New Delhi: Apple has finally marked its first retail presence in the country by way of its very own e-commerce portal named Apple Store Online. The store offers a full range of its products and services directly to customers across India.
According to Mashable, the online store offers a range of new services that haven’t been available to Indian users before. The customers can now interact with Apple Specialists, who can help customers with a range of product-related queries – from custom-configuring a Mac to set up new devices. Customers can get advice, receive guidance, and learn about new products directly from Apple in Hindi and English.
Through its financing options and trade-in program, the platform also offers a range of affordable services and products. Students can shop for a Mac or iPad with special pricing and receive discounts on accessories. The Cupertino giant’s AppleCare+ service – which extends the standard two-year limited warranty and adds accidental damage coverage – is also being offered to Indian customers for the first time.
As reported by Mashable, Apple has also rolled out a contactless delivery option to minimise exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic. Orders that do not require a signature will be left at the customer’s door, and those that do will need only a verbal confirmation from a safe distance instead of a written signature.
A range of no-contact or limited-contact payment options is also being made available to buyers, who can pay for items via credit and debit card, credit card EMI, RuPay, UPI, Net Banking, and credit card on delivery.
Apple is also offering “signature” gift wrap and personalised engraving on select products. For example, AirPods can be adorned with emoji or text in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu. Engraving is available for iPad and Apple Pencil too but is restricted to English text.
Mashable reported that following today’s launch, Apple’s next steps in India include a flagship brick-and-mortar store set to open in Mumbai in 2021.
