Offline sales of mobiles expected to grow in 2021

New Delhi: The offline retail channel is expected to bounce back in 2021 to an extent, driven by the smaller towns and cities, and contribute some 60% to smartphone sales, as major brands such as Xiaomi and Realme double down on expanding their offline presence, say market trackers.

Growth in the online channel has jumped in the last three years — growing from 38.4% share in 2018 to 41.7% in 2019, and is estimated to be 45% in 2020. In fact, it outperformed the offline sales in October, crossing 51% for the first time, according to data from IDC.

But analysts at Counterpoint and CyberMedia Research are forecasting the offline retail channel to again dominate the market with a 60:40 distribution, as major brands such as Xiaomi and Realme expand their offline presence. IDC expects the same to be 55:45.


“2020 has been a peculiar year, which forced consumers to make online purchases, but as things normalise, we expect consumers will again buy smartphones,” said Shilpi Jain of Counterpoint.