Apple launched its first-ever online store in Russia offering direct company sales of its wide range of iPhones, iPads and Macs.
Apple Inc. has launched its first online store for Russian customers allowing Apple fans to directly order from a full line of Apple products including iPhones, iPads and Macs. The introduction of direct sales from Apple comes after attempts of starting up a brick-and-mortar store in the ninth most populous country in the world since last year met with little success.
Apple registered for "Apple Rus" in August last year but the store is yet to come up
Apple's concentration on emerging markets to increase its smartphone sales has resulted in its international sales figures exceeding United States' numbers. Russia is among the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) with a massive emerging market.
Earlier Apple relied on resellers and distributors in Russia to tap tech savvy customers. But now the new online store will bypass a long chain of resellers including 99 third party distributors in Moscow and 72 in St Petersburg, reports The Register.
Apple's plans of opening an Apple store in 2011 failed due to inappropriate location, according to a Moscow News report last year. But with the rising demand for Apple devices, a physical store and the newly-launched online store is bound to attract several buyers.
"I think this is great news because Russians have always been open to getting their hands on more and more tech tools,'' Natalie Sabelnik, president of San Francisco-based Congress of Russian-Americans, a nationwide group dedicated to the preservation of Russian culture, heritage and language, told Mercury News. "I remember seeing more cellphones in the streets in Russia then here in the United States. So making these products easily available over there is a great step for progress, not only for Russia but for Apple as well."
The timing of the launch of the online store matches with the rumors of Apple's inexpensive entry-level iPhone targeted at BRIC nations. If the less expensive smartphone makes it to the market, the online store in Russia will help the Cupertino-based company expand sales in this emerging market.
