EMIs power up sales of high-end phones

Sales of high-end smartphones priced between ₹ 35,000 and 45,000 from brands such as Apple, Samsung, Sony, LG and BlackBerry are moving fast in India as tie-ups with credit card firms to woo young buyers. They now have a growth month-ra

Sales of high-end smartphones priced between ₹ 35,000 and 45,000 from brands such as Apple, Samsung, Sony, LG and BlackBerry are moving fast in India as tie-ups with credit card firms and zero-interest EMIs (equated monthly installments) to woo young buyers.

EMIs make the products more affordable. The catch is that there are no visible cash discounts for those who are ready to cough up the full amount upfront — while some credit card plans for Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy phones give some of the cash back to buyers — through back-end discounts involving complex linkages with credit card partners.

Samsung said the EMI-backed smartphones sales doubled in March compared to January. BlackBerry, LG and Sony declined to give numbers but acknowledged that sales increased following EMI plans. Apple declined comment.

The Mighty Dwarf Blue II, an innovative little speaker that uses vibration resonance instead of traditional speaker membrane, is displayed on the opening day of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP/Frederic J Brown

The Mighty Dwarf Blue II, an innovative little speaker that uses vibration resonance instead of traditional speaker membrane, is displayed on the opening day of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP/Frederic J Brown

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at their wedding ceremony in Palo Alto, Calif. The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg's backyard before fewer than 100 guests, who all thought they were there to celebrate Chan's graduation. (AP Photo/Facebook, Allyson Magda Photography)

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at their wedding ceremony in Palo Alto, Calif. The ceremony took place in Zuckerberg's backyard before fewer than 100 guests, who all thought they were there to celebrate Chan's graduation. (AP Photo/Facebook, Allyson Magda Photography)

"The easy EMI scheme does help give a big push to sales volumes," she said.

Apple's Indian revenues are estimated to have risen by 223% to touch ₹ 2,000 crore in the year to September 2012 and some analysts put the current year's sales at a billion dollars — or ₹ 5,400 crore. Most of this will be from smartphones.