Looks like Apple's big plans to make a concerted entry into Indian cities and tier II markets is going ahead full steam. Last we heard the company was looking to set up a chain of outlets that will sell Apple products in regions where the company has limited retail presence currently.
And now the Times of India reports that Apple is going for "an India-specific strategy aimed at trying to grab market share from dominant rival Samsung." The stores will reportedly be set up in cities and towns such as Pune, Vishakhapatnam, Guwahati, Durgapur and Gangtok.
Apple is expected to set up independent stores in neighbourhoods across the country with help from Indian distributors Redington and Ingram Micro, and other trade partners. The move comes on the back of Apple's decision to bring back the iPhone 4 to India, which is one of the key growth markets in the world. With a miniscule market share in India (around 2 percent), Apple is a not a force to be reckoned with yet in the Indian smartphone market. The company's premium pricing has not found many takers in India, a fact that the iPhone 4 re-launch was supposed to correct. Apple had re-released the iPhone 4 earlier this year and despite criticism about using India as a dumping ground for old stock, the company thinks that Indians are willing to accept older devices, if priced right.
The stores will reportedly be 400-600 sq ft big and will focus on older iPhones, iPads, entry-level Macs and iPods. "Apple wants to focus more on its entry-level models in these stores such as iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPad mini and iPad 2, which are essentially in the sub-[Rs] 30,000 segment and also its largest-selling products in India," a senior executive of an Apple trade partner was quoted as saying by the paper.
It would seem Apple approached multi-brand outlets as well to set up Apple-specific stores, but not all of them agreed. An executive at a retail chain told the paper that margins on Apple products is quite less compared to Samsung or other brands, hence it makes more sense to stick to the multi-brand format.
Apple, Apple India, Apple India market share, Apple India smartphone market, Apple India strategy, Apple iPhone 4 India
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