Looking at these numbers, Apple does not favor the novel Vietnamese market

A recent report by Counterpoint Research has revealed some remarkable information about the Vietnamese mobile market.

Accordingly, among the 5 major consumption markets in Southeast Asia including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, Vietnam is the market with the strongest sales decline, in terms of imported smartphones. export to the country.

Specifically, the decline of the Vietnamese market in the first quarter of 2023 was recorded at 30%, followed by Malaysia (down 29%), the Philippines (down 10%), Indonesia (down 7%) and Thailand (down by 10%). 1% reduction). The average decline in Southeast Asia in the last quarter was 13%.

According to this market research firm, the reason why the number of smartphones imported to Vietnam dropped sharply is because in the fourth quarter of 2022, the market received a large amount of goods. As a result, OEMs had to reduce output in the fourth quarter to match demand.

Even so, Apple’s iPhone products still recorded strong sales growth, according to Counterpoint Research. “iPhone in Vietnam is still growing. Demand for iPhone 13, 14 series products was very good in the first quarter of 2023,” the research firm wrote in its report. Besides Vietnam, Indonesia is also another market that recorded an increase in sales.

Worth mentioning, Apple is the only major manufacturer in the top 6 that recorded positive growth in Southeast Asia in the first quarter with an increase of 18%. The remaining manufacturers all declined, respectively 16% with Samsung, 10% with Oppo, 26% with Vivo, 13% with Xiaomi and 5% with Realme.

With the good growth of iPhone sales, it is not difficult for Apple to continue to strengthen its presence in the Vietnamese market. Recently on May 18, the online Apple Store store officially went into operation in Vietnam, allowing domestic users to order all its products and services, including some products. custom form that was previously difficult to obtain from genuine retailers.

Although the listed prices of Apple products on the online Store are mostly slightly higher than the retail prices outside, according to many people, the presence of the Apple Store online is not at all to compete with Apple’s own partners. which is an indication that the manufacturer’s interest in the market has been raised to a new level.

After the online Apple Store, domestic users expect the company to open an official retail store (Apple Store) in Vietnam, similar to that in Singapore or Thailand. Domestic experts confirmed that the company is constantly looking for and choosing a location to open this store because Apple’s standards for opening an Apple Store are very high. That store usually has to be located in a prime location on the most central streets in big cities, has a large enough area and is often located next to a series of other luxury brands.

Previously, a report from market research firm IDC also confirmed that Apple is a rare bright spot of the Vietnamese smartphone market in 2022 when it is the only major manufacturer with positive growth.