14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is one of the giants that are trying to benefit from India’s growing appetite for technology, so today the company has opened an online store on the local e-commerce platform Snapdeal.
With this new agreement, Microsoft is bringing its products, including phones, tablets, laptops, and software, closer to Indian buyers, who are showing growing interest in online shopping.
Right now, most Indians still prefer traditional shopping, but online e-commerce platforms are growing in popularity, with statistics showing that India currently has more than 210 million Internet users, so there’s tremendous opportunity in this particular side of the market.
“Increasingly consumers are going online to shop for a number of things, including mobiles, tablets, laptops and software. We therefore see tremendous opportunity in delivering Microsoft products and services through our online store to these customers,” says Sharlin Thayil, group OEM director at Microsoft India.
Familiar online store design
The new Indian store looks pretty much like Microsoft’s traditional online store, so users come across a familiar look with very intuitive menus and an interface that makes it extremely easy to purchase new products.
What’s more, Snapdeal can also be accessed from mobile devices, and dedicated apps for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone are all available for download, thus making it easier for those who want to buy stuff online.
As far as software is concerned, Microsoft is only selling Office and Windows through its Snapdeal store, and potential buyers are also provided with a limited-time discount between 4 percent and 30 percent.
Price cuts are also being offered for phones and some devices. Lumia 630, for instance, can be purchased with a 52 percent discount at a price of only 4,793 rupees (which is approximately $75 / 64 Euro). Obviously, these discounts are available for a limited time, so you should hurry up if you really want to buy a new Lumia at such a low price.