Samsung dethrones Xiaomi to become number one smartphone brand in India

Samsung

has overtaken Xiaomi to become the leading smartphone brand in India.

Growing at 32% YoY (Year on year) in September quarter 2020, Samsung

accounted for 24% of the smartphones shipped in India market, while

Xiaomi with 23% of the market slipped down to second position for the

first time since September quarter of 2018, Counterpoint Research

reports.

Samsung's success was attributed to their aggressive push in online

channels, effective supply chain and equal focus on various price points

through new launches. Xiaomi's decline was largely caused by covid-19

induced supply chain disruption which led to a supply-demand gap.

Analysts at Counterpoint Research feel Xiaomi slipping down the table

is temporary and the Chinese company is likely to bounce back strongly

in the December quarter on back of strong demand for the Redmi 9 and

Note 9 series, aggressive product strategy and growing offline presence.The anti-China sentiments which impacted Chinese brands in the June

quarter whittled down as tensions on the Ladakh border eased and was no

longer a decisive factor for buying decisions in the September quarter.

Further, the report shows, the overall India smartphone grew 9% YoY,

shipping 53 million units in Q3 2020. This is the highest-ever shipment

in a quarter for the Indian market. According to Counterpoint,

aggressive push from brands, pent-up demand after the lockdown and

strong sales on online platforms were the key movers for the shipments.

"The market has shown a consistent growth for the last few months. It

saw strong demand during the Independence Day period in August as major

online platforms hosted massive sales. September has always been a high

sell-in month as brands prepare for the upcoming festive season and

push stock in the channels. Almost all the brands recorded growth

compared to the last year," Prachir Singh, senior research analyst said

in a statement.

The mid-tier ( ₹10,000 to ₹20,000) was the highest growing segment in the September quarter. In the premium segment ( ₹30,000) Apple was the most sought after brand and iPhone SE 2020 and the iPhone 11 were the most sought after smartphones. Analysts feel the iPhone 12 series will further strengthen Apple's position in the coming quarter."Focus on online channels has been increasing due to covid-19. Even

the offline-centric brands like vivo, OPPO and Itel are increasing their

online presence due to the changing consumer behavior," Shilpi Jain,

Research Analyst said in a statement.