Apple has not had a good time at all in the Indian markets from the last couple of years. This is because of various reasons which mostly comes down to Apple’s pricing strategy as well as availability too sometimes. However, Apple’s problem in India is that it is not able to price the iPhones lower due to import taxes and other fees. One could also argue that Apple is not cutting down its margins in the country which is also true.
Talking about Apple, we heard a few months ago that they were rethinking their strategy for the Indian markets. This should be obvious as India is recognized as the fastest-growing smartphone market in the world. However, this is not just limited to the budget and mid-range segment as we have seen growth in India in the flagship segment too. But for most of the people, Apple’s products do not come in the flagship budget because of its expensiveness.
Now, it finally looks like Apple is ready to focus on the Indian markets as we have reports that Apple will launch online sales in the country soon. This is different from Apple selling its products via third-party such as Amazon, Flipkart as well as other e-commerce stores in India. Instead, the company is planning to sell its products directly in India similar to the US and Canada.
Bloomberg even reports that Apple’s online sales in India could start as early as in the next few months. This development from Apple comes as the Indian government announced changes in its FDI regulations. Earlier, the FDI regulations required companies to source 30 per cent of its production locally in order to establish a retail presence in the nation. However, these rules have been tweaked now which makes it easy for companies to make a retain presence without 30 per cent of local production.