India: Apple will reportedly open it’s the first online store in India in its third quarter i.e. April – June this year. At first, the company planned on selling its products online in the first quarter of 2020. However, the company is still working on the logistics of the store and now plans to launch it between the July-September Quarter.
If Apple manages to meet this deadline, it would mean the launch of an online Apple Store will take place right around the time the company announces its new 2020 iPhones.
Apple is also working on opening its first physical retail store in India.
In October, Apple reportedly established Mumbai’s Maker Maxity mall as the first retail store in the country. The lease is said to encompass between 20,000 and 25,000 square feet in the Bandra Kurla Complex, spread over three floors.
When asked for comment on the matter at the time, Apple repeated a statement it made in August.
“We love our customers in India and we’re eager to serve them online and in-store with the same experience and care that Apple customers around the world enjoy. We appreciate the support and hard work by Prime Minister Modi and his team to make this possible and we look forward to one day welcoming customers to India’s first Apple retail store,” Apple reiterated. “It will take us some time to get our plans underway and we’ll have more to announce at a future date.”
Apple products are currently available for purchase online through Amazon India, Flipkart, and Paytm Mall. These online retailers heavily discount Apple products which the company frowns upon. It is possible that Apple opening its online store could put an end to such heavy discounting.
India is an important market for Apple and after struggling for the past few years, the company managed to grow by 6% in the region in 2019. This was largely due to the company pricing the iPhone 11 correctly and not charging exorbitant prices for it as it does for the iPhone 11 Pro series.