Apple has entered a partnership with Flipkart to sell its iPhone 7 in India from October 7 through Bengaluru-based retailer’s platform.
This is the first time that Apple has collaborated with a consumer-facing online seller to sell its latest iPhone version. Flipkart – after this new association – will be able to source iPhone 7 directly from tech giant, unlike previous years when it used to source the iphones from third-party sellers.
Infibeam – a bulk seller and an Apple partner for some years – will also receive the new iPhones directly from Apple. Infibeam does not deal with consumers directly. The new development was first reported by online portal BGR.in.
Flipkart has not yet commented on the matter.
Flipkart – with largest retail market share in India – generates a major part of its revenues from sales of smartphones from multiple brands, including Motorola and LeEco.
On Tuesday, Flipkart sold about one hundred thousand units of Motorola’s latest E3 range in 24 hours. However, the company is now also facing a stiff competition from rival Amazon and the new partnership with Apple is expected to give Flipkart a leg up. For the past few months, Amazon has invested heavily in the Indian market in an attempt to grab this lucrative market with huge potential. Amazon is also expected to sell iPhone 7s on its platform, although margin will be lower in absence of a direct deal with Apple.
Apple will launch the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in India on October 7. Prices for the iPhone 7 start from Rs 60,000 for the 32GB variant and go up to Rs 80,000 for the 256GB variant. Prices for the iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, start from Rs 72,000 for the 32GB variant, and go up to Rs 92,000 for the 256GB variant.
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