Punjabis reluctant to buy smartphones online: Report

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 24

Despite having high internet penetration and featuring among the top five markets in terms of teledensity, when it comes to buying smartphones, Punjabis still prefer offline mode (retail stores) to online.

Of the total smartphone sales in Punjab, online sales contribute only 20% as compared to the national average of 35%.

“People in Punjab and Chandigarh are a bit conscious while making up their mind to purchase smartphones. They prefer to touch and feel the phone before purchasing it. Moreover, with a majority of the brands expanding their presence offline, it makes easier for them to buy phones of their choice at retail stores,” said Anish Kapoor, CEO, Infinix India.

He said the southern and eastern region have taken a lead in buying smartphones online. “Punjab is a brand conscious market while the southern and eastern markets are value conscious. This is also one of the reasons behind purchasing the phone offline. Online mode offers a wide range of phones and brands, but since people here have a particular brand in mind, they don’t explore much online,” he added.

According to retailers, the key drivers for online sales have been convenience and special price or discounting. If discounts are taken away, consumers buying online will not find it lucrative. In the recent past, discounts have come down on online sales and people are coming back to offline stores.

“Lack of awareness and fear are the primary reasons why people in Punjab don’t prefer to buy smartphones online. Secondly, there have been instances in the recent past where many people have become victims of fraud while shopping online. So customers prefer visiting nearby stores and buying offline,” said Rajesh Bahri, proprietor, Bahri Electronics, Jalandhar.

“The retail stores offer live demonstration of handsets and service which customers don’t get online. So they prefer retail stores to online mode for buying handsets,” said Sahib Singh, proprietor, Friends Mobile Store, Ludhiana.

Retailers said in metros people don’t have much time to visit nearby stores and search for mobiles. Also, online stores give them access to thousands of mobiles at a click of mouse to compare the best option. Besides, high awareness level about online shopping makes shopping easier. 

As per IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, India smartphone market shipped 142.3 million units in 2018, registering a healthy growth of 14.5% year-on-year (YoY) as compared to 2017. Out of the total sales, Chandigarh and Punjab market contributes roughly 10%.

According to estimates, nearly 55-60% of Punjab and Chandigarh population is active on social media and this propels the growth of smartphone sales.