Smartphone industry slowly getting back on track: Vivo India

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) As the nation observes lockdown 4.0 and more people gear up to step out of their homes, the smartphone industry is also slowly getting back on track as sales are picking up at both online platforms and retail stores, Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, Vivo India, said on Wednesday.

Close to 70 per cent or approximately 50,000 of Vivo's retail partner outlets across the country are already operational as per the guidelines of respective state governments. "For us, both online and offline channels have been equally important and we have never said that one channel is more important than the other. But a bundle of our sales comes from offline channels," Marya told IANS in an interaction.

Meanwhile, over 50 per cent of the service centres are already operational pan-India to support Vivo users. All retail stores and the after-sale service centres are adhering to guidelines prescribed by government and local authorities.

"In the after sales domain, 50 per cent of our service centres are now operational and we are taking all the important and required steps to ensure safety of both the staff at our service centers as well as customers," Marya added. In terms of manufacturing, the company has started producing smartphones at its factory in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

"As far as manufacturing is concerned, we are following government's guidelines. Initially, we were allowed to operate with 30 per cent of the total workforce. So out of 10,000 workers, we were operating with 3,000. Gradually, our sales are increasing and we are also trying our level best to increase output," said the Vivo executive.

Meanwhile, the smartphone brand has adopted a new 'Smart Retail' model to enable business continuity for its pan-India retail network, that is helping consumers connect with retailers from the comfort of their homes.

"The purpose of this new model was that while stores are opening and retailers are going back to business, there are some customers who do not want to go to the store. This model is for them. "Customers can send in their Vivo product-related queries to retailers and then we will call them, understand the requirement, suggest a phone and finally, the sale will be executed," Marya explained. The company has already received more than 30,000 consumer enquiries on the 'Smart Retail' model.

--IANS

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