14 DAY TRIAL // Although Nokia announced a single device at the International Consumer Electronics Show, last week in Las Vegas, the Finnish handset maker continues to work on improving its presence on different markets.
Surprisingly, the company has lost the title of the most trusted Indian brand in 2010, a market where Nokia was always one step ahead of the competition. However, Nokia plans to improve sales of low-end feature-phones in India, as well as smartphone sales.
In this regard, the company announced a new partnership with Indiatimes Shopping to launch a Nokia online store, simply called Nokia Shop.
According to Nokia, this would be the first online shopping portal in India that is meant to offer customers handsets directly from the manufacturer.
The entire portfolio of Nokia handsets will be available for purchase via Nokia Shop, along with various accessories compatible with Nokia phones.
“At Nokia, we have always invested ahead of the curve in setting up a formidable retail network. Today, as online shopping gains momentum, we are the first mobile handset company to set up a branded online store,” said Viral Oza, director of Marketing, Nokia India.
Nokia Shop will be a major milestone for both companies, as customers will now be able to purchase mobile phones directly from Nokia, thus eliminating the need of any authorized reseller or dealer.
The online store is available at www.Nokia.indiatimes.com and requires customers to create an account in order to be able to purchase any Nokia device.
According to IndiaTimes, customers can choose to pay online using a credit card or cash on delivery. There’s also an option that allows customers to split their payment amount over three or six months without having to pay any interest.
“Through our association with Indiatimes Shopping, we are confident that we will be able to offer a superior online shopping experience to our consumer by giving them an opportunity to buy their favorite mobile device directly from Nokia,” added Oza.