Reeder, one of the first brands that comes to mind when it comes to a domestic phone manufacturer, responds to the needs of users who want to buy an “affordable” technological product, especially with its products positioned in the entry and middle segments. Apart from phones and tablets, he also works on other technological products that have become trends today. Uygar Saral, CEO of Reeder We interviewed with.
In the interview, where we discussed many issues such as Reeder’s recent investments, its position in the market, the future of the sector and the changes in the mobile phone market, the good news of a very ambitious product was also given, although the details have not been shared yet.
Reeder CEO Uygar Saral answered our questions
• What changes and habits have developed when looking at the mobile phone market after the pandemic?
Since people could not go out during the pandemic process, their shopping habits have changed significantly and those who buy technological products have flocked to e-commerce sites. However, after the pandemic, sales in stores started to increase again.
Since the phone is a product that requires service in the purchasing process, contrary to what is thought, its stores show great interest because a large part of people want to see and buy. One of the reasons why people prefer the store is that they can find a direct contact when they have any problems.
As Reeder, we focus on the middle and entry segments, and thus, we offer users with affordable products. We currently have 44 stores in 32 cities. Taking the steps to open a store during the pandemic process gave us a great advantage. Our target by the end of 2022 is to reach 100 stores.
• What are the new investments of Reeder, which has taken its place under the title of “reasonable price” in Turkey? Will we see it in an industry other than smartphones and tablets?
In the digitalizing world, we are a company that comes out of these lands and tries to represent these lands in the best way. Our R&D center was opened and our public offering process started. We invested approximately 180 million TL for the R&D center and purchased test machines.
Thanks to these test machines, we optimize the products in the best way and continue to increase employment thanks to our investments. It is easy to increase production, but it may take a long time to increase the capacity to respond to after-sales demands. In this context, R&D investments are of critical importance in order to reduce returns after purchase.
In addition to phones and tablets, smart televisions, robot vacuums, smart wristbands, smart watches and wireless speakers are products in Reeder’s portfolio / under development.
• How does Reeder position itself in the industry? Accordingly, what are the current and future goals?
Reeder is a small company compared to its competitors, the age gap between us and our closest competitor is double. It has both pros and cons. In a world where everything changes all of a sudden, as Reeder, we focus on producing products that meet the needs by analyzing different consumer profiles in the best way possible.
By combining minimalist designs with good interfaces and hardware, we develop devices that focus on meeting the needs and eliminate the excess.
Most of the people who buy phones in our country think of it as a trade and consider the loss of value / gain in value after the purchase.
The point where we position ourselves as Reeder is to be there for the consumer both before and after the sale, while providing them with the most appropriate access to the products they can meet their needs.
• What are the dynamics that determine the smartphone market in Turkey? What are the opportunities to be made and created in this market, according to Reeder?
The dynamics of the market are affected by the social dynamics. 63 percent of our board of directors is composed of women, and women take part in most of our production line, especially in the Black Sea region, during the manufacturing phase.
As Reeder, the proportion of women in our total employee rate is over 60 percent. Contrary to places with strong industries such as Istanbul and Izmir, we make investments in Anatolia and most of our operations are now in Samsun.
We are preparing to promote a new product at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, by collaborating with a company operating in the field of neuroscience in Silicon Valley and a company operating in the field of software in Finland.
When we launch this product, tech giants will want their CEOs to have it on their desks.