Since turning up in SA, Vivo’s reach has grown at a rapid pace. The company hopes to keep its growth going by launching its first standalone service centre in Cape Town. Based in Canal Walk, the store is the first in the Western Cape to offer varied after-sale support for the brand. Its launch comes just two weeks after South Africa saw the company’s Y76 5G handset launched.

It’s easy to see why Vivo felt the need to plant its feet deep in South Africa. According to Jeff Cao, CEO of Vivo South Africa, the company placed fifth in the global smartphone market in 2021. Its influence in SA doubled during the same period. This is apparently reason enough for Vivo to start doing more in South Africa. The new Canal Walk store is just the start.

What Vivo has in-store

And it’s not just the store. Customers are being offered a series of services designed to make the brand more attractive. Amongst these services are free collection and delivery, one-hour repairs, and free labour on repairs — which applies to both in-warranty and out-warranty products, according to the company.

These physical services join an initiative launched in Johannesburg earlier this year — a door-to-door service covering repairs to all Vivo smartphone models in the area. At the same time, the brand launched complimentary insurance on handsets sold in the country.

And there’s more to come from the brand than just the one store in one location. Tony Shi, general manager of Vivo South Africa, believes that by the second half of 2022, Vivo will be ready to fully open its operator channels. More fully featured online and retail channels are expected in the weeks and months to come. There’s the prospect of additional devices for SA (in Q3). Vivo may even have something up its sleeves as a result of it being the official smartphone sponsor for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

For now, though, it’s all about the new Canal Walk facility. Expect more to turn up in the near future.