and the firm’s retail concept shop.
Y101 DJs hosting the Grand Launching of Allphones. Lenovo gadgets were given away to lucky game participants. (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
“This happens as the quality of services offered by the telecommunications companies like Globe, which has committed billions in investments to improve its network, also improves. People are now starting to avail of postpaid plans and we saw that as an opportunity we can cater to,” said Hester.
He said that Allphones started in the Philippines about 18 months or a year and a half ago and has since opened 53 branches including seven branches in Cebu alone.
“We will be 56 (branches) by end of the month and 114 by end of the year. We want to reach as many Filipinos as possible,” said Hester.
UNIQUE
For the postpaid lines, the firm offers short terms such as one month, six months to 24 months and a wider range of handsets not found in local carriers.
Hester said that for now, they process applications for Globe postpaid plans in their shops in the same number of days as any Globe shop.
“The goal, however, is to shorten that eventually. In Australia, one can apply and take home his unit complete with the postpaid plan SIM in 20 minutes. That’s our goal,” he said.
Philippine Retailers Association Cebu Chapter president Jun Yap, who also owns retail shops that sell gadgets like Junrex Phones, said customers nowadays want to test the device first before they decide to buy.
Freebies were also given away to those who won participated in parlor games. (CDN PHOTO/BJORN TABANERA)
“They are also now well-informed about a product’s specifications so that means that the level of knowledge and expertise that our people should have should also increase in order to really effectively sell our products. The retail landscape will continue to change with Cebu now becoming an open economy that attracts many investors,” said Yap.