China Tech in Africa: How Transsion cashed in on the cellphone market
Transsion Holdings is a Chinese mobile company that has never sold a phone in China. Instead of focusing on their native market, they have dedicated all of their time and resources to Africa, going so far as to develop a strategy tailored to fit the Africa market.
Transsion holdings, or in Chinese 传音控股 (Chuán yīn kònggǔ), is a mobile phone manufacturer based in China. Their headquarters are in Shenzhen, but they also have offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Huizhou.
Transsion was founded in 2006 by tech entrepreneur and businessman “George” Zhujiang. Before starting Transsion holdings, George Zhujiang had traveled to over 90 countries. This gave him a global mindset that fuels Transsion to this day.
Since entering African nations, Transsion has gotten a lot of positive press and earned much support from local people. They’ve actually accomplished a lot in a short period of time. To name a few of their accomplishments:
- 2016 ranked among African business magazine top 100 admired brands
- 2017–2018 “Brand 100 Africa” report named Transsion the 7th most admired brand in Africa
- They’ve reached a global market share of around 28%
- They currently comprise about 40% of the mobile industry in Africa
But, it hasn’t always been this way. 7 years ago, Transsion phones were regarded as low quality and a bit embarrassing to own. But, they've managed to rebrand and become a gem to local communities in Africa. Here are the 7 ways that that Transsion has changed its image :
