Apple experienced a decline in smartphone sales during China's Singles' Day shopping festival this year, attributed to an "abnormally high" influx of competing devices launched around the same time, according to Counterpoint Research's report on Wednesday.
The company reported a year-on-year sales drop of "double digit percentages" from October 18 to November 10. In contrast, Huawei, Apple's primary competitor in China, achieved a 7% increase in sales, driven by price reductions on its Pura 70 and Mate 60 models.
Xiaomi also faced a decrease in sales, with a 6% drop in volume.
Counterpoint noted that to take advantage of one of the year's largest sales events, most major Chinese manufacturers, except for Huawei, introduced their latest flagship models prior to the festival. This strategy was highlighted as a significant factor contributing to Apple's sales decline, whereas only Xiaomi had adopted this approach the previous year.
Huawei did not provide a comment, and Apple and Xiaomi were unavailable for immediate responses.
Overall, smartphone sales in China during this major online shopping event fell by 9% year-on-year, as a sluggish economy dampened consumer enthusiasm despite promotional efforts, according to Counterpoint.
Apple's performance during Singles' Day highlights the intensifying competition it faces in the world's largest smartphone market, particularly from Huawei, which has made a strong resurgence in the premium segment.
In response, the U.S. tech giant has initiated several discount campaigns to enhance sales. Counterpoint reported that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max emerged as the top-selling models during the festival.
China's e-commerce giants, including Alibaba and JD.com, have ceased the practice of disclosing sales figures for the festival since 2022. However, Alibaba reported that brands like Apple and Xiaomi achieved gross merchandising values exceeding 1 billion yuan.