Relaxations in lockdown norms, new business models boost smartphones sale

Smartphone industry seems to be limping back to normalcy as sales are picking up at both online and offline market segments owing to relaxations provided to e-commerce platforms and mobile phone manufacturers in the fourth phase of country-wide lockdown.

With norms eased for the manufacturing sector, smartphone makers such as Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc. restarted operations at their factories with limited workforce. As the norms eased down further, the mobile phone makers started selling their products in offline and online stores. Some companies also established offline to online mechanism to help customer use digital means to make purchase from neighbourhood stores from the comfort of their homes.

Chinese smartphone brand Vivo on Wednesday said that close to 50,000 of company’s retail partner outlets are operations. Moreover, around 50 per cent of the company’s service centres are also operational pan India. In a statement, the company said that its retail stores and after-sale service centres are adhering to guidelines prescribed by the Government and local authorities.

South Korean electronics maker Samsung was among the first smartphone manufacturers to explore offline to online mechanism for the sale of its Galaxy smartphone. The company partnered with digital marketing firm Benow to ensure seamless integration of digital and online platforms with physical outlets. The company is now selling most of its products, including smartphones and consumer durables on the Benow platform. It is simultaneously training more retailers to expand the network in coming months.

Chinese technology company and India’s leading smartphone brand Xiaomi launched the “Mi Commerce” platform to help users browse and buy its products from their nearest offline retail store while staying at home.

The new business models and relaxed lockdown norms for manufacturing units and e-commerce platforms seem to have some positive impact on the sales of smartphones, which hit rock bottom in March and April.