Apple's expectations for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus sales in India were shot down due to various reasons. The Cupertino tech giant isn't giving up so easily on its efforts to improve the numbers as it continues to introduce new offers for Indian shoppers. According to a new report by The Times of India, Apple is offering attractive buyback schemes on iPhone 6s series with discounts of up to Rs. 34,000.
Snapdeal is also participating in the iPhone 6s buyback scheme by offering an assured buyback value of 50% of the flagship within six months of purchase. These offers certainly make an appeal to those who are looking to buy a new iPhone this Diwali.
Will Apple be able to turn the tables around with its attractive deals in India? Only time will tell.
Apple launched iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in India last month with a starting price of Rs. 62,000 and going up to Rs. 92,000 depending on the model and memory. Comparatively, the 2015 flagships were priced between Rs. 8,500-Rs. 9,000 higher than its predecessor, which continues to sell in great numbers in India. The high price tags of the iPhone 6s series combined with slight changes drove the sales 15-20% down compared to last year.
The highest value of Rs. 34,000 buyback discount on iPhone 6s is against iPhone 6. But, Apple will also accept high-end smartphones from rivals companies such as Samsung.
"This is the first time a company and its distributors are closely monitoring the buyback at the retail end to track sales, showing how desperate Apple is to increase sales in India since it did not expect such a weak launch for the new iPhones," TOI quoted a senior executive with one of the leading trade partners as saying.
Ingram Micro, one of Apple's iPhone distributors, introduced the buyback scheme in select Apple stores and other retail chains in South India.
On the other hand, Snapdeal and Amazon India are offering 50% assured buyback value within six months. The offer is applicable only on handsets bought from Snapdeal but on older iPhones, including iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5s.
If customers trade in their new iPhones within 6 -15 months, they will get an assured 40% buyback value. Of course, there are some conditions applied, such as the handset should be in operational during return and be accompanied with original accessories, valid bill and its warranty card. In order to be eligible for the scheme, the buyers must register the details of the newly-purchased handset on ReGlobe along with the Snapdeal order number.
