Coronavirus Impact: Global Smartphone Shipments Declined 38% in February
Mar. 21, 2020It has been the biggest fall ever in the history of the worldwide smartphone market.
“Smartphone demand collapsed in Asia last month, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and this dragged down shipments across the world. Some Asian factories were unable to manufacture smartphones, while many consumers were unable or unwilling to visit retail stores and buy new devices,” Sui said in a statement.
A large chunk of of smartphone production happens in China and with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, manufacturing in the country slowed to a halt in January which disrupted supply chains to many industries around the world, not limited to consumer electronics.
“The coronavirus scare has spread to Europe, North America and elsewhere, and hundreds of millions of affluent consumers are in lockdown, unable or unwilling to shop for new devices. The smartphone industry will have to work harder than ever to lift sales in the coming weeks, such as online flash sales or generous discounts on bundling with hot products like smartwatches,” added Yiwen Wu, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.
