Roger Fingas
As a part of its newly-invigorated attempt to improve sales in India, Apple is reportedly working to help launch 500 "Authorized Mobility Reseller" locations in 12 different cities.
The company is actively selecting partners in the project, and over 100 are already on board, sources told NDTV Gadgets. Retailers with past good performance as Apple resellers are said to be getting preference. The company has identified "micro markets" within each city, but is now hiring a project manager to narrow down store sites.
Although stores will be owned and run by independent retailers, Apple is said to be imposing rules on the size and design of each outlet, and appointing its own contractors to build out interiors. The company will help train staff on its products.
Although their label might suggest an iPhone focus, AMRs are expected to sell iPads as well, and various third-party accessories for both devices.
Apple has had difficulty making inroads into the Indian mobile market, owing to factors like its unique structure, the lack of any official Apple Stores, and the high cost of Apple products. Recent data indicated that while Apple had a 2 percent share of the Indian market, Samsung had 28 percent.
To help break through, the company is not only pursuing a new retail strategy but hiring a government affairs specialist who can pressure regulators into adopting Apple-friendly policies. In June it signed a deal with a fifth smartphone distributor as part of a plan to double local iPhone sales in each of the next three years.
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9 Comments
This is going to be huge. Apple is large and in charge!
Until Apple gets major manufacturing in India is there any hope of getting tariffs reduced?
[quote name="SolipsismY" url="/t/187374/apple-to-greatly-expand-retail-presence-in-india-with-500-authorized-mobility-resellers#post_2753033"]Until Apple gets major manufacturing in India is there any hope of getting tariffs reduced?[/quote] How high are the tariffs? I poked around and found that the 16GB iPhone 6 costs 44,350 rupees = $690 USD. That's only about $40 more than the off contract price in the U.S. ($650). Distribution is a problem. Apple has hardly any retail presence and while iPhones can be purchased through carriers. It'll be interesting to see how this independent chain of authorized resellers will work out for them, but it should be a win-win for both Apple and local business owners.
[quote name="Suddenly Newton" url="/t/187374/apple-to-greatly-expand-retail-presence-in-india-with-500-authorized-mobility-resellers#post_2753109"] How high are the tariffs? I poked around and found that the 16GB iPhone 6 costs 44,350 rupees = $690 USD. That's only about $40 more than the off contract price in the U.S. ($650). Distribution is a problem. Apple has hardly any retail presence and while iPhones can be purchased through carriers. It'll be interesting to see how this independent chain of authorized resellers will work out for them, but it should be a win-win for both Apple and local business owners.[/quote] That's not bad at all. It looks like it has come down substantially since I last checked.
Solipsism and Suddenly Newton: the price mentioned is incorrect. Maximum Retail Price(MRP) in India of an iPhone 6, 16gb, is ?53,500. Which equates to $823. In my opinion, it is quite expensive. It is available for ?45000 because of the massive discounts Apple is offering. Also, it's usually available for ?46000-47000 itself. Moreover, the price was still hovering about ?50000($770) until about April this year.