The retailers’ body alleges online prices for Realme’s P4 phones undercut shop prices by up to Rs 6,000, and says the gap has damaged trust and contributed to a sharp fall in offline sales.
A leading Indian mobile retailer body has accused Realme of widening the gap between its online and offline pricing, alleging that the handset maker is weakening trust in physical shops by selling the same models more cheaply on e-commerce platforms. According to TelecomTalk, the All India Mobile Retailers Association said the difference on Realme’s P-series devices was as much as Rs 6,000, a level it argued was large enough to distort consumer expectations and damage mainline retailers’ credibility.
The association, which says it represents more than 150,000 mobile retailers across India, has singled out the Realme P4 line as the clearest example of the problem. In its account, the same smartphones are available at substantially lower effective prices on platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon than in offline stores. AIMRA chairman Kailash Lakhyani said the disparity leaves customers feeling misled and reduces confidence in buying Realme phones from neighbourhood retailers, according to both TelecomTalk and Navbharat Times.
AIMRA also claims the pricing structure has had a direct commercial impact. TelecomTalk reported that the body says Realme’s offline sales fell by more than 60 per cent in October compared with the same month a year earlier, while Navbharat Times carried the same allegation and said rival brands had been more consistent in keeping online and offline prices aligned. The retailer association has additionally complained that Realme has not offered enough promotional support to physical outlets, further straining a channel that depends on manufacturer backing to move inventory.
The dispute comes at a time when the broader smartphone market in India is under pressure from higher component costs, softer demand and fewer discounts. The Economic Times has reported that several Chinese brands are leaning more heavily on online distribution in order to protect margins, a shift that can allow lower prices but often unsettles retailers who rely on bricks-and-mortar sales. Moneycontrol has also reported that AIMRA has raised wider concerns about Realme’s India strategy and leadership changes, while Digit has documented recent price increases on several P-series models, underscoring the tension between cost pressures and channel-level pricing. Realme had not commented in the TelecomTalk report when it was published.
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