It’s tempting to focus on the success of an entity or person and overlook the journey that led to the success in question.
OPPO SA was founded in 2020 – at the height of covid with intense lockdown measures across the globe. Liam Fourie lights up with excitement as he reflects on some of the hurdles they jumped through – from not being able to access each other’s residential estates, retail store barely operating and corporate decision-makers not being available. At the time Fourie joined the founding team, the company hadn’t even been registered with no import permits and had no offices. He bought into their vision with not much else to go on. Three months later, in October 2020, OPPO’s first device in SA hit the shelves – selling only 300+ units.
Fast track to 2022 – the premium technology brand has sold more than 600 000 units in SA, with more than 500 employees based at their offices in Woodmead, Sandton.
Fourie credits their success to the team ethos that “people buy from people”. OPPO’s commitment to hiring the right incumbents on board, people with relevant experience and most importantly, with a passion and resonance to the Chinese ‘benfen’ philosophy is a big part of their winning strategy. The philosophy values taking responsibility, bringing your best self and respect for the competition. He adds, “We are not in a race with our competitors – our race is focused on how we enrich our end-users lives faster and better.”
They are certainly doing so through their Reno series with the Reno8 Pro receiving a phenomenal response when it launched two weeks ago. The Reno8 Pro comes in a glazed green and black. The design is sexy and comes with its own transparent protector. But what’s impressive is its battery efficiency – it outperforms industry norm of two years and guarantees four years of battery health.
With the unpredictability of loadshedding in SA, the Reno8 Pro’s Super Voc battery charger might be what you need. It charges to 50% within 11minutes – fully charged in less than 25minutes. Not only does it save time, but this battery feature also ensures you stay connected; with minimal disruption of your daily activities – from basics such as remote gate access, to full on security system, work productivity and ordering in while loadshedding.
That’s not all. OPPO SA launched a Reno Academy which has partnered with the Cape Town School of Photography for the benefit of the Reno series users (not limited to Reno 8). Reno users can sign up for photography masterclasses presented by professional photographers. A huge plus for content creators and creatives in general.
In just two years, OPPO has successfully immersed itself into the Mzansi’s social culture by choosing a side when they partnered with Orlando Pirates Football Club early this year, and recently with SA Fashion Week – as seen in the show between 20th and 22nd October.
You can’t help but be inspired by the growth achieved by the OPPO team under such challenging circumstances. Their passion and commitment to making a difference is what makes them different and sets them apart in such a saturated market.
The amazing Reno8 Pro retails at R19 000. Look out for special deals on various OPPO devices and wearables on www.oppohotdeals.co.za. The OPPO family also promises to paint the town green with even more ridiculous specials leading up and during Black Friday which they affectionately refer to as GREEN FRIDAY!