The mobile phone sector has seen a rise in demand with the start of the festival season while other businesses are still flat on the ground due to India’s undeclared embargo. Buyers have been making the effort to walk to the bazaar to pick up the latest sets since a gasoline shortage has pushed motor vehicles off the roads, traders said.

In a bid to boost sales, smartphone brands like Samsung, Huawei, Gionee, CG, Colors, Ark and Lava, among others, have invested huge amounts of money in schemes and advertising campaigns.

They have rolled out new phones from mid-range to premium segments targeting all age groups and income levels. Traders said that around 20-30 percent of their total sales happen during the festival season.

“Although the overall market is slow compared to last year’s festival season, we have been seeing a rise in sales for the last two-three days,” said Pranay Ratna Sthapit, head of HHP Business at Samsung Electronics Nepal. He added that they had also invested big money in promotional campaigns.

Samsung Nepal is running a consumer scheme under which one customer will have a chance to win a Hyundai Creta SUV and a Bajaj Pulsar RS 200. The scheme also offers prizes of a Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy K Zoom and Galaxy S6 to three lucky winners, and a Galaxy Tab T705 to one lucky winner daily.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note 5 in the high-end segment and the Galaxy J2 in the mass segment for this festival season. The Note 5 costs Rs89,000 and the Galaxy J2 has a price tag of Rs13,490. “The J2 is one of the highest selling phones this festival season,” said Sthapit.

Likewise, Roshan Neupane, marketing manager of Call Mobility, the authorised distributor of Huawei in Nepal, said that schemes and offers as well as new launches had helped to boost customer sentiments during this time of crisis. “People have been buying phones even if they have to walk to reach the shops,” he said, adding that the number of customers had increased after the start of the festival season.

Call Mobility has launched the Huawei G7+, priced at Rs50,000, in high-end segment, and the Huawei Y6 smartphone, priced at Rs17,000, in the mass segment. The company has introduced a consumer scheme under which 100 lucky winners can win a power bank in a daily lucky draw while 15 customers can win a Huawei smartphone each.

Similarly, three lucky customers can win a Royal Enfield Classic 350 motorcycle each in a weekly lucky draw and one lucky customer can win a Royal Enfield Continental GT in the bumper lucky draw.

Similarly, Gionee’s authorised distributor Teletalk has launched a cash back offer under which customers will get cash back ranging in amount from Rs1,400 to Rs3,000 on various phones. The company has also rolled out a new smartphone, the Gionee Elife E8, priced at Rs54,999, in the premium segment. Other newly launched phones from Gionee include the F103, priced at Rs15,999, and the Marathon M5, priced at Rs30,000.

Meanwhile, the Chaudhary Group has revived its CG mobile brand with the launch of a range of phones ahead of the festival season. Ramesh Shrestha, general manager of CG Mobiles, said, “We have launched a range of phones coinciding with the Dashain festival. As the preliminary response has been very good, we are hoping that they will delight festival shoppers.” CG smartphones are available in the price range of Rs4,500 to Rs23,000.