Premiumisation drove the surge in smartphone sales this festive season

Smartphone sales were up 40% during Navratri and Dussehra, over the Shradh period. The premium segment and 5G-enabled devices drove most of this growth, says GfK report

The premium segment of the smartphone market grew faster during the two weeks of Navratri and Dussehra compared to the preceding two weeks of Shraddh, says Growth for Knowledge, a global leader in data and analytics.

However, other smartphone categories grew faster during the Dhanteras and Diwali period.

Smartphone sales were up 40 per cent during Navratri and Dussehra, over the Shradh period. The premium segment and 5G-enabled devices drove most of this growth, said the report.

5G devices grew by 51 per cent, accounting for 48 per cent of the market during Navratri and Dussehra, against a 24 per cent contribution during the same festival period last year. The overall sales contribution of 5G devices was about 75 per cent by value during that period.

An increase of 41 per cent in smartphone volumes was witnessed during Dhanteras and Diwali weeks when compared to Navratri and Dussehra period.

The segment priced below Rs 15,000 gained the most, with volumes surging by over 50 per cent and contributing 24 per cent to the entire smartphone universe. These smartphones contributed 34 per cent during the same period last year.

“The premium smartphone segment during the festival period (the Rs 40,000-plus segment) grew by 60 per cent. Overall smartphone revenues grew by 38 per cent, with the 6-6.5" screen size contributing 54 per cent by value and growing by 41 per cent during Navratri and Dussehra versus Shradh season this year,” said Anant Jain, Head of Market Intelligence, India at GfK.

The GfK report also shows that 4G device sales were up 48 per cent during Dhanteras and Diwali, while 5G only rose by 32 per cent, indicating that manufacturers are clearing 4G-enabled inventory through support schemes.

During the same period, devices with 6.5-7" screens grew faster, by about 61 per cent and contributed 50 per cent to the overall smartphone category.