Gome Electrical Appliances is one of Chinese retail stores selling iPhone 6S and "Apple experience" services. (Photo : www.scmp.com)
Major electronics retailers in China have started a series of marketing campaigns for the iPhone 6S, as Gome Electrical Appliances and Suning Appliance stores promote the “Apple experience” with services such as iPhone trade-in programs and free express delivery service, according to online news Web portal China Business News.
Most Apple-authorized stores in China are operated by Gome and it is giving its customers an Apple-style service experience in its retail stores.
The report said that the service experience included the interior design of the stores, product arrangement and product lines, and sales models and employees who have been trained to offer services similar to those offered at Apple's official outlets.
The report added that Gome has sold more than 10,000 iPhone 6S within the first hour when it started selling the product in its 1,700 stores nationwide on Sept. 25.
On the other hand, Suning has focused its promotion campaigns on trade-in offers, logistics and financial services. It offers customers with free delivery services in its 1,104 stores across 195 cities in the country.
The report said that buyers can receive the iPhone 6S two hours after ordering and completing payment online.
The company's consumer financial business division drove the sale of the iPhone 6S, offering finance customers buying the new iPhone 6S with zero-down payment, zero commission, and zero interest rates. The company said that nearly 50 percent of customers who pre-ordered iPhone 6S accepted the "three-zero" offer.
The report added that Suning offered iPhone trade-in service for the first batch of iPhone 6S in 200 of its stores over 80 cities, in partnership with PC maintenance service provider 360 Tongcheng Bang.
Suning also allowed customers to exchange used smartphones with a retail price of over 1,000 yuan ($157) for a new iPhone 6S.
