A study conducted by a Hong Kong-based research firm revealed that Samsung's smartphone sales fell by more than 50% in China in the first quarter of this year. Apparently, Samsung's offerings were not as attractive as those of other manufacturers such as Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo.
Samsung's smartphone shipments in China fell 60% year-on-year to 3.5 million units in the first quarter. As a result of the lower sales, Samsung's market share fell from 8.6% in the previous quarter to just 3.3% now.
The Korean manufacturer has lost ground to local manufacturers like Huawei and Vivo, which increased their market share by 25% and 60% respectively. Huawei increased its market share to 19.7%, but it was not the company that recorded the highest shipment growth in the last quarter. Oppo managed to increase phone shipments by 80% in China.
The report reveals that Oppo and Vivo are the fastest growing brands in China, followed by Huawei. They occupy the top three spots in the country and are followed by brands such as Apple and Samsung, the two largest smartphone manufacturers in the world.
But the market in China is informal, customers can choose from a plethora of smartphones that have the latest specifications but at affordable prices. In addition, Chinese smartphones are available for online shopping and have local app services, which local customers value highly.
In contrast, Samsung's phones are only available offline and lack dedicated app services for customers in China. They are also more expensive than other offerings on the market, making them less attractive to Chinese users.
