Apple Struggles to Keep Pace with Huawei and Xiaomi in China’s Singles Day Sales
Data from Counterpoint Research reveals that Apple experienced a decline in smartphone sales during China’s recent Singles Day shopping festival. The research consultancy reported a 4% year-on-year decrease in the number of Apple smartphones sold from October 30 to November 12. In contrast, domestic rivals Huawei and Xiaomi saw robust increases of 66% and 28% in units sold respectively over the same period.
The growth in sales for Huawei and Xiaomi contributed to a 5% overall rise in the number of Chinese smartphones sold during the promotional period. While Apple’s latest iPhone 15 model starts at 5,999 yuan ($832), Huawei’s Mate 60 smartphones are priced from 5,499 yuan ($763), and Xiaomi’s latest Mi 14 smartphone starts from 3,999 yuan ($555).
Notably, Huawei and Apple have yet to comment on the data.
While e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and JD.com did not release specific sales figures, JD.com did state that the transaction volume for Apple products on its platform exceeded 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) during the Singles Day period. Xiaomi, on the other hand, announced that it achieved a cumulative gross merchandise value of over 22.4 billion yuan during the shopping extravaganza.
Analysts predict a rebound in the Chinese smartphone market, with expectations of year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter after ten consecutive quarters of declining shipments.
Fierce competition among smartphone models was observed prior to the sales event, with leading Chinese e-commerce platforms offering significant discounts on Apple iPhones. Apple launched its iPhone 15 series in late September, approximately one month after Huawei introduced the Mate 60 smartphone line powered by its independently developed advanced chip. Huawei’s Mate 60 series received substantial support in China, with fans considering it a testament to the company’s ability to overcome years of export controls imposed by the United States that severely impacted its smartphone business.
Xiaomi, in late October, launched its flagship Mi 14 smartphone series, and CEO Lei Jun reported that sales for the new line had already surpassed 1 million units shortly after its release.
Counterpoint analysts attribute Apple’s sluggish performance to supply chain difficulties that have limited availability of the new iPhone 15 models. Apple is improving compared to last month, but there still seem to be hiccups in terms of supply, said Ivan Lam, senior analyst for manufacturing at Counterpoint. However, Lam expects the situation to normalize soon.
In summary, Apple faced a decline in smartphone sales during China’s Singles Day event, lagging behind Huawei and Xiaomi. Analysts expect the Chinese smartphone market to rebound, and Apple’s performance was also affected by supply chain issues. Amid fierce competition, Chinese e-commerce platforms offered substantial discounts on Apple iPhones. The patriotic support for Huawei’s Mate 60 series reflects the company’s resilience against U.S. export controls, while Xiaomi’s Mi 14 series achieved strong initial sales.
