VietNamNet Bridge - Retailers have slashed the prices of many smartphone models, but sales are still going slowly in the peak sales season of the year.


{keywords}

Sales are still going slowly



High-end models

Nguyen The Long, manager of a private smartphone shop on 3/2 street in HCM City, said his shop had been running sale promotion campaigns in recent months to boost sales during Tet holiday season which will come in three weeks. Other shops are also running similar programs.

Long said sales are 10-15 percent higher than the same period last year. High-end models such as iPhone X, XS, and XS Max remain most wanted. Mid-end smartphone models such as Galaxy A7, A9 and Nokia 8.1 are also in high demand.

The price of Galaxy Note 9 512, which was just launched some months ago, is being sold by some large distribution chains at VND22.8 million only,  a sharp fall of VND5.7 million. Meanwhile, iPhone XS and XS Max have seen prices fall by VND2 million.

Retailers have slashed the prices of many smartphone models, but sales are still going slowly in the peak sales season of the year.

As for mid-tier products, Oppo F7 is now priced at VND7 million, or VND1 million lower than previously, while Galaxy A7 is at VND6.2 million, a drop of VND1.7 million.

At some retail chains, buyers receive vouchers for products at lower prices. Sales agents can lower the selling prices but do not violate manufacturers’ rules on dumping. 

Galaxy A7, Galaxy S9 and Note 9 are best sellers among Samsung’s models. Vietnamese branded products – Bphone and Vsmart – have become favorites thanks to reasonable prices and the ‘buy Vietnamese’ spirit.

Old models 

Vietnamese are still hunting for Apple’s old models, especially iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X which are now VND6-8 million cheaper than the new ones.

“The demand for Apple’s old models is always high because Apple is a strong brand,” said Nguyen Huy Tan, marketing director of a large distribution chain.

Some old Android models such as Samsung Galaxy A8+, Galaxy S8, S9, Huawei P20 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro also are popular. The products have good design, strong configuration and  cist half of other products.

Though sales have increased slightly, retailers remain unsatisfied. They said purchasing power may be better in one  week, when consumers receive salaries and have more time to shop. 

According to Counterpoint Research, by the second quarter of 2018, Samsung was leading the Vietnamese smartphone market, with 37 percent market share.


RELATED NEWS

Smartphone market: new rivals appear, but big players still thrive

Will Samsung set up a third smartphone facility in Vietnam?


Mai Lan