Indian smartphone market now dominated by online channels: Consumer survey

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, especially the heavy casualties caused by the second wave in 2021 , has brought a sharp shift in India's digitalization. According to a consumer survey by Counterpoint Research 's Market Lens , more than half of the country's smartphone consumers chose to buy online this year, compared with only about one-third last year. At the same time, Counterpoint's analysis of smartphone shipments so far this year also yielded similar data. In addition, according to Market Lens data, the entry-level flagship and high-end segments became more active in 2021, with 15% of respondents coming from a price range of 30,000 Indian rupees (about RMB 2,524 ) and above, compared with only 7% in 2020 .

While COVID-19 has made smartphones an essential part of life, it has also pushed many offline consumers to online platforms due to activity restrictions. In addition, the reverse migration of knowledge workers from large cities to small towns has also played a key role in the popularization of online channels. In addition to new consumers, there is also a strong stickiness among consumers who have already used online channels.

Transitioning to digital platforms requires people to step out of a certain comfort zone. However, this anxiety has taken a back seat. With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the offline market, online shopping has become a safer (and sometimes the only) alternative. Of course, there are more reasons to choose online over offline. Respondents cited exclusive discounts, a wide range of options, and prices as the main reasons why they prefer to buy smartphones online. We call this shift online digitalization because in addition to the channel preference for online, people also rely on YouTube anchors and influencers to obtain information about smartphone purchases. The survey results show a clear shift from heavy reliance on word of mouth and friends / family recommendations for smartphones in 2020 to reliance on YouTube videos and opinions of technology influencers in 2021. This change was catalyzed by the social distancing and work-from-home scenarios caused by COVOD-19 .

Market Lens Consumer Research 2020 and 2021

Source: Counterpoint Research

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers’ smartphone purchase budgets disappeared quickly:

• In 2020 , many respondents who purchased smartphones priced at INR 20,000 (approximately RMB 1,682 ) and above planned to lower their budget for their next smartphone.
• In 2021 , the entry-level flagship and high-end segments are more prominent.
• According to the survey results, the share of smartphone users priced below INR 30,000 (approximately RMB 2,524 ) declined from 2020 to 2021 .

Due to working from home, respondents have more savings than usual. In addition, with more online virtual connections, smartphones have become an indispensable part of life. As a result, the market has changed, and a large proportion of smartphone users will consider higher price points when buying their next smartphone. During the festive season in India in 2021 , consumer demand in the mid-to-high-end market was high. In fact, the desire for high-end smartphone brands has been growing from 2020 to 2021 .

Although more and more respondents are considering models in the entry-level flagship and premium segments, there are limited players in the smartphone market competition. This makes OEMs with smaller current market shares more prominent.

From: Counterpoint