Apple store: The first Apple store to open in India will be in Mumbai on Tuesday, and it will service devices right in the store. Before, Apple’s service centres were run by third parties in the country, separate from its shops.
Appointments can be made through the official website
The in-store service areas, called “Genius Bay,” will have trained workers who can help customers figure out how to fix problems. Service appointments can be made through the official Apple India website.
The company told the media about the move at a pre-launch event for the Mumbai store, which is in the business area of Bandra-Kurla Complex. This is Apple’s first commercial operation in India. A Business Standard story says that more stores will open in Delhi on April 20 and in Bengaluru soon after.
Industry experts are happy about the change, but they point out that it is not a big change from how Apple used to do business in India. Tarun Pathak, who is in charge of research at Counterpoint India, said that the service centre approach will stay the same. Third-party companies will still fix and service devices, but Apple will have a trade-in programme in its stores.
These stores to have a bigger range of devices
Pathak also said that Apple’s own stores will not have a big effect on the way third-party businesses sell Apple products in India. He said that the key difference will be that customers will have a better time at Apple-owned stores. People also expect these stores to have a bigger range of devices, colours, and different types all under one roof.
Even though Apple is adding its own stores, it is unlikely that its market share will change, but its brand positioning may. Navkendar Singh, an associate vice-president at IDC India, said that the company’s own retail stores could “eventually cannibalise” some sales at large-format stores, even though devices will probably be easier to find at its own stores than at third-party stores.
Apple’s own stores are also likely to have a bigger selection of its devices
Both in terms of the colours available and the number of different models. There have been rumours for a long time that Apple would open stores in India. The stores are opening at a time when the company’s market share and sales in India are at a record high.
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Counterpoint data released on January 27 showed that Apple also had a record December quarter. The company ranked sixth in terms of device shipments and made up 8% of all smartphones sent to India during that time. The company’s sales in India went up, but they started from a much lower point than the top five smartphone brands. This happened even though the total number of smartphones shipped in India fell by 27% annually during the December quarter.
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