The price of the entire iPhone 15 series has significantly decreased on multiple platforms in recent days, replacing the previous situation of offering at a premium.
On October 25th, a reporter from Securities Daily visited multiple Apple retail stores and noticed that the current price of the entire iPhone 15 series has not changed compared to the initial selling price. The price of the previous generation iPhone 14 mainstream model is on average about 500 yuan lower than the initial selling price. However, on multiple e-commerce platforms that have launched the "Double 11" promotion, the prices of the subsidized iPhone15 models have decreased by about 500 yuan to 2000 yuan compared to the launch price, which is a significant drop compared to the highest drop of 1000 yuan before the promotion.
In an interview, an Apple insider told Securities Daily that starting from October 29th, Apple will implement a new round of marketing strategies. On the occasion of the "Annual Carnival", combined with multiple measures such as the "Double 11" subsidy and direct reduction, the prices of multiple related products, including the iPhone, will fluctuate significantly based on inventory conditions. This is also a manifestation of Apple's accelerated integration into the Chinese market and accelerated "localization".
Further expansion of price decline
Compared to multiple stores, it can be seen that although the iPhone 15 series models have only been released for over a month, the large-scale shortage phenomenon has been alleviated. At Wangfujing and Sanlitun stores, iPhone15Pro256G, 512G black and blue titanium metal phones, as well as some signal phones of iPhone15ProMax, are in stock. Out of stock phones are scheduled to be shipped within 15 days. During the same period last year, the shipping time for iPhone14Pro and iPhone14ProMax took 5-6 weeks, spanning one and a half months. Moreover, their shipping times have been extended multiple times since their launch, resulting in a significant shortage of new models.
15 days is the latest delivery time, and this year's delivery time is shorter than previous years, and there is sufficient stock of mobile phones in stock. Our service is also the best compared to other platforms, "said an Apple customer service representative who received reporters.
In terms of price, the prices of the entire range of Apple iPhone 15 remain firm in stores. Regarding this, customer service personnel said, "Usually, on the eve of the launch of new phones, Apple only adjusts prices and promotes the previous generation phones in stores and official websites to reduce inventory and prepare for the sales of new phones." However, in several flagship stores, only a few consumers come to pick up and inquire. Compared to previous years of consumer queues, Apple's offline stores are still slightly deserted.
In stark contrast to the store's situation, on a mainstream e-commerce platform, the subsidized iPhone 15 series phones have seen a significant decrease in selling price, ranging from about 5% to 17%. Taking the iPhone 15Pro 512G blue titanium metal phone as an example, it decreased by 2041 yuan, a decrease of up to 17%. The subsidized mobile phones are supplied by Hengbo Digital Communication, Huahai Communication, and others. The reporter learned that these sales companies are all Apple phone agents and distributors.
A company official told reporters that due to the backlog of inventory in some models of the new iPhone, they decided to take advantage of the "Double 11" opportunity and allocate a portion of their products to participate in the platform's 10 billion yuan subsidy and price reduction promotion, which has never been the case in the past. A few years ago, Apple's new phones received a severe premium within three months of their launch, and were generally in a state of supply shortage
Apple will launch the new iPhone 15 series on September 22nd. However, since its launch, there have been frequent negative voices in the domestic market regarding the series: issues such as "breaking" when selling at a price, screen burning and not turning on... Under measures such as full discounts, subsidies, and limited time discounts on major platforms, many mobile phone manufacturers have started to lower prices and sell their models. According to data from market research institutions, the sales of the iPhone 15 series in China's first 17 days of release have decreased by 4.5% compared to the previous generation. Nowadays, the prices of this series of mobile phones continue to decline on e-commerce platforms.
In the past, the iPhone has always been the most valuable phone in the mobile phone market, and now the market situation shows that its value has decreased. Apple's price reduction is partly due to lower than expected sales of the iPhone 15 series after its launch; on the other hand, due to the impact of the booming market such as Huawei's Mate60 series, iPhone sales are facing challenges. "Ding Shaojiang, the founder of DingTech, told Securities Daily.
In the view of Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, from internal factors, the iPhone 15 series lacks creativity but has a high price, which is also the main reason for the market's decline in popularity and the sharp drop in mobile phone prices. Apple also needs to adjust its pricing strategy and improve cost-effectiveness to attract more consumers. In addition, Apple also needs to expand its channels to stabilize market share.
Increase inventory clearance efforts with the help of "Double 11"
The "Double 11" is the "highlight" of e-commerce platforms' annual year-end promotions, and also an important node for various mobile phone manufacturers to accelerate their efforts to hit annual sales targets and clear inventory.
Apple, which was once known for its image of "not reducing prices," also marked "See you on October 29th" on the official flagship store sales page of an e-commerce platform on October 25th, joining the "Double 11" mobile phone promotion team.
Regarding the reasons for Apple's active participation in the promotion, General Ding believes that some of Apple's new products have accumulated inventory due to weak market demand, and need to use the "Double 11" to drive sales through price reductions.
Guo Minghui, an analyst at Tianfeng International, recently wrote that the key to Apple's failure to launch new products is that the company needs to clear inventory and redesign its new products and marketing strategy for 2024.
For mobile phone manufacturers under inventory pressure, the 'Double 11' is crucial. Mobile phone manufacturers will launch various promotional activities during this period to attract more consumers to purchase. These promotional activities may also change the competitive landscape of the market and the procurement strategy of enterprises next year, driving the rise and fall of mobile phone brands in market share, "Jiang Han told reporters.