However, the premium resellers spread across the country will now have to up their game in terms of experience and services to retain their customer base. The reseller partners, who procure stocks directly from Apple, say they are awaiting clarity on the availability of units and discount schemes.
Apple’s retail store in Mumbai opened on Tuesday, while the one in Delhi will open on April 20. Industry executives estimate that globally, Apple’s own stores contribute 12-15% of overall sales. A premium reseller operating in the same Delhi shopping mall where the Apple Store is opening on April 20 has shifted location to a few kilometres away in an area where footfalls will be much lesser.
The staff from the reseller store at the mall was shifted to the store at Saket shopping complex in Delhi, which has been operational since 2017, catering to the posh South Delhi gentry. Another reseller store at Malviya Nagar was upbeat about the impact of the Apple Store opening.
A senior staffer told ET that one of the things that the store will now have to improve upon is after-sales service as the Apple Store will be offering instant servicing, where they still take a few hours to repair. Apple has been selling its products through third party premium resellers in India before opening its own retail outlets.
