Falling Smartphone Prices In Emerging Markets To Drive 1 Bn Sales
New Delhi: Emerging markets like Asia Pacific would drive the growth in smartphone sales in the next four years, as mass markets such as India and China are expected to see fall in prices of such handsets, says research firm IDC.
The research firm expects global smartphone shipments to surpass a billion units this calendar year and 1.7 billion by 2017 aided by steady decline in average selling prices (ASPs) and emerging markets, including Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa (MEA) contributing in volumes.
From a volume perspective, emerging markets including Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA) will all post market-beating growth rates from 2013 to 2017. Asia Pacific will also experience some market share growth from 2013 to 2017, IDC said.
"The key driver behind smartphone volumes in the years ahead is the expected decrease in prices," IDC Mobile Phone Team Research Manager Ramon Llamas said.
Particularly in emerging markets, where price sensitivity and elasticity are so important, prices will come down for smartphones to move beyond the urban elite and into the hands of mass market users, he added.
The firm expects smartphone shipments in Asia Pacific to touch 528.2 million units this year and 986 million units by 2017.
Read Also:
