Threat of Sales Ban Looms Over Poco India Due to Online-Only Smartphone Focus

Poco India is the latest smartphone brand to face the wrath of the offline retailer establishment in the country. The brand has been accused of supporting its online deals and giving offline retailers the cold shoulder with its products in the country.

OnePlus is already facing questions about its availability in all stores in India, and Poco may also have some issues that need to be resolved soon. OnePlus and Poco, along with the South Indian Organized Retailers Association (ORA) and the All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), are now in the bad books with organizations that control over 150,000 retail stores in the country. The letter sent to the Poco India chief shared his grievances about the company’s exclusive launch with its e-commerce platform and dealing with unauthorized channels to sell its products in the market.

OnePlus has already assured retailers and is working with its partners to continue the association in the long term. Poco has also spoken about the issue, and was quoted in the report, stating its commitment to offer its products through offline channels and also mentioning its alleged tie-up with one of the leading offline multi-brand retailers. However, Poco has not met the demands of the retailers body and the company wants to increase its offline presence and stop the practice of launching online-only products in the market going forward.

Unlike OnePlus which has strict deadlines for retailers to comply or face a nationwide ban, Poco has escaped similar restrictions but it is imperative that the company works out the best possible solution that keeps everyone happy. We will keep a close eye on these developments regarding OnePlus and Poco and share updates as they come.