Exclusive - PH TECH: Filipinos Tagged as The Biggest Smartphone Spenders!? Find out here !

Viber? Facebook? Instagram? We’re quite sure most Filipinos would be able to identify these applications. So it is not surprising to find out that a total of 3.5 million smartphones have been  shipped to the Philippines in the first quarter alone of this year. This explains why according to market research firm, International Data Corporation(IDC), that number increased to 20% in the recent months  Well, if you’re not quite convinced, try peeking into a restaurant or a coffee shop and you'd surely see  most people glued to their phones.In 

fact, the country is considered to have the highest consumer-spending on smartphones. It is also the fastest-growing market in the entire Southeast Asian region because this is where the biggest market players are located. 

Visitors look at the new Samsung Galaxy S7 on the opening day of the World Mobile Congress on Feb. 22, 2016, in Barcelona. PHOTO: DAVID RAMOS, GETTY IMAGES 

“With many of the more mature smartphone markets of the world already displayed signs of saturation, the Philippines smartphone market continues to enjoy robust growth owing to a relatively low smartphone penetration rate (30% in 2015), active local brand presence, and healthy consumer spending,” Jerome Dominguez, IDC Philippines market analyst for mobile devices, said in a press release.

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Many say that this growth is being pushed by the entry of cheap devices sold by local vendors. According to IDC, smartphones below P3,500 have now dominated the bulk of the market. Moreover, it seems that the Chinese and other global vendors are gradually catching up! IDC noted that Samsung and ASUS are making more products under P6,000 which makes it more affordable among the poorer Filipinos. Huawei and OPPO, are also expanding their foothold. Huawei shipped 108 million smartphones worldwide in 2015, up 44 percent year-on-year, conquering the world one step at a time. The Chinese never backs down, we guess.

However, the study found out that the richer consumers are more reluctant to switch brands.

Samsung has 37% of smartphones sold in the United States, while Apple captures a 29% share. On the other hand, Samsung only had a 9% share of sales in China, with Apple seeing a drop to 20%. Huawei raced ahead with a market share of 26%. 

Other countries such as India, South America, and Southeast Asia are also being entered. IDC said another key battleground would be innovation and after-sales service.

“Defect issues and poor after-sales continue to plague the smartphone market. It is only a matter of time before majority of Filipino consumers put more premium on smartphones that are not just easy on the pocket but also offer good value for money,” said Dominguez.

Source: TNP , Interaksyon

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