Samsung today announced a tie-up with Gurugram-based quick-commerce platform Blinkit (formerly Grofers) to start a 10-minute delivery service for its newly launched Galaxy S24 series smartphones in India. The duo is promising speedy delivery of the S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra “in less than 10 minutes” after the order has been placed.
Samsung says the tie-up will help cater “the huge demand for its flagship S24 series in India” with pre-bookings at an all time high of more than 2,50,000 in just three days post launch. The S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra were launched on January 17 at a global unpacked event in San Jose, California. In India, the S24 series starts at Rs 79,999 for the vanilla S24, while the top-tier S24 Ultra can set you back by up to Rs 1,59,999 for the highest end model with 12GB RAM and 1TB storage.
The 10-minute delivery service is available in select cities namely, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Purchases made through HDFC Bank credit card will be eligible for an instant cashback of Rs 5,000, regardless of the model or variant you choose.
Blinkit began mobile sales in 2022 with Apple’s iPhone 14 in partnership with Apple reseller Unicorn marking its foray into a category only Flipkart was servicing at that point in time. But while Walmart-owned Flipkart took about 30-45 minutes, Blinkit’s sale pitch was even faster delivery, to the tune of a few minutes. Back then, the service was available to buyers in Delhi and Mumbai only and so clearly, the platform has increased its footprint —and presumably ambitions— with the new Samsung partnership.
Though it remains to be seen, how big a market of instant deliveries can be, especially in case of premium smartphones like the Samsung S24 series and the iPhone, where the aspirational element brings demand for actual touch and feel and meticulous planning rather that impulsive buying and intent to get the smartphone delivered in the blink of an eye.
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