For years now, there’s been speak about Google’s plans to open standalone retail shops to spice up Android gross sales and buyer expertise. The corporate tied up with Spice Mobiles in India in 2013 to launch AndroidLand shops, however now the corporate might take issues a step additional with standalone shops to spice up gross sales of its new Pixel 2 smartphones.
Rumours about Google taking Apple on within the retail market have been swirling for years now, however by no means has it seemed like extra of an actual deal than now. Let’s simply think about all of the {hardware} bulletins Google made this previous 12 months – from the Pixel telephones, to Google Dwelling units, to new Google Solid dongles, Google Pixel Buds, Google Clips in addition to the high-end Pixelbook working Chrome OS. And that’s not even overlaying the Nest line of merchandise for house automation and safety. That’s quite a lot of new units underneath the Google umbrella with solely the online retailer to hawk them. That is the fitting time to increase into retail presence around the globe.
All about Pixel 2
As reported by the Financial Occasions, the brand new Google shops would focus vastly on Pixel 2 smartphones. The Pixel 2 vary has been advertized greater than every other previous Google machine in India. Enormous hoardings in Metros, mega advert campaigns that includes celebrities on Youtube and different platforms, tv commercials in addition to newspaper front-page splashes. Practically each week, there’s a brand new discounted worth and provides for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in India, which search to melt the blow of the excessive price-tag of those telephones.
The logical conclusion of this attraction offensive is a standalone retailer that may showcase the Pixel 2 smartphones and different Google merchandise in the fitting gentle. In response to the report by ET, a Google spokesperson gave a usually guarded response, “We don’t touch upon any rumours or hypothesis,” however the report itself goes on to call areas in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR the place Google will set-up its retailer or kiosks. Location named have been Excessive Road Phoenix in Mumbai, and Choose Citywalk, Promenade, Mall of India in Delhi-NCR.
AndroidLand fails to take off
For Google, the lukewarm response to AndroidLand shops – the initiative was shelved after poor gross sales on the 2 retailers within the pilot part – might have instructed that India just isn’t but prepared for a Google-focused retail technique. However the relative success of its kiosks and pop-up stalls arrange throughout the Pixel 2 launch earlier this 12 months, may have modified the Web large’s notion of retail success in India. One of many sources instructed ET that Google “acquired good traction” from pop-up shops in malls round India and this might have catalyzed talks of a much bigger retail presence.
Undoubtedly, the chief purpose for Google’s main effort right here can be to compete head-on with Apple and its new iPhones. The Pixel 2 telephones and the brand new iPhone 8 and eight Plus are roughly in the identical worth vary and are clearly costly propositions – the Apple telephones additionally acquired a worth bump lately. Google would need to loosen Apple’s near-monopolistic stranglehold on this high-end phase and appeal to these clients to its secure as a substitute. With Apple poised to launch its standalone shops in India throughout the subsequent couple of years, Google must time the launch of its personal shops to perfection, and it appears prefer it’s already starting to put the groundwork for a retail foray – both as a single-brand outlet or by franchisees in India.
