A report by CMR has estimated smartphone shipments to touch 36 million units during Q4 2018. This number reflects 16 per cent increase on year-on-year basis
A mobile handset report published by CyberMedia Research has identified Realme as the top emerging brand in India during the festive season. The report claims that Realme smartphone shipments grew by over 600 per cent in the September-October period in comparison to the July-August period.
Prabhu Ram, head, industry intelligence group, CyberMedia Research, said, “On the back of the upcoming Realme U1, I would not be surprised if Realme were to potentially breakthrough into the top five smartphone brands in Q4 2018.”
Other major players in the smartphone segment including Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei Honor also reported growths in terms of shipments during the period. Honor, a smartphone brand by Huawei, grew by around 5 per cent while shipments of Samsung and Xiaomi grew by 10-12 per cent each.
Growth Opportunities for smartphone brands in India
Prabhu Ram, highlighting the growth opportunities for smartphone brands in India, said, “Realme’s breakthrough performance points to the fact that the India market still offers enough growth opportunities for aggressive brands with differentiated marketing strategies. Realme’s focus has been on the very demanding millennials.”
The report claims that smartphone market in India grew sequentially by 29 per cent. The research has pointed out aggressive smartphone launches as the prime reason behind the growth.
Narinder Kumar, Lead Analyst- IIG, CMR, said “During the festive season (especially In between September and October), the India market saw record smartphone shipments. If one were to look back, the underlying market conditions were very volatile. The depreciating rupee put strain on the supply chains as well as on product planning and promotion. As such, smartphone brands had to navigate very tough market conditions in the run-up to Diwali.”
Q4 2018 outlook
CMR has estimated smartphone shipments to touch 36 million units during Q4 2018. This number reflects 16 per cent increase on year-on-year basis.
Prabhu Ram said, “Our estimates point to a surge in online smartphone sales, predominantly driven by choice and convenience. With online platforms providing attractive offers and value-added services, consumers are spoilt for choice, resulting in increased online sales.”
