The following is related to this topic of discussion only in that I’m interested in the financial success of the FP3. Basically it’s a meandering reflection on how consumer trends, product placing and brand image could affect future market share. I want Fairphone to do well and I want their consumer base to grow. I’m getting increasingly exited about their new product release as the clock ticks down.
Frandroid ran an exclusive on the future fairphone back in May 2017. This is already discussed on this forum here: Fairphone 3 - Interview of Bas from FrAndroid. It’s no longer a relevant discussion topic, because we’ve had more recent news about the Fairphone 3 since then. However, I found the comments at the end of the original web article to be just as revealing as the web article itself. They got quite toxic. Fairphone was accused of ‘greenwashing’. I don’t think this is fair. Some commenters defended Fairphone’s efforts to create an ethically responsible smartphone. Those that defended Fairphone did so staunchly. The company has an unshakably loyal base, and that’s really something. You could say they are die-hard fans. Those that denigrated it were more reflective of perhaps some of the websites more regular reader base, or at least those that find the time to post comments on gadget websites. Their main argument was that Fairphone’s only sales argument was ethical responsibility. To be reductive, this didn’t interest them. One guy said that if Fairphone met him half way by releasing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6xxx series processor instead of the proposed 4xxx series, then he would be prepared to buy into it. Low and behold, we now more or less know that Fairphone is releasing a 6xxx processor. It should come as no surprise that Fairphone pays attention to media comments and market trends. They released survey results of their biggest customer fan-base profile themselves. They are on top of their game.
So how do you satisfy customers’ wants and still stay loyal to your own ideals? I don’t have the answer myself. The mainstream market trend is for slim, aesthetically pleasing and submersible smartphones. Wireless and button-less is also an increasing trend. Big companies set the trend to some extent and have very powerful marketing machines. The kind of device you display on your desk could suggest for instance that you are successful, professional and artistic. That’s important for some people. The manufactures themselves might think different[ly] to their customers of course. I’m not naming any names! Then there are so-called rugged phones, that seem to revel in their own ugliness. For sporty and adventurous people I suppose. What does that make ethically and ecologically responsible products? Boring? For boring people? But there’s another category, albeit a niche category: industrial electronics. For businesses. Companies pay a premium for products that are built to last and have good client support. The only product example I can think of now is Compulab, but there are lots of them, and businesses know about them. And I’m sure Fairphone knows about this market sector.
But for the rest, those manufacturers that don’t set the trends, I’m sure it must be frustrating have to follow customer trends and stay afloat. I’m sure some of them have concluded that customers are idiots. I imagine their engineers are more than capable of making superbly built products but then either not enough people would buy them, or else they wouldn’t upgrade them as often because they wouldn’t need to. Maybe they make two very different product categories for business and consumer clients.
Anyway, whatever Fairphone does, I’m pretty sure they know better than I do what they’re doing. The next product looks like it won’t have top-tier processor. Their loyal customer base aren’t as susceptible to marketing ‘gimmicks’ as are other consumers, as one commenter here so accurately put it. I’m bracing myself to have some of my expectations dashed when their product is revealed, but I’m willing to compromise. They’re worth it. The FP3 will not be a flagship phone aimed at an elitist consumer base. It might well put more Fairphones in peoples’ hands though. A lot will depend on how gadget websites receive it too of course. Maybe Fairphone will send samples for reviewing to some of the better ones.