Since Apple India’s first sale of iPhone 3G in 2008, the country hasn’t shown enough hospitality. Despite the faddish entrance to the Indian market, over 12 years Apple has managed to incarcerate only 2% of the smartphone market. But wait. There is more to it.
The initial setbacks the company faced
What exactly came in between Apple’s successful sales in India? Apparently, until last year India had banned nonnative retailers from merchandising products straightway unless they corroborated at least 30% of their goods from India. This meant opening physical stores was out of the question. Hence, they were obliged to sell through third-party dealers. This only limited their capabilities of expanding drastically.
This was the 30% rule imposed in the year 2012. Anteriorly they had also banned foreign standalone shops completely. These prohibitions were mainly focused on promoting Indian made goods. The problem with Apple was that almost 48% of its components came from china.
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So basically apple was left with no other option other than selling through online markets like Amazon and Flipkart. Almost 70% of its products are sold through third-party sellers physically. And the others through such e-commerce websites. This dramatically limited the product’s actual reach which it gets in its’s official store.
Another major problem was inefficient customer care. The sellers couldn’t solve most of the hardware and software problems of an apple device. Therefore the customers couldn’t find fast and reliable solutions. And also the products are famous for their expensive repairs and replacements.
What has exactly changed for Apple ?
The problem of local sourcing was eminent. It was one of the biggest and considerable ones. Last year India had finally relaxed a few norms which benefited a number of MNCs. Apple is one of them. Regardless of the market slacken due to the pandemic, smartphone giant Apple’s surcharges in India tended 5% year-on-year in the April-June quarter. iPhone SE’s launch couldn’t have been at a better time. And the show-stopping iPhone 11 launched following SE being a huge advantage.
The delayed launch of the One Plus 8 series and the Mi 10T is another factor. Third-quarter was when their sales would have taken a decent hike. According to IDC, iPhone 11 and iPhone XR attributed for 28% of all shipments in the $500 plus section.
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The first online Apple store in India
Following the success of the increased sales was this big announcement. Apple has finally launched its first official online store in India. The Cupertino based tech giant has finally eradicated all middlemen. Providing the best customer care and quality products at doorstep has put the audience in awe.
“We’re proud to be expanding in India and want to do all we can to support our customers and their communities,” retail and HR chief Deirdre O’Brien said in a statement. “We know our users are relying on technology to stay connected, engage in learning, and tap into their creativity, and by bringing the Apple Store online to India, we are offering our customers the very best of Apple at this important time.” Due to the constant efforts of the company and the government, this was finally possible. This has created a great stream of job opportunities too. With the current stand-off against China, Apple has already invested a lot in the country. There is always more to come. All we can do is wait and ride along with the wave.
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