Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is turning its attention to the Indian market. Recent reports indicate that the company has focused its attention on the Indian market as a way of improving its sales in Asia in general. And to make this programme successful, the company has been reported to be seeking clearance from Indian authorities to set up its own retail stores in cities across India. If this happens, it will be a revolutionary step not only for the company but also for the Indian market which has been growing rapidly over the recent past.
According to Rushabh Doshi of Canalys, a Singaporean research outfit, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stands to gain a lot from the Indian market. This is so because of the manner in which two factors interact with each other. The first one is that the demand for Apple devices in India has been rising steadily. Many Indians are not using smartphones that ever. And as long as smartphones are selling fast in India, Apple stands a chance of taking advantage of the situation by making the iPhone available.
The second factor is that Apple has only managed to control a very tiny fraction of the smartphone market in India. According to a report by Strategic Analytics, Apple only controls a mere 2% of the smartphone market in India. This gives it an opportunity to increase its share of the market.
On its part, Apple has declined to give details about its intended activities in India. Sometime back, its CEO, Tim Cook, said that the company was making a lot of progress in India. However, Cook did not elaborate on what exactly the company was doing in one of the world’s most populous countries.
But recent events show that the company has focused its attention on the Indian market. For instance, the Wall Street Journal reports that the company has been realigning its iPhone distribution channels with a special focus on India. The idea behind this approach is to ensure that its products are available to consumers in India within the shortest time possible.
The company has also been engaging in enhanced advertising and marketing activities in India. It has been erecting its iconic billboards while at the same time attempting to arrange for cheap financing alternatives for individuals who will be interested in buying its products. And the most important move has been its recent plans of opening its own retail stores in the country with an aim of supplementing the work that is done by resellers.
