iPhone 11, iPhone SE (2020) Account for Half of US Sales in Q3 2020: CIRP Report

Apple iPhone Q3 2020 sales figures have been detailed in a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) showing that the new iPhone SE 2020 model accounted for 22 percent of US iPhone sales during the quarter ending September 2020. The iPhone 11 range accounted for 64 percent of US iPhone sales during the quarter. This range includes the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Out of the 64 percent, 30 percent of the margin is held by the vanilla iPhone 11, making it the best-selling smartphone for the quarter. This means that the iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 11 together accounted for over half of the iPhone sales in the US in the third quarter of 2020.

The CIRP report, as noted by 9to5Mac suggests that Apple stores, both retail locations and online, increased their share of total iPhone US sales in the quarter to 21 percent, compared to 13 percent in the same quarter last year. Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder says, “During a challenging quarter, with COVID-19 altering the retail landscape and delaying launch of new 2020 flagship models, the new SE model succeeded in attracting customers with old phones in need of an upgrade. Last fall's iPhone 11 family of phones continued to sell well, with iPhone 11 remaining the biggest single model, and one-third of customers opting for the premium-priced iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.”

Online sales also saw a slight increase than last year, accounting for 40 percent of total iPhone sales in the US, compared to 33 percent in the same quarter last year. Similarly, offline sales saw a decrease from 67 percent to 60 percent year-on-year. Apple's own retail and online stores saw the same fate, with online sales increasing for the first time than retail.

Mike Levin, CIRP Partner and co-founder added, “At 21 percent of total sales, it was among the best quarters we've seen in the past few years, and definitely the best September quarter, when iPhone customers are typically waiting to buy new models. And, Apple increased its share primarily through online sales, which for the first time exceeded retail store sales. COVID-19 disrupted consumer buying behavior, and Apple shut its physical retail shops for a period of months. Apple took share from both mobile phone carriers and Best Buy. Both maintained online sales at one-quarter to one-third of total sales.”

In any case, 71 percent of total iPhone buyers in the US opted for carrier partnerships to purchase the handsets in the third quarter.

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