Smartphone makers report robust festive sales despite chip shortage

Despite acute chip shortage, smartphone brands have managed to sell record handsets during the India festive week, making mobiles the strongest and most-loved category once again across ecommerce platforms.

Xiaomi India sold over 20 lakh smartphones in five days of the festive sale across channels. In the premium segment, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G, and Mi 11X Series received maximum demand, followed by Redmi Note 10S and Redmi Note 10 Pro, and Redmi 9 Series in the mid-value segment.

Xiaomi India is offering deals on range of products across categories such as Mi 11 X, Mi 10i, Redmi Note 10 Series, Redmi 9 Series, among others, coupled with bank offers for consumers.

Its rival realme sold 70,000 units of realme GT Master Edition on the first day of Flipkart 'Big Billion Day' (BBD) sales. In the first three days of the 'BBD 2021', the smartphone brand had sold more than 10 lakh smartphones.

realme said it witnessed a massive growth of 1,200 per cent in the Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 segment on the first day of the BBD sale.

One in five customers on Flipkart chose to exchange their smartphone for a new one, with 82.60 per cent of customers choosing to pay for their next smartphone using prepaid payment options.

Apple 12 and Apple 12 Mini are currently the favourite smartphone models, accounting for most of the 2 lakh Apple iPhone 12 devices sold on Flipkart in early sales. (Also Read: Apple AirPods to get similar features like Pro model: Smaller stem, silicone ear tips and many more)

"The pent-up demand for large appliances and electronics is evident from the fact that TVs are the largest-selling category in home appliances, with laptops recording top numbers in electronics," the company said.

Industry reports have said that semiconductor (or chip) shortage has left some smartphone vendors crippled as components that were once fully stored in the warehouse are bottoming and new components are not coming as requested.

According to Counterpoint Research, the total units shipped for 2021 are expected to grow by only 6 per cent annually to 1.41 billion units. The research firm had previously called for 9 per cent annual growth to 1.45 billion units for 2021.

As the festive season began in India, Flipkart was once again set to retain its lead in smartphone and fashion categories.

According to global market research firm Forrester, during the festive months of 2021, smartphones and fashion will account for 50 per cent of total sales, allowing Flipkart to maintain the lead.

Forrester expects strong growth in the smartphones, consumer electronics and large appliances categories.

Not just smartphones but smart TVs are also flying off the shelves.

Xiaomi India sold 1 lakh smart TVs in less than 3 days of the festive sale across platforms. On the back of a strong product portfolio, the company recorded a massive 53x jump in demand for 4k TVs.

During the first wave of Diwali sales, 8 out of the top 10 best-selling Smart TVs listed on Amazon were from the house of Mi and Redmi. Redmi Smart TV X 50-inch, Mi TV 4A 32-inch and Mi TV 5X 43-inch witnessed maximum demand from the consumers. (Also Read: Apple kicks off Diwali offers: Get free AirPods on buying iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini)

Samsung has also seen a strong growth in its consumer electronics business over the last three months with consumer sentiments riding high and is expecting the sale of its premium category of TVs and digital appliances to grow by over 65 per cent this festive season.

The overall consumer electronics business for Samsung is expected to see a growth of 30 per cent this festive season, according to the company.

Driven by consumers in tier 2 and 3 cities, online retailers in India are set to generate about $9.2 billion in sales during the 2021 festive month, up 42 per cent (year-over-year) from the estimate of $6.5 billion festive month sales during 2020.