Nokia partners with Indiatimes to launch NokiaShop

Nokia India in association with Indiatimes Shopping announced the launch of Nokia's online store- NokiaShop, the first online shopping portal in India to deliver mobile devices directly from the manufacturer to the users. Nokia Shop will offer the entire portfolio of Nokia devices as well as accessories across price points to the consumers along with the convenience of online shopping.

The association between the two leading organizations will serve as a game-changer in the growing Indian e-commerce space as users can now buy handsets directly from the manufacturer as a branded experience, without needing any dealer or reseller in between. For the online space this is an unprecedented initiative and will bring about a major shift in consumer behavior in the mobile phone category.

According to Viral Oza, Director- Marketing, Nokia India, "At Nokia, we have always invested ahead of the curve in setting up a formidable retail network. Today, as online shopping gains momentum, we are the first mobile handset company to set up a branded online store. Through our association with Indiatimes Shopping, we are confident that we will be able to offer a superior online shopping experience to our consumer by giving them an opportunity to buy their favourite mobile device directly from Nokia."

"This partnership is a step further in our aim to bring more offline brands to the online space. With our brand strength, resources, knowledge and credibility in the e-commerce space, we are confident of providing Nokia the right platform to connect with its users," says Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Ltd.

Regarding the tie up, Mr. Gautam Sinha, Director Technology & ecommerce head said "We are pleased to partner with a top brand like Nokia and help them reach their online customers. We hope to witness strong synergistic growth capturing majority of online mobile handset market in the next few months. We have made significant investments in warehousing and last mile delivery to ensure a world class shopping experience for our customers."

Consumers willing to buy Nokia mobile devices can shop on the NokiaShop by logging on to www.Nokia.indiatimes.com to buy their favorite Nokia device. Consumers have the option of making the payment through credit card or cash on delivery. Additionally, they have the option of converting their payment amount into interest-free EMIs spread over three or six months.

Nokia Shop has been launched on Indiatimes sub-domain, to sell entire range of Nokia devices - including smartphones, dual SIM phones, Touch and Type, QWERTY, Touch phones and value phones at Nokia Shop. The prices offered on the online store are Best Buy prices. The initiative will be driven by a core team with dedicated people from both Nokia and Indiatimes.

A recent report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) reveals that India's e-commerce market is growing at an average rate of 70 percent annually, and has grown over 500 percent in the past three years alone. Given the potential of e-commerce industry, Indiatimes and Nokia are confident of high growth in the mobile phone category within the next two quarters.