The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the second quarter of 2015 show Apple iOS returning to growth across Europe’s five largest countries, while its share dropped in the U.S.
Europe’s big five markets are Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
“Apple iOS returned to growth across all of Europe’s ‘big five’ markets, as it recorded its first year-on-year gain in France since February 2015,” reported Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “In the U.S., as we forecasted last month, Android’s growth continued in the quarter ending June 30, with both Samsung and LG increasing their share sequentially. Forty-three percent of all Android buyers mentioned a ‘good deal on the price of the phone’ as the main purchase driver for their new device.”
“In Europe, Android’s performance was mixed, posting its strongest year-on-year share drop in Germany since the beginning of 2015,” said Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe. “The size of the screen was the main purchase driver for Android buyers across all of Europe’s big five countries. Although screen size has grown in importance as a purchase driver since the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, iOS buyers are generally driven by a wider list of factors, such as phone reliability and durability, as well as the quality of the materials.”
“While the Android ecosystem in Europe and China continues to offer several brands to choose from, Android in the U.S. is undergoing its strongest consolidation yet, with Samsung and LG now accounting for 78% of all Android sales,” Milanesi added. “LG is the real success story of the quarter. Not only did it double its share of the U.S. smartphone market once again, but it was also able, for the first time, to acquire more first-time smartphone buyers than Samsung.”
“In urban China, Huawei took the top spot in the smartphone vendor ranking based on the success of its Honor lineup,” said Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. “The Honor 4X, Honor 6, and Honor 6 Plus all made it into the top 10 most popular smartphones. Both Huawei and Xiaomi have been able to expand their appeal to a wider range of consumers by extending themselves beyond their initial market positioning. Huawei now attracts a younger and more affluent base with its Honor brand, while Xiaomi also appeals to older users, who look for reliable, good-value-for-money offers. Within Android, which accounted for 79% of the smartphones sold in urban China in the second quarter of 2015, new names are emerging, such as Meizu, whose share grew 700% over the same period in 2014, while established names, like Lenovo, experienced weaker sales compared to one year ago.”
Over the past few weeks, technology brands such as Marshall and Commodore have moved into the smartphone market. Thanks to Android, the barrier to entry for new vendors has been significantly reduced. “Entering the smartphone market is relatively easy, but being profitable is not,” Milanesi warned. “Some brands may successfully capture a niche if they are able to deliver enough differentiation. However, brand strength in other technology areas, such as cameras for Kodak, or PCs for Commodore, does not guarantee success in the smartphone business.”
To view an HTML version of the summary data and an optional PDF file, please visit:www.kantarworldpanel.com/global/News/Apple_iOS_Returns_to_Growth_in_All_Europe_ Big_Five_Markets
| Smartphone OS Sales Share (%) | ||||||||
| Germany | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | USA | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | |
| Android | 81.3 | 75.1 | -6.2 | Android | 62.7 | 66.1 | 3.4 | |
| iOS | 10.6 | 13.2 | 2.6 | iOS | 32.8 | 30.5 | -2.3 | |
| Windows | 6.4 | 10.5 | 4.1 | Windows | 1.9 | 3.0 | 1.1 | |
| Other | 1.7 | 1.2 | -0.5 | Other | 2.6 | 0.4 | -2.2 | |
| GB | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | China | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | |
| Android | 59.3 | 53.2 | -6.1 | Android | 84.3 | 79.0 | -5.3 | |
| iOS | 28.6 | 34.1 | 5.5 | iOS | 12.8 | 20.1 | 7.3 | |
| Windows | 10.7 | 11.3 | 0.6 | Windows | 1.2 | 0.5 | -0.7 | |
| Other | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 | Other | 1.7 | 0.4 | -1.3 | |
| France | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | Australia | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | |
| Android | 71.4 | 73.2 | 1.8 | Android | 68.2 | 57.6 | -10.6 | |
| iOS | 14.7 | 16.8 | 2.1 | iOS | 25.5 | 34.6 | 9.1 | |
| Windows | 10.6 | 8.7 | -1.9 | Windows | 5.1 | 6.4 | 1.3 | |
| Other | 3.3 | 1.3 | -2.0 | Other | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.2 | |
| Italy | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | Japan | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | |
| Android | 75.9 | 72.0 | -3.9 | Android | 59.6 | 54.4 | -5.2 | |
| iOS | 12.3 | 12.4 | 0.1 | iOS | 39.5 | 42.2 | 2.7 | |
| Windows | 10.1 | 14.2 | 4.1 | Windows | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Other | 1.7 | 1.4 | -0.3 | Other | 0.9 | 3.4 | 2.5 | |
| Spain | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | EU5 | 3 m/e Jun 14 | 3 m/e Jun 15 | % pt. Change | |
| Android | 85.1 | 88.1 | 3.0 | Android | 73.8 | 71.3 | -2.5 | |
| iOS | 6.8 | 8.8 | 2.0 | iOS | 15.3 | 17.5 | 2.1 | |
| Windows | 7.5 | 3.0 | -4.5 | Windows | 9.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | |
| Other | 0.6 | 0.1 | -0.5 | Other | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.7 | |
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About Kantar Worldpanel ComTech’s Smartphone OS Market Share Data
Kantar Worldpanel ComTech’s smartphone OS market share data provides the media and businesses with access to the most up to date sales and market share figures for the major smartphone operating systems. This information is based on research extracted from the Kantar Worldpanel ComTech global consumer panel. ComTech is the largest continuous consumer research / mobile phone tracking panel of its kind in the world, conducting over one million interviews per year in Europe alone. ComTech tracks mobile phone behavior – including phone purchases, bills/airtime, source of purchase, and usage. It also delivers additional data to promote an understanding of the drivers of share changes, and consumer insight market dynamics. All consumer data in this release excludes enterprise sales.
About Kantar Worldpanel
Kantar Worldpanel is the world leader in consumer knowledge and insights, based on continuous consumer panels. Its High Definition Inspiration™ approach combines market monitoring, advanced analytics, and tailored market research solutions that inspire successful actions by its clients.Kantar Worldpanel’s expertise about what people buy or use – and why – is recognised by brand owners, retailers, market analysts, and government organisations globally.With over 60 years’ experience, a team of 3,500, and services covering 60 countries directly or through partners, Kantar Worldpanel helps brands grow in fields as diverse as FMCG, impulse products, fashion, baby, telecommunications and entertainment, and many others.
For further information, please visit:www.kantarworldpanel.com.
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Kantar is the data investment management division of WPP, and one of the world’s largest insight, information, and consultancy groups. By connecting the diverse talents of its 12 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Kantar’s 27,000 employees work across 100 countries and the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to deliver business insights from every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune 500 companies.