The pandemic has influenced the world we live in, in multiple ways. From physical distancing to virtual classrooms, life as we knew it has truly changed. Considering more people are spending time with families who have different entertainment, professional and educational needs, there is a growing requirement for multiple screens in a single household. This has led to many people becoming more budget-conscious, especially in their smartphone purchases. As a result, Flipkart has witnessed a 60% surge in product searches in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment since June, compared to the pre-pandemic era. More than 51 million Flipkart users sought a budget smartphone in the sub-10K segment.
While 5000 mAh and 6.22" screen were considered to be the benchmarks for this segment in terms of battery capacity and display size, the standards have gone up in the past few months, with brands introducing phones with 6000 mAh battery and 6.82" display in this price point, the report says.
Over the past few months, the primary role of smartphones has evolved for most people and multi-tasking continues to be the need of the hour. People are spending longer hours on their smartphones and longer battery life is no longer negotiable. Flipkart witnessed a growing trend in the number of battery related search queries, which has doubled since March.
The rise in demand for budget phones during this period has encouraged several brands to introduce new entrants that work seamlessly for hours. The popular choices include: Realme with its C series (C2 and C3), Xiaomi with its Redmi 8 and 8A and Infinix with its Hot Series. Flipkart also saw the entry of three new entrants on the platform – Gionee, Itel and Tecno, which have continued to build a strong consumer base in deeper regions of the country.
Affordable data plans have amped up demand for smartphones in Tier 3 cities and beyond. This has led to the growing need for budget smartphones. The biggest share of demand for these affordable smartphones has been from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar and West Bengal. Over 70% of total demand is from tier 2+ regions and beyond.
There has been a growing consumer need to upgrade their current devices due to the dynamic features offered by recently launched smartphones. To that effect, Flipkart witnessed an uptick in several affordability initiatives such as the Warranty Assistance program that enables users to avail the brand warranty services from the comfort of their homes at just Rs 99. The adoption for product exchange (which allows consumers to return their old functional mobile phone in any condition to avail benefits) has increased significantly over the past few months, the report states.