Apple to open its first online store in India

Apple Inc. plans to launch its first online store in India by next week, September 23, coinciding with India’s festive season which will rake in more sales for the company, according to the iPhone maker on Friday.

Apple products are currently sold in India through third-party vendors and online commerce platforms such as Amazon, AliExpress, and Walmart’s Flipkart.

Although Apple has two of its iPhone 11 assembling depots in two southern Indian states, having an online store will help the company reach out to more customers. Through this new online retail store, the iPhone maker will also offer services and assistance to customers in both the English language and Hindi. Apple will also allow users to engrave their Apple devices such as iPads, Airpods, and Apple Pencil in the English language and some selected Indian languages, including Gujarati and Bengali.

Apple is a leading company in the tech industry, with its iPhones dominating the global smartphone market. Chinese tech company Xiaomi Corp dominates the Asian smartphone market and stands as the world’s second-largest smartphone market.

The iPhone maker’s new online retail platform poses a possible threat to brick-and-mortar retailers whose businesses are on the verge of collapsing due to the recent events of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing laws, and other advantages that Apple is presenting to customers who purchase products from the online store.

“At least some of Apple’s die-hard customers are likely to shift to buying from its online store,” says Subhash Chandra L the managing director of Sangeetha Mobiles.

One of Apple’s iPhone 11 assembling plant, Foxconn also has plans to expand the factory in a $1 billion investment.