Apple launched its exclusive Apple Store app in India on Friday, deepening its retail presence in the world’s most populous country as the iPhone maker looks to tap into growing consumer demand.
THE applicationavailable for download on India’s App Store, allows customers to buy Apple products directly while receiving personalized shopping recommendations, the company said in a statement.
Through the app, users can also customize their Mac with more powerful chips, extra memory or additional storage — features long sought after by Indian customers — and arrange for delivery or pickup of their purchases.
The move comes as Apple works to strengthen its presence in India, where it opened its first brick-and-mortar stores in Mumbai and Delhi in 2023. The company plans an additional four stores in tech hub Bengaluru, Pune and other parts of Delhi and of Mumbai. (Apple launched its online store in India in 2020.)
“At Apple, our customer is at the heart of everything we do, and we’re excited to introduce the Apple Store app to reach even more users in India, further deepening our connections,” said Karen Rasmussen, Apple’s head of online retail . a statement.
The app features separate tabs for products, personalized recommendations and after-purchase support, including online setup sessions with Apple experts. Customers can also sign up for free training sessions at brick-and-mortar Apple stores and learn about Apple’s trade-in and financing options, as well as add free engraving to devices like AirPods and iPads in eight languages.
India, the world’s second largest smartphone market, is slowly becoming an important geography for Apple as it tries to expand its manufacturing bases outside of China. The company began assembling iPhones in India in 2017 and has since expanded production through partners including Foxconn and India’s Tata Group.