其他服務業Business News

Apple continues to lose positions in the import of smartphones to Russia. In the first quarter of 2023, 700,000 iPhones were imported into the country, which is 30% less than a year earlier. For the same period in 2022, 1 million Apple smartphones were imported into Russia. Then the company's market share was at the level of 14% and allowed it to take the 3rd place in terms of imports among all brands. Now Apple occupies 11% of the market and 5th place, respectively. This is stated in the reports of the GS Group company (available to Vedomosti).

1st place in terms of the number of imported devices this year is occupied by Xiaomi (21% of total imports). For the first quarter of 2023, 1.3 million smartphones of the brand were brought to Russia, follows from the report. Samsung deliveries were reduced to 900,000 units, and the brand's share was down to 14%. Honor smartphones were imported into Russia by 730,000 units, and the brand's share increased from 4 to 11.3% over the year. Imports of Realme smartphones to Russia amounted to 710,000 units, or 11% of imports, according to a GS Group report.

Despite the fact that Apple's market share in the Russian Federation has dipped significantly, the company is still in the top three in terms of the number of smartphones used, the company's analysts found out. Russians have more than 13 million iPhones in their hands today. Samsung currently has the largest fleet of devices in Russia - 31 million units. In 2nd place in terms of prevalence is the Xiaomi brand. According to GS Group, 24.8 million devices of this brand are currently operating on the networks of operators.

The turnover of the Russian smartphone market in the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 167 billion rubles, having decreased by 15% year-on-year, GS Group analysts calculated. In money terms, Apple still ranks #1, with the iPhone accounting for 40% of smartphone sales during this period. Apple's turnover compared to the first quarter of last year decreased by only 21%, according to a report by GS Group. The reduction in imports compensated for the increase in average prices from 89,000 to 98,000 rubles. for the device, since the 14th iPhone family is initially more expensive than the previous ones, Alexander Surkov, head of the GS Group analytical center, explained. Samsung and Xiaomi occupy the 2nd and 3rd places with 16% and 13% shares in the turnover of the Russian market, respectively. Also, the top five market leaders in terms of money included Honor with a share of 7% and Realme (6%), follows from the document.

The share of the Russian market in global iPhone shipments has fallen to 1%, but the Russian market is still interesting for the company, since in addition to revenue from the sale of smartphones, the company receives about 100 billion rubles. from Russian iPhone owners in the form of commissions in the App Store, Surkov noted.

Even a share of 1% of the world's iPhone shipments is a serious amount, which no company will refuse, Artur Makhlayuk, business analyst at F + tech-Marvel Group, agrees. In addition to iPhone sales, the manufacturer also profits from the sale of other products, he said. According to him, there is a good chance that the company will return to Russia when the opportunity arises. In the context of the shrinking smartphone market in the world, Apple is interested in any opportunities, and the Russian market in particular, especially given that it was the largest in Europe, Fintech Lab analyst Sergey Vilyanov agrees with him.

The fall in iPhone imports turned out to be less significant than expected, Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics, noted. In fact, the number of imported devices may be even higher, since the GS report does not take into account the number of iPhones imported for their own use or resale, for example, to Avito, says Burmistrov. In this case, the devices do not need to be declared, the expert notes. According to Burmistrov, the total volume of imported Apple gadgets is actually at least 800,000-850,000 units.

Apple's share in the Russian Federation is indeed decreasing, Denis Kuskov, CEO of Telecom Daily, confirms. In 2021, with total annual sales of smartphones at the level of 30 million units. Apple accounted for 15-16% of the market, i.e. somewhere around 4.5-5 million units, the expert cited the data. In 2022, he said, the figure has halved to 2-2.5 million smartphones sold. In terms of money, the company maintains its position primarily because its products belong to the high price segment, Kuskov explained. “Any electronics store now has 3-4 booths with Chinese smartphones and one booth with Apple and Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S23 smartphones, so Apple will continue to be the market leader in its segment,” Kuskov said.

Apple's leadership in money is primarily determined by the high average cost of devices, Makhlaiuk agreed with him. At the same time, the sales leader in 2023 is not the latest iPhone model, but the 2021 iPhone 13 128 GB model, the expert knows: since the beginning of 2023, 120,000 units have already been sold, he cited the data. It is followed by the 128GB iPhone 11 (107,000 units), and only in 3rd place is the 256GB iPhone 14 PRO MAX (75,000 units), he noted.

Another reason for Apple's leadership in money is the reduction in the turnover of other players, Vilyanov noted. The fact is that the demand for smartphones with Android has shifted towards devices for 20,000-30,000 rubles, he explained.

Apple's prospects in the Russian market in 2023 depend on the further actions of the company itself, Vilyanov believes. If some other functions are disabled, and payment through operators becomes impossible, interest in the platform will continue to decline, the expert noted. This year, the share of sales of Apple devices in the Russian market will remain at about the same level or slightly decrease, Makhlayuk believes. According to him, in recent weeks it fluctuates in the range of 7.5-8%, but may drop to 5-6%. One of the main reasons for the decline in demand is the inaccessibility of some of the functionality and services of Apple for Russians, he agreed with Vilyanov.

Source: https://www.vedomosti.ru/technology/articles/2023/05/19/975806-apple-vibila-iz-troiki-liderov-v-rf?utm_campaign=newspaper_19_5_2023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=vedomosti