After announcing commercial launch, it seems Jio is working hard with its sister unit Reliance Retail to re-brand hundreds of Digital xpress mini stores as Jio Stores to offer better customer service from early next year.

According to our sources, Reliance Retail, the retail arm of Reliance Industries will re-brand most of the Digital xpress Mini stores in coming months so that new customers can experience Jio’s seamless high speed 4G connectivity and upgrade to 4G through simple steps. The company will also sell popular 4G smartphones and MiFi devices through Jio Stores. Also, in some cities people can experience Jio’s smart home solutions through special ‘home corners’.

Jio Stores will also have digital kiosks where people can manage their Jio accounts, purchase a handset and can pay bills, similar what Vodafone offers through their Vodafone Red Stores. These Jio Stores will also have experienced Jio executives as the company is now focusing more on customer services to poach 100 million high ARPU customers from rival networks.

With this re-branding strategy, Jio will be in a better position to offer much better services than its competitors with a reach of over almost 1000 stores before charging for services. Other market players, including Vodafone and Airtel now enjoy better customer service and support through thousands of stores and partner retailer stores. But we believe if Jio executes this re-branding strategy in good manner and offers better services to first time users, it will definitely put pressure on other telcos.