Smartphone buyers in Samsung’s home country haven’t given up on Galaxy phones
Samsung's battle to regain the trust of consumers after its Galaxy Note 7 ordeal will be a long and grueling one. There's no question whatsoever that the company grossly mishandled things after reports of exploding handsets first started to emerge. Instead of recalling them and taking its time to investigate the cause of the Note 7 fires, Samsung rushed to issue replacement phones — and we all know what happened next.
A recent survey found that a whopping 40% of current Samsung phone owners in the US said they would never buy another Samsung phone, but opinions are heated right now so that figure is almost certainly inflated. If any company has the marketing budget and the product catalog to endure this debacle, it's probably Samsung. And as the company begins its daunting climb, some good news has already emerged in its home country of South Korea.
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As is the case everywhere else in the world where the phone had launched, Samsung has recalled its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in South Korea and had it pulled from retail store shelves. A big difference between South Korea and other markets seems to be the sentiment surrounding the recall, however — consumers are still buying flagship Samsung phones. Lots and lots of flagship Samsung phones.
The Korea Herald reports that according to data shared by local research firm Atlas Research & Consulting, sales of Samsung's 7-month-old Galaxy S7 smartphone are skyrocketing following the cancellation of the Note 7. The firm sales that sales over the past week across South Korea's top three wireless carriers totaled about 15,000 units. According to the Herald, sales of just 10,000 units in a week would be considered a hit in the South Korean market.
It will be interesting to see what happens after this Friday, when Apple's new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are scheduled to launch in South Korea. Samsung's Galaxy S7 sales will certainly be impacted to some extent, though Samsung is reportedly considering the addition of its new coral blue color to the Galaxy S7 lineup next month in an effort to maintain its momentum.
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