Is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Selling Poorly? UK Retailers Believe So

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 20, 2011 | 8 comments
Sohrab Osati


Sony Ericsson, which was a supporter of Windows Mobile and the CLEO, came late to the Android game and when it did finally, enter, the company was slow to update their devices with the most recent builds of Android. While companies like Motorola, LG and Samsung were fighting tooth and nail for market share, Sony at times would release a phone like the Xperia X10 with a 6-month-old Android-build. All that changed in 2011 as the Japanese and Swedish partnership began to grasp the format. The company who was once behind the times with Android is releasing the second Android 2.3 phone available for AT&T while other Android phones all hold older builds. New phones from Sony Ericsson are unique, like the Xperia Play which has the capability to play PlayStation-Certified games and all other Android Market games with a sliding gaming pad. The Xperia Arc, on the other hand, is capable of capturing beautiful photo and video, thanks to Sony’s Exmor R camera and play them back with vivid details, again thanks to Sony’s Reality Display powered by Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine.

With so much unique and state-of-the-art technology not found in other Android phones, it would be foolish to think that these devices haven’t garnered Sony Ericsson some market share and sales volume. However, things don’t seem to be so rosy, at least according to UK retailers who complain that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is targeted at the wrong crowd. Whether it be the European commercials or US ones, Sony marketed the Xperia Play as the Android phone for the businessman who wanted to play as well.

Past the jump, you’ll find examples of Sony’s marketing and the UK retailers response.

From the advertising, it’s clear who Sony is targeting, however what is not clear and may in fact actually be clear is whether that businessman wants a game that can truly phone as well. Instead, many retailers seem to believe that Sony should instead target the teenage crowd who does want to game while they are gone. Though in general that seems to make sense, the reality of the situation is that many teenagers can’t afford a $300 smartphone, but then again, I’ll counter that with saying that I see plenty of teenagers with iPhones. So what do UK retailers think?

 Carphone Warehouse staff member 1: ‘The Xperia Play has sold really badly in store. We have sold one to two per week since its launch. Sony Ericsson got it all wrong this time because it is a far too niche product. They have totally misjudged the market. The reality is that the so-called gamers that it is aimed at probably already have PlayStation 3 consoles. It would be better suited to 12-16 year olds.’

Carphone Warehouse staff member 2: ‘The fact that we have three Plays in the store at any given time compared to 100 iPhones speaks volumes about the lack of confidence in the product.’

Orange staff member: ‘The Xperia Play is too much of a gimmick product. A 20-30-year-old man is unlikely to walk around with the Play and use it as their main phone because they want to look professional. That’s why a BlackBerry or an iPhone is better suited to that market. We have sold a few but it’s nothing much compared to the other handsets that we have in store. Targeting 12-16 year olds would have been a smarter move because they would love it [Xperia Play], but the price point means that they just can’t afford it.’

Phones 4u staff member: ‘The Play is not selling as well as we expected. The marketing of the device has been poor since its release.’

T-Mobile staff member: ‘The Xperia Play has sold out in store and we haven’t received any more since. It is essentially a kids phone but it’s too expensive for them.’ 

The obvious answer here seems to be what Apple has done with the iPhone. Target the device to both markets and whoever bites is another paid buyer. The beauty of the iPhone and Apple’s marketing scheme is that the business man who wants to do Keynote presentation can do it right from the iPhone while sneaking in some gaming timing, thanks to the vast number of apps that are available on the App Store. Sony should in fact take a page from Apple and during CNN commercial the phones capability to do Android work apps and sneak in the gaming capabilities, while during ESPN and say Comedy Central, show the phones gaming capabilities while also mentioning the ability to access all other apps on the Android Market.
Of course, those who are regulars on this site will know the frustration I have with Sony and their advertising, or lack there off. The ideas presented above will only work, and heck, maybe even Sony’s original marketing for the Xperia Play would even work if the Company would actually air commercials for their products. Outside of the Superbowl which ran a teaser for the Xperia Play, I’ve never in the past 2 years seen a single Sony Ericsson commercial on TV. To further prove that point, I have a 1.5TB hard drive, hooked up to my TiVo with nearly 35 season passes each season so if anybody was going to catch a glimpse of a Sony Ericsson commercial, let alone a single Sony commercial, it would be me.
To sum it up, Sony tends to create great products, in this case the Xperia Play. However, with a lack of marketing on their behalf, the company can never hope to gain proper traction and sales volumes and so they will continue to trail Apple, Microsoft and Android handset makers like Samsung and Motorola who continuously market their products.

[Via XperiaBlog]