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The Apple online store will provide customers with the same premium experience found in Apple Store locations around the world, delivered by online team members who are ready to offer their expertise, Apple said in a statement.
Such offers include direct customer support, trade-ins or exchange offers for used smartphones and iPhones, student discounts, contactless delivery and more.
Until now, Apple sold its products in India through third-party sellers and online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon. In a major push to single-brand retail, the government had last year relaxed foreign direct investment (FDI) guidelines, offering players more flexibility on local sourcing norms.
In February, Apple CEO Tim Cook had said the company will launch its online store in India later this year, while its first physical retail store will open in the country in 2021.
Here is a lowdown on all the offers and services Apple Store India will provide:
Direct customer support:
The Apple Store online will now allow people to shop for Apple products and interact with online Apple specialists available to help with services like custom-configuring Macs to setting up new devices.
Customers can get advice, receive guidance, and learn about new products directly from Apple, both in English and Hindi, Apple said in a statement earlier.
Trade-in options:
The online store of Apple will also allow trade-in options for its iPhone models. This essentially means that customers can now exchange any smartphone or credit towards a new iPhone available on the site.
To do this, you will first have to select the iPhone model you wish to purchase, answer a few simple questions about your existing smartphone and the store will provide a trade-in value up to Rs. 35,000 that can be used to lower the price of a new iPhone. Customers will then have to pay the remaining value either in full or EMI to complete their purchase.
Apple also clarified that trade-in values will vary based on the condition, year and configuration of your trade-in device and is computed on Maximum Retail Price. “You must be at least 18 years old to be eligible to trade in. Not all devices are eligible. Trade-in values are conditional upon the received device matching the details you provided when the estimate was made and subsequent verification at collection. Apple reserves the right to refuse or limit the quantity of any device for any reason,” the company said in a statement.
Student discounts:
Apple is also providing student discounts where students can buy a Macs or iPad models at special discounted pricing, as well as avail themselves of discounts on accessories and the company’s extended warranty programme, AppleCare+.
These discounts are only for current and newly accepted university students, their parents, as well as lecturers and staff.
Payment modes and offers:
Apple provides various offers on modes of payment on its site. You can pay with credit and debit card, credit card EMI, RuPay, UPI, Net Banking and credit card on delivery.
Currently, Apple is offering a cashback of 6% (up to Rs. 10,000) of the cart value on purchases made using HDFC Bank credit cards for a limited time. The cashback will only be offered on cart value of ₹20,900 or more and this offer. The offer is live till 16 October, 2020.
Contactless delivery:
All orders from the Apple Store online will ship with contactless delivery, the statement said.
Orders that do not require a signature will be left at the customer’s door, and those that do will need only a verbal confirmation from a safe distance instead of a written signature.
More offers:
Apple Store India also announced ‘Today at Apple’ sessions under which you can schedule a free session with a specialist who can answer your queries and give you basic tips on the various Apple products.
Moreover, as the festival season approaches, customers can get signature gift wraps and personalised engravings on select products. iPad models and Apple Pencil can be engraved in English whereas AirPods can be engraved in multiple languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, and more.
“As Covid-19 presents immense challenges and uncertainties for communities across the country, Apple’s teams are supporting local organizations to provide remote learning with study guides and curricula,” the company’s statement read.
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