Can Samsung keep customers loyal?

The BIG word thrown around these days is "ECOSYSTEM" and thát is what it boils down to. Every person will be forced to select one and then invest in it ... and then be tied to it (unless money is no object).

What many however miss is that there are different kinds/types of ecosystems. The focus is so much on the iOS vs Android vs Windows OS ecosystems that they miss that there's another type of ecosystem that is not OS dependent ... and that is the one Samsung is working on establishing (whilst the others are looking elsewhere). I've said it on this forum before, and another contributor to this thread mentioned it ... Samsung is moving towards a "connection of everything" ecosystem where stuff will talk to other stuff in your house and office and you phone/tablet becomes the central hub for all these connected devices. Call it a hardware focussed ecosystem as opposed to an OS focussed ecosystem. Samsung wants to sell you lots of different appliances/gadgets/etc that works together and talks to the device in your pocket/bag, no matter where you may find yourself. Samsung has much of the ground covered already ... the next step is to wi-fi and cellular enable these things. They might then offer this kind of ecosystem to various OS ecosystems. Apple is seeing where Samsung is going and they are ***** scared of what they see. While the rest is trying to get a dominating OS and content portal Samsung is quietly building an internet of things. Samsung already stated formally that software will now receive much more attention in the organisation to make this happen.

Samsung may end up being much smarter than the rest. I would love a household/office ecosystem where I can monitor/manage many devices/processes from anywhere. Google placed an emphasis on this in Android earlier but it sort of fizzled out with all the other projects the two heads are involved with. As the more open OS I do however believe Android (or Tizen) wull make for a better OS solution for what Samsung has in mind (for their kind of ecosystem).
 
If Samsung focuses on delivering awesome hardware, which is their current recipe to success, that's where they will get all the loyalty they need. Apps, games and content are supplied by the Android developers and content market. Samsung don't need to go into content.

Getting their devices (TVs, phones, aircons, fridges, appliances, etc) to all talk to each other doesn't require an ecosystem. Just an app, and a local home network (wired of WiFi).

I really believe that if they change their focus to content, they're gonna drop the ball on the hardware side, and THAT is what will lead to their downfall. Stick what you're good at. Don't try to be a jack of all trades. Let the market worry about content, apps and games.
 
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Ok let them do that then. I don't see myself wanting a phone-controlled oven anytime soon but I'm sure there's a market out there...undoubtedly.
 
cerebus said:
Ok let them do that then. I don't see myself wanting a phone-controlled oven anytime soon but I'm sure there's a market out there...undoubtedly.
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Mmmm .... I know it takes 30 minutes for my oven to pre-heat. And I drive home in 30 minutes. So being able to activate it from the office or while I am still in bed and reading Twitter is useful. Same with my A/C, heater, etc.

Now, if they offered me a pre-programmed option that will in 1 hour from selecting the program present me with a cooked breakfast and coffee just as I get out of the bath ... I am sold.
 
This binds users to Apple and makes them more likely to buy another Apple device – an iPhone user buying an iPad, say.
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That is also the same reason that I refuse to buy into the iFad craze, I pity the masses that have fallen for the iMarketing insanity.
 
I think there are many opportunities in the whiteware space for Samsung to exploit.

The aforementioned ability to warn if the fridge is broken, or even for the fridge to keep track of sell by dates, preheat ovens, or turn on/off climate control.

What if your washing machine/tumble dryer flicked a message to an active TV/Blu-ray device on the home network when the load was completed/dried.

What about a control panel on the fridge that doubles as a TV or skype phone.

What if the tv with a signal source was able to stream content to other TV's on a wi-fi network?

Samsung has a ecosystem to deliver this. (Potentially Panasonic, Mitsubishi and Sharp have as well)
 
Just imagine ... you set up scenarios on your mobile device. When you walk into your house after work a preprogrammed scenario is activated for certain things to happen in parallel and in serie depending on preselected criteria on the device. TV switched to a specific channel at a specified time ... hi-fi starts at a certain time with a selection of music based on a mood selector. Coffee machine switches on. A preset arrangement of lights go on. Etc. All based on a preconfigured scenario I select on my phone before I get home. My device will then tell me what is happening on my way home and maybe even ask me some questions to determine the right scenario for me based on my answers. Companies like Samsung are posisioned to make this a reality.
 
BeVonk! said:
Just imagine ... you set up scenarios on your mobile device. When you walk into your house after work a preprogrammed scenario is activated for certain things to happen in parallel and in serie depending on preselected criteria on the device. TV switched to a specific channel at a specified time ... hi-fi starts at a certain time with a selection of music based on a mood selector. Coffee machine switches on. A preset arrangement of lights go on. Etc. All based on a preconfigured scenario I select on my phone before I get home. My device will then tell me what is happening on my way home and maybe even ask me some questions to determine the right scenario for me based on my answers. Companies like Samsung are posisioned to make this a reality.
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You realize that this isn't patentable, there's considerable prior art called a spouse. :D
 
LOL! After I wrote the piece I thought about "the spouse" ... how do you set up priorities in a system like that. Who gets to set what when two systems give conflicting commands ... LOL! Then there's the kids ... It's like fighting over the remote control or what channel the decoder must be on. Fortunately there won't be too many conflicts with thkngs like washing machines and dishwashers ... LOL!
 
Amazing that the article does not mention the fact that Samsung also provide Windows Phone and Tizen based phones, nevermind all the Bada based dumb phones to the masses. And in future, we will get Windows 8 based phones as well. A really silly article.

One only has to look at Nokia and RIM to understand why the "ecosystem" model is just as prone to failure as it is to success. I think that Samsung do pretty well by being a hardware vendor, even Apple gives them business.

10 years ago, well before the iPhone, you could basically say that Apple were known for their candy coloured PC's, unique operating system and their recently launched portable music players. Now, you think of Apple and you think iPhone and iPad. The Mac's have fallen down the pecking order.

Samsung used to be a massive global company that sold a variety of electronic goods. Guess what, they still are. No reason to change a perfectly functional and successful business model.
 
Keeper said:
negative. (1) that's debatable, and (2) you missed the point entirely.
it's not whether Samsung have a better product or not, it's about loyalty. (in the long run)

Apple have built up a nice loyal user-base that own all the accessories, the speakers, clock radios, etc, etc...
In the rest of the world people even have iTunes accounts (I know its hard to believe) loaded with albums and even other media like movies/series and so forth, not forgetting their ever increasing App/Game collection.

so, in the end, even if the S3 is technically a better phone, most apple users would still go for the latest iPhone.
That's loyalty...now if you think they are all stupid, dumb users, fair enough - but that's besides the point. (And, they might have good reasons keeping in the "Apple ecosystem", as listed above)


Now the question is, if Microsoft made a better phone than the next Samsung Galaxy.... would Samsung keep their user-base like Apple does, or would they move on to greener pastures?
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Microsoft doesn't make phones. Now you're talking about OS loyalty, that would be loyalty to Android, not necessarily Samsung.
 
vaughanmcshane said:
Ya so I have just had an opportunity or three to be impressed with Samsungs after sale service and have been totally let down.

First Galaxy S3 lasted me just over a week before screen started going green at the bottom - then, after ALOT of fuss, i got it back only to discover the battery decided its going to de charge at 7% per hour - while sleeping and with the WIFI and SYNC off. They swop it out.
New phone - same screen problems, excpet tint is now a deepish pink at the bottom and green in the middle. I am still waiting, 47 days later for a phone that works 100%.

Samsung could have impressed me and kept me loyal if they wanted (they clearly dont), they had so many opportunities - they are swopping this one out again but I have no confidence in the quality of either the product or the after sales service. Many people around me have witnessed this battle / opportunity and have lost faith too.

In any case - the phone is awesome, but I am considering switching brands to one that can deliver the cutting edge tech as well and great service & quality. Its crazy because the same thing happened with a laptop i bought from them` earlier this year. Two strikes and two lengthy battles, to get a product (I paid excellent money for) working, just doesnt seem worth it to me.
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Sorry to hear, dude. Most people on this forum are more than satisfied with their S3.
 
doobyscoo said:
Partially agree... If someone has spent hundreds of rands at the iStore they aren't about to jump ship to another phone supplier (ie android/winmo) but If someone invests heavy in android apps on their samsung they can easily get an HTC as their next phone and keep their apps. Jumping from OS to OS is a massive waste of money because you'd have to pay for the app 3 times.
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Exactly why I will not bind myself to a single company eco system.
 
I'm normally someone who changes phone brands every time I get a new contract as I get bored easily. But I took a galaxy s on my last contract and after 2 years of non-stop firmware upgrades, app-installing and general heavy usage, the phone hasn't broken a sweat.

If all the new Samsungs have the same build quality as my old one, its more than likely that my next phone will be a samsung as well
 
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