Chinese smartphone brand Vivo shipped 4.2 million units in India in the first quarter of 2019, marking an increase by 108.4% year-on-year and making Vivo the fastest growing brand among all vendors in this South Asian country, according to market research firm IDC.
That shipment number implies that Vivo holds 13% of India’s smartphone market, making it the third largest vendor in the country. That’s a step up for the company. In 2018, Vivo shipped 14.2 million units in India, giving it 10% market share in the country.
IDC said Vivo’s jump in sales was driven primarily by its new flagship V15 Pro and affordable Y91, adding that the vendor continues to invest heavily in marketing initiatives with attractive channel margins and schemes.
Xiaomi and Samsung remain the most popular brands in India. In 2018, Xiaomi and Samsung held 28.9% and 22.4%, respectively, of India’s smartphone market, IDC’s research shows.
IDC compiled fresh data for the first quarter of 2019 to conclude that Xiaomi shipped 9.8 million units in India in the first three months of this year, giving it 30.6% market share. Meanwhile, Samsung shipped 7.2 million units, keeping its market share relatively unchanged at 22.3%.
Vivo’s aggressive movement in India recalls its competitive rise at home. In China, Xiaomi was the first Chinese brand to supersede Apple and Samsung in shipments, but was eventually surpassed by Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo. IDC’s research shows that Xiaomi is now the fourth largest smartphone vendor in the country.
Earlier this month, Xiaomi refuted media reports about its first quarter worldwide shipments that cited “certain market research institutions.”
Xiaomi said it shipped more than 27.5 million smartphones in the first three months of this year—a slight dip from the 27.8 million units shipped in the same period in 2018—while IDC claimed that the brand experienced a 10.2% year-on-year decline to 25 million.
Contact the writer at jingli@kr-asia.com
