Vivo is looking to strengthen its local presence after the Chinese phone maker debuted its first standalone service centre in Cape Town recently.

The store, which is located in Canal Walk, is said to be Vivo’s first after-purchase, offering in the Western Cape providing multi-level customer support, according to the company.

“In 2021, vivo placed fifth throughout the market share of the global smartphone industry. vivo also led the China smartphone market, and, as our network extended to 10 further countries throughout Africa, our business in South Africa continuously grew with doubled annual growth,” explained Jeff Cao, CEO of Vivo mobile South Africa, at the service centre opening.

“This store is one of the most important service experience facilities we’ve built in South Africa and it will play an important role in the growth of vivo South Africa for years to come,” he adds.

Further unpacking what the service centre will offer, Vivo notes that customers in the Western Cape area will get access to free collection and delivery, a one-hour flash repair, free labour on repairs to in-warranty or out of warranty products.

Following the announcement of a door-to-door service in Johannesburg earlier in the year, the rest of 2022 should see Vivo add a few more strings to its bow.

“By the second half of 2022, we will be ready to fully open all our operator channels, this includes comprehensive retail and online channels,” highlights Tony Shi, GM of Vivo South Africa.

We should also see more of the brand in the coming months too, with Vivo a sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup too.