Xiaomi stayed ahead of Samsung, Realme, Vivo and Oppo during lockdown, says report

Although online channels were able to show high market share of 44.8%, on the YoY scale it still declined by 39.9%.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. (HT Tech)

The latest report on the Indian smartphone market from International Data Corporation or IDC is out. And despite brands facing a plunge, Xiaomi still managed to stay on top. In Q2 2020 Xiaomi was on top with 5.4 million shipments, followed by Samsung, Vivo, Realme and Oppo with 4.8 million, 3.2 million, 1.8 million and 1.2 million shipments.

It is worth adding that while Xiaomi beat Samsung and other BBK players, all of them shipped nearly half of what they did during same time last year because of the lockdown.

However, the situation will likely improve in H2 of 2020 as per IDC prediction. As mentioned in the report, the pent-up demand is likely to continue in Q3 2020, says Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India, Navkendar Singh. 

Indian smartphone market - Q2 2020 (IDC)

Indian smartphone market - Q2 2020 (IDC)

“The ongoing supply chain challenges forced the brands to go for direct imports to meet the pent-up demand post-lockdown, especially in June, adding extra cost pressures. Further, this surge in demand is expected to continue throughout the first half of 3Q20 as well, requiring a steady supply of devices in the market,” he said.

Also mentioned is that a part of it will also be depend on brand marketing and channel initiatives, especially by eTailers during the festive sales.

Until now, the Indian smartphone market saw a sharp year-over-year (YoY) decline of (-50.6%) in the second quarter as only 18.2 million units were shipped due to the lockdown.

“Vendors faced major supply chain disruptions at the beginning of the quarter, and the shortage continued into the rest of the quarter as factories operated at partial capacity even after the lockdown was lifted. Components and parts remained at the ports waiting to be cleared, especially for China-based vendors,” states the report.

Although online channels were able to show high market share of 44.8%, on the YoY scale it still declined by 39.9%.