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Nokia Opens Official Online Outlet on Taobao

nokia girl on taobao1 Nokia Opens Official Online Outlet on Taobao taobao international

Nokia’s Kickoff Promotions 

Following closely on the heels of Uniqlo, Nokia has opened a shop on the Taobao Mall website to begin direct online mobile phone sales in China. 

Nokia will be giving away 200 CDs from four Chinese pop music artists, in a store-opening promotion to emphasize their line of MP3-ready phones. They are also offering extra batteries and Bluetooth headsets on certain models. 

 

nokia on taobao Nokia Opens Official Online Outlet on Taobao taobao international

Is “Official” Worth the Markup?

Nokia phones are already being sold by hundreds of independant shops on Taobao.  These include many authorized retailers that sell phones with official, nationally recognized warranties. 

The phones on the official Nokia outlet go for about 10-20% more than the phones sold at these independant retailers, so we are wondering how successful the store will be. Day one sales totals are still zero across the board. 

Nokia on Taobao

3 Comments »

  • Lawrence said:

    They are also being sold with Wifi and other features conspicuously absent from the Nokia Official China models.

    I know this is because of MII rules that state no Wifi unless it can also support the home grown unused wifi non-standard, but its getting a bit ridiculous now.

    Hard to compete when others are selling better product for cheaper prices.

    Consumers typically vote with their pockets, especially in a price sensitive site like Taobao.

    Lawrence / http:/www.computersolutions.cn

    # 28 April 2009 at 2:30 pm
  • The Field Guide (author) said:

    Ooh no wifi? That is interesting about the homegrown wifi issue. Maybe that is why Shanghai’s wifi hotspots seem to be not-so-hot most of the time.

    # 28 April 2009 at 4:54 pm
  • Jason ZJ said:

    As Lawrence said, online consumers will do search and sort by price on Taobao. They are highly price sensitive.

    If the Nokia Official Outlet can provide unique added value (e.g. better after-sales service) and/or special offering gift, it should be able to work.

    Otherwise, it is hard to compete with both individual Taobao sellers and offline dealers in 3C malls.

    # 29 April 2009 at 12:40 am

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