Google Reportedly Plans Retail Stores in India to Boost Pixel 2 Sales

You Can Get the Pixel 2 for Rs. 39,999 on Flipkart

For years now, there's been talk about Google's plans to open up standalone retail stores to boost Android sales and customer experience. The company tied upward with Spice Mobiles in Republic of india in 2013 to launch AndroidLand stores, just now the company may take things a step farther with standalone stores to heave sales of its new Pixel 2 smartphones.

Rumours almost Google taking Apple tree on in the retail market have been swirling for years now, but never has it looked like more of a real bargain than at present. Let'southward just consider all the hardware announcements Google made this by yr – from the Pixel phones, to Google Dwelling devices, to new Google Bandage dongles, Google Pixel Buds, Google Clips likewise as the high-end Pixelbook running Chrome OS. And that's not even covering the Nest line of products for home automation and security. That'southward a lot of new devices nether the Google umbrella with only the web shop to hawk them. This is the right time to expand into retail presence around the globe.

All almost Pixel 2

Equally reported by the Economic Times, the new Google stores would focus greatly on Pixel 2 smartphones. The Pixel 2 range has been advertized more than any other past Google device in Republic of india. Huge hoardings in Metros, mega advertizing campaigns featuring celebrities on Youtube and other platforms, television receiver commercials as well equally newspaper front-folio splashes. Virtually every week, in that location's a new discounted cost and offers for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in India, which seek to soften the blow of the high toll-tag of these phones.

The logical determination of this charm offensive is a standalone store that tin show off the Pixel 2 smartphones and other Google products in the right light. In response to the report by ET, a Google spokesperson gave a typically guarded response, "We don't comment on any rumours or speculation," but the report itself goes on to name locations in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR where Google volition gear up-upward its shop or kiosks. Location named were Loftier Street Phoenix in Mumbai, and Select Citywalk, Promenade, Mall of Bharat in Delhi-NCR.

Android stores in India — Google tied upwardly with Spice Mobile to launch AndroidLand in India in 2013 (Image: Saholic.com)

AndroidLand fails to accept off

For Google, the lukewarm response to AndroidLand stores – the initiative was shelved subsequently poor sales at the 2 outlets in the pilot phase – may have suggested that India is not yet set up for a Google-focused retail strategy. But the relative success of its kiosks and pop-up stalls set up during the Pixel 2 launch earlier this twelvemonth, could take inverse the Net giant'southward notion of retail success in India. I of the sources told ET that Google "got expert traction" from pop-upwardly stores in malls around India and this could take catalyzed talks of a bigger retail presence.

Undoubtedly, the primary reason for Google's major effort here would be to compete head-on with Apple tree and its new iPhones. The Pixel ii phones and the new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are roughly in the same toll range and are conspicuously expensive propositions – the Apple phones also got a price bump recently. Google would want to loosen Apple's near-monopolistic stranglehold on this high-end segment and attract those customers to its stable instead. With Apple poised to launch its standalone stores in India within the next couple of years, Google needs to time the launch of its own stores to perfection, and it looks like it'south already get-go to lay the groundwork for a retail foray – either as a single-brand outlet or through franchisees in India.