Apple has been planning to launch its official online store as well as offline stores in India for quite some time now. Last year, the company confirmed that its online store will be launched in India in Q1 2020.
However, a report from Economic Times suggests, that the company has postponed online store plans for India. The store is now expected to be live in the country in either August or September this year. This is being done as the company wants more time to set up back-end of the store as it hopes surge of sales with the launch of new iPhones before the festive season.
Currently, Apple is selling its products in India through online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, along with third-party Apple Stores and other retailers across the nation. More than 30 percent of iPhone sales in India comes through Flipkart and Amazon so the company wants more time to setup its online store in the country.
The report also claims that Apple CEO Tim Cook will visit India around June or July and will examine the company’s India business, including manufacturing expansion, exports from the country and roll out of both company-owned online and brick-and mortar Apple stores.
Apple has not yet sorted out logistics and supply chain to meet global standards, claims the report. It also adds that the company’s distribution centre near Mumbai operated by DB Schenker will act as the hub for the company’s online store.
Meanwhile, the company is also working on its first retail store in India. Apple has reportedly leased a 20,000 to 25,000 square feet space for the store spread over three floors in the Maker Maxity mall in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Mumbai. The store, which is currently being designed and worked on, will be open for access by September 2020.
