India’s smartphone shipments grew 9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to reach over 53 million units in the third quarter this year, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service.

This is the highest-ever shipment in a quarter for the Indian smartphone market, it said, adding that the push from the brands, coupled with the pent-up demand due to the lockdown and strong sales on online platforms, led to this growth. Consumers still prefer online platforms due to Covid-19 fears.

And, while Samsung has recaptured the top spot with 22 per cent market share (against 21 per cent in Q3, 2019) in the overall handset market, Xiaomi's market share has fallen further to 14 per cent (against 17 per cent in Q3, 2019), the report said.

“The Indian smartphone market is on a recovery path as the lockdown restrictions have been relaxed. The market has shown consistent growth for the last few months. Almost all the brands recorded growth, compared to the last year. In terms of price bands, the mid-tier (Rs 10,000–Rs 20,000) segment registered the highest growth and reached its highest ever share in a quarter," Prachir Singh, Senior Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research, said.

Samsung became the leading brand in the Indian smartphone market after two years, with 32 per cent YoY growth. It was also the fastest to recover, surpassing the pre-Covid levels in the third quarter. This strong performance was the result of multiple strategies, including an effective supply chain and touching various price points through new launches, it said.

Commenting on the competitive landscape and brand strategies, Research Analyst Shilpi Jain said, “During the start of the quarter, we witnessed some anti-China consumer sentiments impacting sales of brands originating from China. However, these sentiments have subsided as consumers are weighing in different parameters during the purchase as well."

The brands have been quite aggressive as they have started building up inventory much ahead of the festive season, she said.

"Focus on online channels has been increasing due to the Covid-19 situation. Even the offline-centric brands such as Vivo, Oppo and Itel are increasing their online presence due to the changing consumer behaviour," she added.

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