The trend of online-exclusive smartphone models became popular in recent times and many smartphone brands launched online-only models. On similar lines, Vivo also launched its online-exclusive U series, Z series, S series, etc and now giving in to a long-standing demand of offline retailers, Vivo has announced that they will stop launching online-exclusive smartphones starting next year.
In a letter to offline retailers and All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), Jerome Chen, CEO of vivo Mobiles India said that as a part of the company’s 2020 strategy, they will simultaneously launch smartphones online and offline and there won’t be any online-only models. So, there won’t be any Vivo products that will be exclusive to Flipkart or Amazon starting next year. Also, the company said that its products will launch at the same price across both channels and the price and offers will be consistent across both online and offline channels.
The company also urged offline retailers to offer a great buying experience for customers. Vivo’s Z series and U series will continue to sell across both channels till “their end of life” and the company has also said that there won’t be any new additions to both the series next year. Also, reports suggest that Samsung, OPPO, and Realme will also follow a similar strategy next year.
In related news, Vivo is all set to launch the S1 Pro with FULL HD+ AMOLED display, in-display fingerprint scanner in India on January 4th.
Jerome Chen, CEO of vivo Mobiles India Pvt. Ltd said:
With consumer satisfaction at our core, we aim to keep our business partners, employees, and shareholders content with all our decisions. Having said that, we urge our offline partners to strive together and make the buying experience worth appreciating for our customers.