Retailers accuse Realme of unfair pricing as offline sales drop sharply

Price Disparity Dispute

Mobile retailers across India have accused smartphone brand Realme of selling its P4 series devices online at much lower rates than offline retail stores. The All India Mobile Retailers Association states that this price gap is damaging customer trust in local shop owners and hurting store business.

Sales Drop and Model Prices

According to AIMRA, offline sales of the Realme P4 series dropped by more than 60 percent in October compared to the previous year. For instance, the Realme P4 Lite 5G with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage costs 18,999 rupees offline and 16,999 rupees after store discounts, but sells for 15,999 rupees online and drops to 14,999 rupees with extra offers. Similarly, the Realme P4 Power 5G with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at 32,999 rupees offline, while online it costs 29,999 rupees and drops to 27,999 rupees with additional discounts.

Association Demands

AIMRA pointed out that other major brands like Vivo, Oppo, and Motorola manage to keep their prices uniform across all sales channels. The association has warned that if Realme does not fix pricing equality for the festive season immediately, the entire stock will remain stuck in the distribution network and further talks with the company may be halted. Realme has not yet released an official response to these allegations.

Context

Mobile phone brands often use online platforms for exclusive promotions and festive discounts to clear stock quickly. However, offline dealers rely heavily on physical store sales and feel disadvantaged when digital prices undercut local shop rates significantly.