The India wearables market registered 4.2 million unit shipments in 1Q20, clocking 80.6% year-over-year (YoY) growth, according to the recent data from the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. This growth was driven by strong momentum in the earwear category, which grew by 289.2% YoY accounting for most of the category shipments in 1Q20. Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) now contributes 23.1% to the overall earwear category growing 300.7% annually in 1Q20.
However, the quarter registered its first sequential decline after consecutively growing for the last eight quarters as the shipments declined 17.9% in 1Q20. Supply constraints from China, followed by the countrywide lockdown in mid-March led to this decline. The impact was largely seen on wrist bands as the category saw a 33.5% quarter over quarter (QoQ) decline in 1Q20.
“The earwear category is witnessing a major shift from wired to wireless devices. The lockdown which led to growing need of working from home and also, increased the entertainment consumption, has further accelerated the shift to wireless devices,” says Anisha Dumbre, Market Analyst, Client Devices, IDC India. “These devices not only help to reduce outside noise while users are taking virtual meetings but also help them to stay connected without any wires,” adds Dumbre.
Product Category Highlights
Wristbands witnessed a 28.0% YoY decline in 1Q20 as top brands faced challenges in procuring the supplies during the quarter. Despite supply constraints, Xiaomi maintained its lead with 41.9% market share, although it witnessed an annual dip of 39.3% from the same quarter last year. GOQii with its integrated preventive healthcare platform overtook Titan to reach the second position with a 13.6% share in 1Q20.
Watches observed a YoY growth of 43.3% in 1Q20 with a total of 209.4 thousand watches being shipped in the country. Huami’s Amazfit continues to maintain its lead in the watch segment with a 22.4% category share. Fossil stood second with 17.9% category share, very closely followed by Apple with a 17.7% share to hold the third position in this category. However, Apple still leads the smartwatch category which includes the watches which can run third-party applications on the device itself.
With 3 million earwear devices shipped in the first quarter of the year, the earwear category witnessed a triple-digit YoY growth in 1Q20. boAt led the segment with a 23.9% share, competing very closely with Samsung, which includes devices from Samsung, Infinity, and JBL, with a 23.6% share in this category. Samsung surpassed Apple in the Truly Wireless Stereo category with a 29.8% market share mainly because of its newly launched Galaxy Buds Plus, Apple finished second with 15.7% market share in this category.
Summarizing the potential impact of COVID-19 on the overall wearables market in India, Jaipal Singh, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India commented, “COVID-19 has slowed down the pace of growth for wearables in India. Now when people are working from home and having limited physical activity, the usage of watches and fitness bands in India has drastically come down. This is also impacting the need for a new device as many people prefer wearing a device when they go out or involve in physical activity.” He further adds, “This impact is expected to prevail for a few more quarters, however, we expect some resurgence in demand in the second half of the year and outlook remains positive for the year.”
