Offline traders warn of Xiaomi, Samsung boycott over online discounting

More than 20,000 offline retailers have told India’s top smartphone makers — Xiaomi and Samsung — that they will boycott the two brands if there’s no stop to deep discounting and aligning with e-commerce players. In similar but separate letters dated January 10, the All India Mobile Retailers’ Association (AIMRA) also said that if deep discounting continued online, brick-and-mortar retailers could also “simply deduct the difference and sell at online prices.” Offline mobile traders are fighting against exclusive deals between brands and e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon and demanding simultaneous offline launch of products at the same price.