Seoul, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Beijing, London, Buenos Aires, San Diego - October 13, 2021

Chinese brands now dominate the Colombian smartphone market, accounting for more than 65% of the market and capturing four slots in the top five brands’ list. Leading this Chinese group is Xiaomi, which had more than 26% market share in Q2 2021.

Top Chinese Smartphone OEMs’ Shipment Share, Q2 2021 vs Q2 2020

Commenting on the competitive landscape, Research Analyst Andres Silva said, “Xiaomi’s growth is the result of the brand’s aggressive push to get closer to the end customer. Since its arrival in the country in 2018, the brand has opened 12 Mi stores in different regions. Also, the company has built a strong partnership with all the big operators in the market. The strategy is to bring value-for-money devices with the latest technology. One example is the top-selling bundle in Claro — Mi 11 Lite 5G smartphone + Mi band 5 + Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic, which is available for COP 1’ 799.000 (about $470).

Motorola, although technically a Chinese brand as it is part of Lenovo, is perceived as an American brand by many Colombian consumers. It was in second place in Q2 2021 among the Chinese players in terms of shipments, which grew 27% over Q2 2020. However, since this was below the market growth, it lost 3.7% points share over the same period last year. Affected by fierce competition from new Chinese brands entering the market, such as vivo and TECNO, the company is fighting back by strengthening its marketing machinery in operator and retail channels.

vivo took the third position among the Chinese players. Its Y series models are a success and pushed its market share to 5% in Q2 2021. vivo has been following a unique strategy since its entry into Colombia. In 2020 it has partnered with operators to focus on online sales, and this bet is paying off.

TECNO has made Colombia a part of its growth effort involving Africa, the Middle East, and Asia’s Southeast and South. An online-only sales channel and strategic partnerships with local distributors around Colombia’s main cities led it to take more than 3% market share in Q2 2021.”

Colombia Smartphone Market Share by Brand Origin, Q2 2021

Commenting on Chinese brands’ performance in Colombia, Principal Research Analyst Tina Lu said, “Chinese brands have doubled their volume YoY. Part of it is because Colombia was in a severe lockdown the same quarter last year. But even in terms of market share, Chinese brands’ share increased by 15% points driven by the newcomers and competition to fill the space vacated by Huawei. Due to its unique market, many Chinese brands are entering the LATAM region through Colombia. The country provides unrestricted access to its market and promotes entry-level smartphones by waiving value-added tax on devices priced below $200. Besides, the operators and retail channels maintain a healthy balance.”

Background:

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts:

Andres Silva

Tina Lu

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