iPhone 11 shipments, discounts on e-commerce sites fuelled the growth.
Apple held 55 percent market share in the ultra-premium smartphone segment in India
Apple registered a 78 percent growth in smartphone shipments year-on-year (YoY) in India in the first quarter of 2020, a Counterpoint Research report claims. The huge jump in shipments became possible due to the positive response received from the consumers for its iPhone 11 smartphone. Xiaomi remains the leading smartphone maker in the country with. It had a 30 percent market share in Q1 2020. Vivo ranked second while Samsung came third with 17 percent and 16 percent share respectively.
The Counterpoint data said that Apple (78 percent) was one of the top three brands in the country in terms of growth in smartphone shipments in the country. It followed only Realme (119 percent) and Oppo (83 percent). It is clear that while Apple, with its high-priced phones, is not among the most preferred smartphone brands in India, it has recorded a significant growth.
According to Counterpoint's last report Apple had registered a 41 percent YoY growth in smartphone shipments during the fourth quarter of 2019.
Counterpoint data showed that apart from the iPhone 11, Apple's success can be attributed to discount offers on Amazon and Flipkart as these helped keep the prices relatively lower. Moreover, in the ultra-premium segment (> Rs. 45,000) Apple was leading in the country with a market share of 55 percent.
Overall, the Indian smartphone market grew 4 percent (YoY) in the first quarter of 2020. The report added that COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the the Indian smartphone market. A nationwide lockdown was implemented in India by the end of the above-referred quarter, resulting in the closure of offline stores as well as e-commerce services.
Counterpoint estimates that there could be a 10 percent decline in overall smartphone shipments in India for the full calendar year. The market-research agency also believes that the entry-level smartphone shipments will witness a slump in demand because those customers have been worst-hit by the lockdown.
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