Earlier this year, Motorola announced its plans to open exclusive experience centers in India to improve after sales services, and to help online buyers make up their mind. Then, Motorola also expressed its dis-interest in moving towards an offline distribution network.
8 months and 3 million phones later, Motorola has changed its mind and is ready to adopt a new distribution strategy. Motorola today announced that it will expand its reach to more online and offline stores in India. To start with, Both Moto E variants will be available on Amazon, Snapdeal and on Airtel offline stores, via distribution partner Brightstar.
Commenting on the new move, Amit Boni, General Manager, Motorola Mobility India, said, “Responding to growing demand from our consumers we have made a strategic move of increasing the availability of our portfolio across offline and multiple online shopping platforms. To start off, we will be available at select stores for our consumers to experience and purchase the device. Consumers are at the heart of whatever we do and we will leave no stone unturned to enhance their buying experiences.”
Motorola – A Lenovo Company
It is likely that this new insight comes from Lenovo camp, which is also the parent company for Motorola. Lately, the close proximity between the two brands has been quite apparent, and we did notice that the two are beginning to rub off on one another.
Lenovo adroitly pushes its online exclusive portfolio through offline networks after a period of time. For example, after the arrival of A6000 Plus, A6000 was pushed in offline retail chains and similarly, the Lenovo A7000 was put on offline retail shelves, after the advent of K3 Note. This is a smart move and something Motorola could also adopt in near future.
Would this mean Motorola phones are about to get pricier?
Nope. In the increasingly competitive and price sensitive market, It is less likely that Motorola will increase prices with offline availability. But at the same time, we don’t expect the latest arrivals to be promptly available on offline retail channels.
Lenovo has sold over 5.6 Million smartphones in India so far, and this next step will benefit both consumers and Motorola. In India, offline market is still huge and that is the reason why Xiaomi, a world renowned online product seller, is unconventionally opting for the offline route in India.
