Samsung to take Galaxy M smartphones offline

KOLKATA: Samsung India has issued a trade advisory saying its forthcoming launch of Galaxy M series smartphones will not be online exclusive as was originally planned and will also be done in brick-and-mortar stores.

Galaxy M has been an online exclusive smartphone series, but Samsung has decided to take it offline as well, heeding to demand from offline retail lobbies for smartphone makers to curb launch of online exclusive models and offers since these hurt their business.

Two senior industry executives said Samsung India mobile phone business team informed retailers about this decision through WhatsApp groups on Friday.

The company has joined Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Realme in responding to demand of offline retailers who had said their festive business slipped 30-40% this year due to online exclusive models and deep discounting on them.

The government, too, has warned ecommerce platforms against predatory pricing even as offline lobbies, including Confederation of All India Traders and All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), have increased agitation against Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, alleging deep discounting during Diwali and that brands too are hands-inglove on this.