Big orders for iPhone 7 placed in Vietnam

The figure was taken from the official websites of The Gioi Di Dong, FPT Shop, Vien Thong A and Viettel Store, the largest iPhone distributors in Vietnam.

However, the number of buyers who have paid a deposit, VND500,000 or VND1 million, is lower. At Vien Thong A and The Gioi Di Dong, the number of buyers paying deposits accounted for 57-65 percent of total clients. Under the current policies applied by retailers, clients can cancel orders and get back the deposits while they don’t have to pay any fee.

Statistics from large distribution chains show that more than 21,000 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus had been ordered by November 6. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

An analyst said people rushed to order iPhone 7 in the first campaign because retailers promised attractive gifts. This means that the buyers would enjoy more preferences than those who buy products after November 11, the day when iPhone 7 officially hits the shelves.

In fact, Gioi Di Dong and Vien Thong A began taking orders very soon, since September 9, when they still did not set up the selling prices for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. However, the early programs were discontinued because of the request from Apple. 

However, both retailers confirmed that the orders placed in September will still be valid. The two retailers got orders for 4,000 products for the September campaign.  

The number of people who buy iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would be much higher if counting the people buying products from privately-run shops. 

The shops distribute the products carried to Vietnam across the border gates or imported through unofficial channels. The products arrived in Vietnam just days after they were launched by Apple on September 16.

Though there are no official statistics, analysts are sure that the number of orders for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is higher than those for iPhone 6 models at The Gioi Di Dong and FPT Shop, which are the first and second-largest distribution chains in Vietnam.

In 2015, The Gioi Di Dong got 3,000 orders for iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus after eight days, an increase of 140 percent compared with orders for iPhone 6 in 2014. 

FPT Shop has also reported the increase of 140 percent.

At Vien Thong A, buyers can enjoy the sharp discount rate of up to VND2 million. Meanwhile, if ordering from The Gioi Di Dong and FPT Shop, clients can buy Apple’s products as gifts. Most retailers allow clients to buy iPhones on installment at the interest rate of zero percent.