Samsung, India’s most trusted smartphone brand, has partnered with leading social media and technology firm Facebook, to train offline retailers go digital in a big way.

Samsung’s latest initiative, the first, and biggest of its kind in the country, will enable thousands of the company’s offline partners become part of online ecosystem and reach out to a larger base of consumers, in a world swiftly moving digital. For consumer, this will help them access product information and allow them to purchase Galaxy smartphones through the social media pages of their local retailers.

In the first phase, Samsung and Facebook have already trained more than 800 offline retailers, with more training sessions lined up in the coming weeks. The major focus of trainings is on enabling offline retailers build a digital presence through the Facebook family of apps – Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The intensive training is helping Samsung’s offline retailers make their business known locally, and build credibility among the local population by setting-up their business pages and accounts on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. As a result, offline retailers are likely to witness a growth in their business as they discover more local consumers online. The presence of local Samsung retailers on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will help consumers reach out to their local retailers for more information about their desired Galaxy smartphone, and shop for Galaxy smartphones on the platform of their choice.

“Consumers are at the heart of everything we do at Samsung. Over the last two months, our focus has been to adapt our business model to suit the changing needs of our consumers. We have taken a number of steps to enable the doorstep delivery of both our products and services to ensure social distancing. Our partnership with Facebook is helping a large number of our retail partners go digital in a big way. By leveraging the Facebook training, our retail partners will be able to discover and target local consumers digitally. Consumer too will benefit as they can now access product information and shop for Galaxy smartphones through Social Media pages of their local retailers,” said Mohandeep Singh, Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

“With the changing environment around COVID-19, people are spending more time on digital platforms including the Facebook family of apps. This has led brands to alter go-to-market models by adapting to changes in the value chain, rapidly digitizing key journeys. Facebook has partnered closely with key clients including Samsung on this journey. With our industry-leading digital skilling resources, we partnered with Samsung to skill their leading offline retailers, enabling them to reach out to consumers in their natural habitat of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp seamlessly, and helping the business adapt to the new normal,” said Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah, Vertical Head – Technology, Telecom, Automotive and New Business at Facebook India.

How it works

The training helps offline retailers establish their business pages and accounts on Facebook and Instagram – among the most popular Social Media platforms – where consumers are spending a lot of time. Retailers can target local consumers on Facebook and Instagram, and engage with potential consumers through WhatsApp. Connecting with local retailers online on popular Social Media platforms eliminates the need for consumers to visit the physical store of their local retailers.

Retailers can then engage with potential consumers to share information such as e-detailers and e-catalogues on available Samsung phones. Consumers can order their favourite Samsung smartphone via WhatsApp by contacting the local retailers on retailer’s WhatsApp Business app , who can home deliver phones, ensuring consumers don’t have to step out from the comfort of their homes.