Amazon is all set to organize one of its most important festive sales in India for 2024. Amazon’s Great Indian Festival Sale will start for customers on September 27. However, Prime members can get early access to deals and discounts starting September 26, 2024. At midnight, as usual. The e-commerce giant is positioning itself as a one-stop solution for India’s festive shopping with a mix of deep discounts, exclusive product launches, easy financing options, bank offers, exchange bonuses and more.
However, this year’s sale will be special for both the brand and the customer. The company has introduced many interesting services that make the shopping experience easier, more comprehensive and comfortable. Gadgets360 got a chance to speak to Ranjit Babu, Director, Consumer Electronics, Amazon India, about the upcoming sale, services offered by the brand and more. Here’s what you need to know.
Easy upgrade in all categories
Amazon is focusing a lot on simplifying the upgrade process this time. “We are making it easier for customers to upgrade and this applies to all categories,” Babu said. The brand offers customers the option to purchase products with no-cost EMIs even if they do not have a credit card through the Amazon Pay Later facility.
“Even if you don’t have a credit card or don’t want to use a credit card, Amazon Pay Later is very easy to use. You go and enter some details like your PAN number, and within a few minutes or maybe a few seconds, you will get the loan amount instantly, which you can use to make the purchase,” he said.
Ranjit Babu, Director, Consumer Electronics, Amazon India, talks about how Amazon is making it easier for customers to upgrade.
Amazon is offering some incredible smartphone deals during the Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale. An Amazon spokesperson told Gadgets360 that there is huge interest among Indian customers in owning Apple devices. To help them upgrade, Amazon will offer the iPhone 13 for as low as Rs 37,999, including bank offers. Additionally, the phone can be purchased through Amazon PayLater with 12-month EMI options, making it an attractive offer for customers looking to upgrade.
However, this is not the case. Regardless of whether you’re looking for a good Android device, Amazon has something in store. The company will offer some great deals on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. “This Diwali, we are bringing it at its lowest price ever, which is unbelievably low. This is a total offer of Rs 69,999,” Babu added.
Consumers are looking for a theater-like experience at home
There is a surge in purchases of smart TVs and home appliances during the festive season. “All the electronics categories and upgrades are happening the same. A lot of customers today are feeling the need to upgrade and we are making it very easy for them through exchange, EMI, installation and more,” Babu stressed.
The customer now wants to upgrade to a theatre-like experience at home. The main reason for this is that customers want to consume high quality OTT content right from the comfort of their homes. “So they want bigger screens, great display quality, surround sound and the complete home theater experience. All these things are available today at more affordable prices than ever before. So this is an important trend that we are seeing,” Ranjit Babu said.
What is more interesting is that customers are now preferring to have multiple smart TVs in their homes. “Today, customers are no longer willing to upgrade just for a theatre-like experience. They are willing to have more than one screen at home, which is more than you typically see in other developed markets,” he said.
Babu believes that this time there will be a lot of trend in the smart TV sector. Firstly, there will be huge demand for large screen smart TVs. There is huge demand for 55 inch and Plus models during the sale. The brand saw this trend across Prime Day, Independence Day and other major sales.
To further enhance the experience, Amazon is also offering Jio AirFiber connection for the purchase of smart TVs. “If you buy any TV on Amazon this festive season and you choose to pay just Rs 10 extra, you will get a Jio AirFiber connection with some special offers and complete freedom of installation along with a connection with over 700 channels . ” He said.
Phone Setup Service, Delivery, Installation, and Protection Plans
Amazon has introduced several services to take the experience a notch further. One of these is Amazon’s phone setup service. Through this service, an Amazon representative will come to your home, provide a quick demo of the smartphone, help with data transfer and walk you through the basics. He further added, “We are expanding it to more than 300 cities for the first time as we enter the festive season.”
Amazon has expanded its scheduled installation and delivery service to more cities than ever before. “We have always had scheduled installation and delivery, but this year, we have expanded it to more cities. So, when you purchase an appliance, you can schedule a date and time for delivery and installation as per your convenience,” the spokesperson explained.
Additionally, customers can also opt for integrated delivery and installation service, where the same team handles both delivery and installation of the product in one go. “One or two people will come to your home, deliver the product, install it, and give a demo – all in one go. It makes life much easier for customers,” he said.
Additionally, Amazon offers discounts on extended warranties and protection plans for larger appliances, which cover accidental damage or malfunction.
AI and smartphones: still very early days
Ranjit Babu says that smartphones launched in India with AI features definitely attract some attention of customers. “Consumers are interested in AI features, especially in high-end phones like the Samsung Galaxy and new iPhone models,” he said.
However, he believes it is still too early to know the specific applications of AI in smartphones. “We have seen some of this. Customers are interested in many areas. So it seems customers may be thinking about this when making purchasing decisions,” he said.
