Flipkart, Amazon likely to sell $1 billion of smartphones during sales: Counterpoint Research

New Delhi: Driven by discounts and other promotional offers during Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale and Amazon’s the Great Indian Festival sale, the online sale of smartphones is likely to cross $1 billion figure in a record five days, according to market analysis by Counterpoint Research.

Together, the two e-commerce majors are expected to make up for more than 85% of the total smartphone sales in India during the five-day offers, which began today.

Besides exclusive online launches, Flipkart and Amazon have laid stress on the smartphones market by coming up with various offers like cashback and exchange offers, no-cost EMIs, free screen replacement and free extended warranty period.

Flipkart has cornered the maximum number of exclusive smartphone models and will likely take a lead in terms of sales volume. However, Amazon is looking strong with its premium smartphone offerings, with upcoming launches such as OnePlus 6T, as well as its growing stickiness and value offered with the Prime programme.

“This year, we are estimating that smartphones worth over $1 billion are likely to be sold in the next five days, surpassing last year’s smartphone sales during Black Friday in the US,” Counterpoint’s associate director Tarun Pathak said.

Flipkart is likely to reach its highest ever share during this festive month, driven by an increasing number of online exclusive devices on its platform. Amazon, on the other hand, is likely to sell a record number of premium smartphones on its platform, driven by OnePlus 6, the upcoming OnePlus 6T and attractive offers on models like the Galaxy S9 and older iPhone models.

Top smartphones during Amazon, Flipkart sale

Around four-fifths of Flipkart’s sales are expected to be driven by Xiaomi, Realme, Motorola, Infinix and Honor while Amazon’s sales are likely to be driven by Xiaomi, OnePlus, 10.0R and Honor.

Xiaomi is likely to remain the market leader in e-commerce as it is all set to capture over half the total online market, according to the report. Its Redmi 5A, Note 5 Pro, Mi A2 and Redmi Y2 are now listed with aggressive price cuts, especially during the upcoming festive sales.

Counterpoint estimates that Realme has allocated 1 million devices for Flipkart’s sale.

Huawei’s Honor 7A, Honor 9N, Honor 7S and Honor 7C are estimated to generate volumes for the brand due to various offers and multiple payment options available through Flipkart and Amazon.

Samsung is also looking to drive volumes by bringing a couple of its best-sellers on online platforms too. Its Galaxy S9 is now available for ₹ 42,990, down from its earlier retail price of ₹ 62,500 on Amazon.

Asus is likely to retain its place among the top five online players as it has received a positive response for the Zenfone Max Pro M1. Availability of multiple offers in association with Flipkart is likely to boost sales.

The contribution of Chinese brands to total online sales is estimated to cross 70% mark this time.

Other brands like Samsung, Apple and OPPO will roll out offers on Paytm during the festive month, while Xiaomi will also hold its own promotional campaign on Mi.com.