Apple faced a setback during China’s Singles’ Day shopping festival this year, with smartphone sales declining by double-digit percentages year-on-year from October 18 to November 10, according to Counterpoint Research. This happened despite the event being one of China’s largest online shopping festivals.
The decline in Apple’s performance can be attributed to increased competition from Chinese manufacturers, a slowing Chinese economy affecting consumer spending and an “abnormally high” number of rival handsets launched around the event. Not to mention Apple doesn’t have Apple Intelligence in China yet, with no speculations about the future.
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In contrast to Apple’s struggles, Huawei saw a 7% growth in sales, supported by price cuts on its Pura 70 and Mate 60 models. Xiaomi, another major player in the Chinese market, also experienced a decline, with sales volumes falling by 6%.
Despite the overall decrease, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max were reported as the best-selling models during the festival. In response to the sales dip, Apple has initiated multiple discount campaigns to boost sales.
The broader context shows that smartphone sales in China during the Singles’ Day event fell by 9% year-on-year.
While specific sales figures were not disclosed by major e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and JD.com, Alibaba reported that both Apple and Xiaomi surpassed 1 billion yuan in gross merchandising value during the event.
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