Apple posted a robust 78% year-on-year growth in smartphone shipments to India during the first three months of 2020, says a market research report. The big spurt in shipments were the result of customers giving a thumbs up to the company's latest flagship product, the iPhone 11.
Counterpoint Research says Apple managed to grow its sales considerably during the quarter which saw Xiaomi retain the top slot among smartphones in India with a 30% market share during the first quarter with Vivo ranked second and Samsung third with 17% and 16% market share respectively.
The data provided by Counterpoint suggests that Apple's sturdy growth made it one among top three brands in India based on total shipments. However, in spite of this growth, the iPhone lagged with 78% growth lagged Realme that notched up 119% growth and Oppo with 83% during the same period.
In the final quarter of 2019, which is traditionally the period when Apple sells its products aggressively to coincide with the holiday season, the iPhone shipments posted a 41% year-on-year growth. So, the latest quarter can be described as the best ever for the company in recent years and Apple would be hoping that its latest iPhone SE 2 would be able to lure more customers from the Android ecosystem, given that it is the cheapest iPhone of all time.
The data suggested that Apple's robust sales could also be attributed to several discount offers from Amazon and Flipkart for the earlier models. Counterpoint puts Apple as the market leader in the ultra-premium segment (Rs.45,000 and above) where it's market share remained stable at 55% during the period under review.
Overall, the analysts who prepared the report, expect a 10% decline in the smartphone market in India due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A report from Goldman Sachs has predicted a 36% fall in iPhone sales during the rest of 2020, though Apple itself appears to be upbeat about the market and planning higher shipments.
Commenting on the landscape, Shilpi Jain, research analyst at Counterpoint Research says smartphones should be considered essential services during the lockdown, given that people are dependent on them for primary communication.
Echoing these sentiments, online retailers Amazon and Flipkart have made recommendations to the Federal government to ease restrictions on deliveries of non-essential items during the lockdown, a matter on which the administration could be taking a view over the next day or two amidst reports of some relaxations from next week.
