This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 6, 2016.

BALI (Indonesia): Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is looking to expand its market share in the South Pacific region which includes Malaysia to 15% by expanding its retail presence and offerings.

“We will expand our retail presence and offerings with world-class aftersales service to grow our market share across this region to 15%,” its president of consumer business group for South Pacific Peter Tong said at the Huawei Consumer Business Group Southern Pacific Conference here yesterday.

Over the last six months, all key network operators in the region have begun to offer Huawei smartphones via post-paid bundling that is easily available across all their retail outlets.

Key retailers are also more confident of the brand’s offerings, Tong said, as they now carry a full range of Huawei products with greater willingness to invest in higher average selling price models.

This has resulted in Huawei’s presence in South Pacific expanding to more than 10,000 stores, up 40% from 2015, and a 1,000% growth since 2014.

“Plans are afoot for more stores within these markets, including adding to its five advanced experience stores and 87 experience stores,” Tong added.

The Chinese technology company saw a stellar performance in the first quarter of this year (1Q16), with a 64% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth to 28.3 million smartphone units shipped, bucking the industry’s 3% decline in global smartphone shipments. Shipments within its Southern-Pacific markets alone jumped more than 50% y-o-y for 1Q16.

Huawei, the No 3 global smartphone player, is targeting 140 million in smartphone shipments this year.

“Thanks to consumers, partners and media, Huawei has already become the new choice. But we will not stop there. With your continued support, in the next two years, we want to become consumers’ most loved brand,” said Tong.

He added that this will be accomplished by sharpening the focus, by persevering with research and development, and by achieving breakthroughs to arrive at smart devices so intelligent in function and beautiful in form.

“We will continue to listen to consumers and deliver beyond their expectations by identifying their needs; our devices will deliver the necessary benefits to improve their lifestyles,” he added.

Tong also attributed the group’s improved first-quarter results to Huawei’s partners in the region paying heed to the shift in consumers’ choice as Huawei’s brand had enjoyed acceptance among partners who offer a full range of its high-end mobile phones, tablets and wearables up front and centre.

According to Tong, a significant highlight of Huawei’s performance in 2015 came from its consumer business division, which reported an annual worldwide revenue of US$20 billion, a 73% y-o-y increase.

In line with the group’s direction to be “the new choice”, Huawei has partnered different industries such as entertainment, arts and sports,  and brought new perspectives to its mobile devices.

Earlier, the conference also saw the unveiling of the dual-lens P9 and P9 Plus cameras, which were co-engineered with established photography brand Leica.

According to Huawei Southern-Pacific handset product marketing director Luke Au, the P9 will contribute towards Huawei’s growth in the medium- and high-end smartphone market worldwide, and as early as the end of May within the South Pacific region.

“With more than 90% of consumers identifying cameras as [a] key purchase factor, it is no longer about taking photos. The P9 delivers on the sophisticated needs of consumers in capturing moments and improving the lives of their loved ones,” Au said.