OnePlus sells its phones from both online and offline channels in India but it seems the latter are not pleased the company. Here are the details
OnePlus faces the prospect of going out of store in some states in the Indian market next month. Reports this week suggest OnePlus phones will be taken off around 4,500 stores in different parts of the country from May 1, 2024 onwards. It has been pointed out that the retailer organisation taking charge of stores in the South and western parts of the country are not pleased with the company for various reasons.
The South Indian Organized Retailers Association (ORA) has been quoted saying that OnePlus does not garner enough margins for its network to sell OnePlus phones and that will definitely come as a big jolt to the popular brand.
Report also mentions that the ORA has sent a formal complaint to OnePlus executives earlier this week, stating that until the issues regarding OnePlus warranty and margins are not resolved, retailers will decide against selling OnePlus phones at their stores in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, that caters to a total of 4,500 stores.
Having said that, the retailers looking to stop selling OnePlus phones are associated with multi-retail brands, so it is possible that small-time mobile shops could still offer phones from the brand. OnePlus has claimed to be one of the top-sellers via online channels but its focus on the offline market seems to have wavered which seems to have caused this displeasure among the retailers in the country.
We have previously seen that offline retailers play a big role in the growth and demand for phones, and OnePlus will need to do everything to make sure this issue is resolved at the earliest, before it starts to impact its online sales as well. We’re still a few weeks away from the deadline, which ensures OnePlus can still get things sorted and go back to business as usual in these regions.