Indian retailers boycott Samsung products
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Indian retailers are staging a three-day nationwide boycott on selling Samsung mobile devices in response to the firm’s exclusive discounting deals with e-commerce operators.
The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) has arranged the Samsung boycott at brick-and-mortar outlets following several rounds of unanswered communications with Samsung country heads extending back over the past five years.
“We will be showing our protest through digital posts, covering Samsung branding with a black cloth in our stores, and not doing business with Samsung distributors for three days,” said AIMRA president Arvinder Khurana, adding that Samsung representatives had neither met with leaders of their organization nor responded to emails.
The association has been working to end deep discounting and cashback offers for e-commerce mobile retailers and has drawn guarantees of fair pricing across channels from Vivo, Oppo and Realme.
Samsung is “adamant and underestimating the power of offline,” said Khurrana. “They are the only brand with M Series exclusive tie-up and now to grab our customers they have also tied up for a cashback offer through Amazon Pay … Such activities have caused great damage to us but the brand does not seem to be interested in working with offline traders.”
Industry commentators have noted that the move will heavily impact Samsung’s revenues and shake consumer confidence in the brand.
Questions & Answers
Q.What specific action has AIMRA taken against Samsung?
What specific action has AIMRA taken against Samsung?
The All India Mobile Retailers Association has organised a three-day nationwide boycott on selling Samsung mobile devices. Members are also covering Samsung branding in stores and refusing to do business with Samsung distributors during this period.
Q.What is the core reason for the retailers' dispute with Samsung?
What is the core reason for the retailers' dispute with Samsung?
Retailers are protesting Samsung's exclusive discounting deals with e-commerce operators, particularly their 'M Series' exclusive tie-up and cashback offers through Amazon Pay. They believe these activities deeply damage their offline businesses.
Q.Which other mobile brands have agreed to fair pricing across channels?
Which other mobile brands have agreed to fair pricing across channels?
The association has secured guarantees of fair pricing across all sales channels from Vivo, Oppo and Realme. Samsung is described as the only brand with these exclusive e-commerce tie-ups harming offline traders.
Q.How long have retailers been trying to resolve this issue with Samsung?
How long have retailers been trying to resolve this issue with Samsung?
Retailers have been trying to communicate their concerns to Samsung country heads for the past five years. AIMRA states that Samsung representatives have not met with their leaders or responded to their emails during this time.
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