Vivo to end online exclusive launches in India next year

Giving into a long-standing demand of mobile retailers, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has assured that it will put an end to online exclusive launches in India as part of its 2020 strategy.

In a letter to its retail partners, Jerome Chen, CEO, Vivo Mobiles India, said that the company will ensure simultaneous launch of the same product/variant at the same time and at the same price point across channels.

The Vivo-branded products will have consistent price and offers across offline and online, he said.

"With consumer satisfaction at our core, we aim to keep our business partners, employees, and shareholders content with all our decisions," Chen said.

"Having said that, we urge our offline partners to strive together and make the buying experience worth appreciating for our customers," he added.

The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) has thanked Vivo for the initiative.

"We thank and appreciate @Vivo_India for their support against unfair e-commerce trade practices! Together, let's bring in the new change for mobile retailers with fair business opportunities," AIMRA said in a tweet on Friday which also carried a copy of the letter from the Vivo Mobiles India CEO.

According to reports, Samsung, OPPO and Realme have made similar commitments to launch their future smartphones across online and offline channels at the same time.IANS