OnePlus devices will reportedly be pulled from store shelves in the southern and western regions of India as per a new directive from the South Indian Organized Retailers Association (ORA). According to a report, the Mobile Retailers Association, which controls a large number of stores, announced the development in a letter, which has not yet been made public. Starting May 1, 2024, ORA reportedly said it will stop selling OnePlus mobile devices among retailers under its network. ORA has control over big stores like Poorvika, Sangeeta, Big C in the south. The association cites ongoing issues with the Chinese brand and its products as the reason behind the move.
A report by Money Control claiming to have access to this letter (reportedly directed to Rajit Singh, sales director, OnePlus India), details the long-standing issues of ORA and its work with the popular Chinese smartphone brand. The challenges faced by its retailers while doing so are described. The association claims that its retailers have faced major hurdles while selling OnePlus products over the past few years, which are still unresolved.
One of the more prominent issues is the consistently low-profit margins set by OnePlus, making it hard to sustain their business according to the association. The association also cites delays in processing warranty and service claims, which it says leaves customers dissatisfied.
Retailers also claim that they often have to bundle products and services with OnePlus devices, which, according to ORA, limits their ability to meet their customers’ needs and results in unsold inventory of devices. Also becomes.
OnePlus is yet to officially comment on the South Indian Organized Retailers Association’s move, but we have reached out to them on the matter.
OnePlus has been selling its smartphones through its website and other e-commerce platforms for many years, giving its customers the option of purchasing products directly from the brand without any middleman. This is not just the case with OnePlus, but other Chinese smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Vivo and even big Korean brands like Samsung.
Over the past few years, the above brands have also focused on opening their own experiential stores in India, where customers can try and buy products at the store itself, thereby alienating customers from mobile retailers. After years of delay, Apple also opened its two Apple Stores in the country last year, followed by Samsung opening a similarly designed store in Mumbai.
