New Delhi, Apr 28 (IANS): Vivo India on Tuesday said its unstoppable growth in India that made the Chinese smartphone player No 2 in the Indian market once again in the first quarter this year belong to a combination of four strong pillars.

According to market research firm Canalys, Vivo grew shipments by close to 50 per cent in Q1 2020, overtaking Samsung for the first time to take second place with almost 20 per cent market share.

Vivo shipped close to 6.7 million units in the country.

According to Nipun Marya, Director, Brand Strategy, Vivo India, with close understanding of its consumers' needs, the company has consistently delivered stylish and innovative products.

"Our growth in India has been a combination of 4 strong pillars - strong innovative products across price segments, extensive distribution network, reliable after-sales service and substantial marketing inputs to build a strong brand," Marya told IANS.

In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019 , Vivo created history by becoming India's No 2 smartphone brand for the first time.

"It was all about investing, building the foundation and creating strong fundamentals in order to become a successful brand in India. Those fundamentals are across verticals, say distribution for example. We started with offline as we wanted to be a strong retail player. Today, we are present at 70,000-plus outlets across the country," Marya informed.

Vivo grew 76 per cent (year-on-year) in the full year 2019 and 134 per cent (year-on-year) in Q4 2019, driven by good performance of its budget segment series.