Recall those days when OnePlus was dominating the tech world, as it is the only company that defied the odds with flagship killers offering premium specs at mid-range prices. But today those days seem like a distant memory as the market has gotten saturated, especially for OnePlus’s existing fan base.
I mean, if you look at the recent missteps under the block of the last few years, OnePlus has made a series of decisions that vanished trust with its core customers. These decisions include increased prices, software issues, a flagship identity crisis, and even marketing missteps. So, let’s understand exactly why OnePlus lost that trust.
Reasons for Losing Trust
No one knows why OnePlus is facing such a trust issue with its customers. As companies’ internal affairs are protected, customer loyalty now seems outside the scope of OnePlus. For this, we tried to figure out different clues as to why it is happening with such an outperforming tech company. After collecting different hints, here are the most likely reasons for OnePlus losing trust:
- The introduction of multiple flagship tiers (nord, regular flagship) confused their core audience about what OnePlus truly stands for.
- The Never Settle tagline resonates with fans who value quality at an accessible price, but recent price hikes have left fans misled.
- Bug-ridden updates, delayed rollouts, and an emerging decline in software quality frustrated users as well as brand reputations.
- OnePlus’s instant focus on “me-too” designs disappointed users who value OnePlus’s unique design.
- Developers from OnePlus promised to prioritize software updates, which led to rushed rollouts, and subsequently, a few got buggy.
Losing Trust’s Impact on OnePlus
Now you have the reasons why OnePlus is losing trust with customers. But what could be the impact? Since they entered the market, they have continuously dominated the existing tech brands. And it is crucial to know what major impacts OnePlus can have because of this trust issue. Don’t worry, we researched this and found some impacts on OnePlus. So these are the impacts that OnePlus faced after losing trust.
- OnePlus’s market share, which was 17% YoY in Q3 2023, now hits a low mark.
- As people lose trust, that means they are not valuing what OnePlus gives, which means the OnePlus brand value has now diminished.
- Declining sales and low brand value result in concern about future findings from investors.
- OnePlus’ once-vibrant community is now facing negativity and frustration.
- Dissatisfied customers are more likely to shift to competitors, which can impact long-term customer loyalty.
- Because customers lose trust, OnePlus might have a chance to lose brand ambassadors.
Can OnePlus regain trust?
Of course, I agree that OnePlus lost trust with customers and faced numerous consequences. But that does not mean they cannot regain such trust. However, it would be much more difficult for OnePlus to gain the same trust, but remember, it is not impossible. And I think companies like OnePlus, which have the motto “Never Settle,” can easily cope, but it happens only when they make some specified decisions or actions. These actions are given below.
- Offer devices with competitive specs at an attractive price, which means focusing on quality.
- Invest in a dedicated development team to ensure thorough testing before rolling out any new update.
- Try to reinvent their phone designs with unique and innovative features.
- Make an introductory edge by introducing features like deeper customization options within the OS.
- Acknowledge their past mistakes, explain their reasons, and fix those downsides.
- Provide multiple channels for instant contact.
- Approach loyal customers with exclusive discounts, early access to products, and special privileges.
Besides that, an additional thing OnePlus can do is learn from others. You know that popular market players like Apple, Nintendo, and Google have successfully navigated through a similar phase that OnePlus is currently in. After all, it took time and genuine efforts to regain trust. Meanwhile, OnePlus needs to approach such situations with the help of learning from others and following the above actions.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, OnePlus’s journey from flagship killer to dominating, struggling brands can be attributed to a variety of factors. Moving away from value propositions, ignoring software quality, and losing unique design chipped away at the trust they developed with tech enthusiasts. Regaining trust demands a return to their core values, prioritizing quality and user experience over competitors. For this, open communication is crucial, so it would be interesting to see what OnePlus can do in the future.
