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Now that China profits have dried up, Apple will turn its attention to India. But they've really missed a trick with their retail strategy in India. They've pa
by puranjay 8y ago
Now that China profits have dried up, Apple will turn its attention to India.
But they've really missed a trick with their retail strategy in India. They've partnered with local retailers to run "Apple stores". These stores are nowhere near the smooth, beautiful experience of a regular Apple Store.
It feels preposterous to walk into a shoddily built store selling a phone for $1200 when you can walk next door to a Samsung or OnePlus outlet and get a similarly capable phone for half the price
Apple needs to bump up its quality game. They've been losing market share here in India and for all purposes, this country is a lost cause to them. I wouldn't be a very happy Apple shareholder right now
- bwb 8y agoisn't that because of local laws they can't open stores directly? India has a ton of weird rules and super regulated.
- puranjay 8y agoYeah, but lots of foreign retailers team up with more competent partners who operate their brand stores. Gucci, Armani, and Versace can't operate directly in India either, but you wouldn't know it looking at their stores. Apple's Indian partners don't seem to care, nor does Apple that their partners are offering a sub-par experience.
- glenrivard 8y agoApple has been trying in India for years without any success. Their share has actually decreased over the last year.
- hajile 8y agoI somewhat doubt India is a good target for them. Even FirefoxOS feature phones currently outsell Apple in India right now.
- puranjay 8y agoIndia's premium smartphone market is small, of course, but it is also growing, and it is also a market where Apple has lost massive market share. And let's be honest, anyone who can see even 10 years into the future would know that the next wave of growth will come from India
- dingo_bat 8y agoApple has really absurd pricing in India. I plan to spend around $1000 in ₹ to upgrade my phone in the coming months. But if I buy an iPhone I'll get the absolute lowest version of last year's model.
- oblio 8y agoI doubt they can out-compete Chinese brands in India. Those are starting to dig in and they are also closer to the price-sensitive Indian market in philosophy.
- mcphage 8y ago> for all purposes, this country is a lost cause to them It's not really a lost cause until the market is saturated. If the smartphone market in 5-10 years in India is going to be significantly larger than it is now, then it's just getting started.