Apple launched its dedicated Apple Store app in India on Friday, deepening its retail presence in the world's most populous country as the iPhone-maker aims to tap into growing consumer demand.
The appavailable 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 delivery or pickup of their bought.
The move comes as Apple works to strengthen its foothold in India, where it opened first physical stores in Mumbai and Delhi by 2023. The company planning an additional four stores in tech hub Bengaluru, Pune and other parts of Delhi and Mumbai. (Apple launched its online store in India in 2020.)
“At Apple, our customer is at the center 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, in a statement.
The app features separate tabs for products, personalized recommendations and post-purchase support including online setup sessions with Apple specialists. Customers can also sign up for free training sessions at physical Apple stores and learn about Apple's trade-in and financing options as well as add free engraving on devices such as of AirPods and iPad in eight languages.
India, the world's second largest smartphone market, is slowly becoming a significant geography for Apple as it looks to expand its manufacturing bases outside of China. The company started assembling iPhones in India in 2017 and since then expanded production through partners including Foxconn and Indian conglomerate Tata.
