According to a report by Canalys, smartphone shipments in India declined by 13 p.c to 32.4 million items within the second quarter of 2021. A complete of round 32.4 million smartphone items have been shipped within the quarter. However, the year-on-year comparability was extraordinarily favorable because of the two-month shutdown in 2020, with shipments rising by 87 per cent. The report additional stated that there have been indicators of restoration by the tip of the quarter as client confidence elevated resulting from vaccination packages in key areas.
Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia stated, “India was surprised by its second wave, as the new COVID variant emerged and rapidly took hold.” “For smartphone sellers, this was a wake-up call, and shows the importance of equally strengthening both online and offline presence,” Chaurasia stated.
“Smartphone vendors in India had assumed that COVID-19 would not return, and many planned to invest in infrastructure for branded stores and partnerships with third-party offline channels. But once again they were forced to quickly move to an online strategy,” he stated.
Which manufacturers led the market?
Xiaomi remained the market chief, transport 9.5 million items for a 29 p.c share. Samsung got here second, transport 5.5 million items for a 17 p.c share. Vivo was on the third spot with 5.4 million items shipped, whereas Realme took the fourth spot, surpassing Oppo, transport 4.9 million items towards the latter’s 3.8 million shipments. The stories additionally stated that the manufacturers that succeeded within the on-line area gained essentially the most momentum this quarter.
Chaurasia provides that “India will be aided by brands expanding promotional activities and new product releases along with rapid vaccination in the second half of 2021.”
However, he cautioned that “demand will not pick up in the second half like last year,” and the specter of a 3rd wave in India nonetheless stays.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
