According to IDC data, the last quarter of 2022 saw a decrease of approximately 20% in smartphone shipments compared to the same period of the previous year. It was the worst drop in a single quarter, just at what should have been the hottest sales of the year.
The poor performance during the 2022 holiday period was mostly a reflection of the downward trend we have seen for a while. last year had the lowest annual shipment of mobile phones since 2013. A total of 1.21 billion devices were distributed during the period.
“We’ve never seen shipments lower than in the previous quarter during the holiday period,” said Nabila Popal, IDC’s director of research.
Users change phones less
IDC’s analysis of its latest data is that people worry less about replacing their devices, and as a result, vendors are more conservative with their orders. Stores prefer to sell existing inventory rather than order large quantities of new items.
The market analysis company estimates that it takes an average of 40 months for people to change phones in the largest markets. The perception is that the segment has reached a sort of “plateau” in performance, where newer devices do their part very well and most customers are less interested in switching.
The drops have even affected giants like Apple and Samsung. Apple remains at the top of sales in second place with its main competitor Android, but the two companies have seen a nearly 15% drop in their orders recently.
Source: Tec Mundo
