The International Data Corporation has
published its report on the Indian
smartphone and mobile phone market fo
Q4 2014. The market research firm note
that the smartphone market saw its first
shipment contraction in Q4 (quarter on
quarter), and attributed it to the high
channel inventory at the start of the
period amongst general trade caused by
the festive season online sales surge.
IDC notes the smartphone shipments
dropped 4 percent from the previous
quarter, while feature phone shipments
dropped 14 percent. A total of 64.3
million mobile phones were shipped in
Q4, a drop of 11 percent from Q3 2014,
and a drop of 5 percent from Q4 2013.
The market research firm also observed
migration from feature phones to
smartphones is accelerating, with the
smartphones taking a 35 percent share
of the total mobile phone market in Q4
2014, a rise of 13 percent from Q4 2013
"Smartphone vendors are quick in
gauging the consumer demand for 4G
handsets. In percentage terms, 4G
handsets are still in single digit. But
vendors who are not yet ready with the
4G portfolio are likely to miss the next
wave of smartphone growth story," said
Karan Thakkar, Senior Market Analyst,
IDC India.
Coming to the all-important vendor
market share figures, we see Samsung
keep its top spot with a 22 percent
market share, Micromax close behind
with an 18 percent share, followed by
Intex with a 8 percent share, Lava with
7 percent share, and Xiaomi with a 4
percent share. The other smartphone
vendors made up the remaining 41
percent share.
(Also see : Samsung Disputes Indian Smartphone Market Share Report, Says It's Still on Top )
IDC says while Samsung maintained its
leadership position in Q4 2014, it faced
stiff competition from "online exclusive"
brands in the value for money segment.
Micromax on the other hand saw
inventory correction in Q4 2014 "owing
to high inventories pumped into the
channels during the previous quarter."
Intex took the third spot in the
smartphone market, a position that
Counterpoint Research's data also
corroborated earlier this month. IDC says
the retail presence of the brand has seen
more than a twofold increase, while the
firm's focused product launches and
media advertisements have worked well
for it.
IDC adds that Xiaomi's "online only"
strategy paid off well, and the company
made it to the top five smartphone
vendor list despite a temporary ban on
particular handsets. IDC also noted Q4
was the first complete quarter for the
brand.
Coming to the overall mobile phone
(feature phones and smartphones)
vendor market share, Samsung stayed o
top with a 17 percent share, followed by
Micromax with a 15 percent share, Noki
with a 10 percent share, Lava with an 8
percent share, and Intex also featuring
an 8 percent share.
IDC forecast a "sluggish" Q1 2015,
though it added a few global vendors
that were in their inventory correction
phase will exhibit "big shipment numbers
starting Q1."
Kiran Kumar, Research Manager, Client
Devices, IDC India, added, "Operators ar
gearing up for 4G network rollout. For
vendors and ecosystem partners, greater
emphasis on 4G enabled handsets at
competitive price points will be the order
of the day. End-users' desire to upgrade
and keeping abreast with the latest
technology, will continue to drive a
strong growth for the Smartphone marke
in CY 2015."
Samsung Retains Top Spot in Indian Smartphone Market in Q4, Says IDC | NDTV Gadgets
