Sales figures of 5G-capable smartphones have registered a significant growth and a large number of shoppers prefer buying these gadgets online — this is evident from the fact that e-commerce giant Amazon has witnessed double-digit sequential growth in sales in the second quarter in this segment. According to Ranjit Babu, Director, Wireless & TV, Amazon India, two factors are driving the sales of 5G smartphones — advantages such as faster downloads and the availability of affordable 5G-ready smartphones.

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He also informed that smartphones have been one of the fastest-growing categories on Amazon.in for various reasons. "Smartphones have been one of the fastest-growing categories on Amazon.in as we offer a vast selection from all the top brands across price points to cater to the evolving needs of our customers. In this category, we have witnessed a continued growth trajectory from the previous quarter as customers continue to embrace unparalleled speed, reliability, vast network capacity and seamless user experiences with the 5G era taking centre-stage. At Amazon.in, we witnessed a double-digit growth from Q1 2023 to Q2 2023 in the sale of 5G smartphones, which aligns with the increasing trend of customer demand," he stated.

Talking about the most popular price-point among smartphones, Ranjit said that the e-commerce platform has witnessed double-digit growth from January to June 2023 in the premium segment — priced at Rs 30,000 and above, as well as in the ultra-premium segment — priced at Rs 50,000 and above.

According to Ranjit, the growth has been fueled by various affordability options such as exchanges, no-cost EMI and bank offers.

ALSO READ | Sale of flagship, above 30k smartphone segments growing over 100% YoY: Ranjit Babu, Amazon India's Director of Wireless & TV

In terms of the mid-range segment, priced between Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000, customers are choosing devices with better build quality and specs as they continue to spend more time on their smartphones due to various reasons like work from home, video calling, OTT content consumption, or for playing online games resulting in increasing 5G upgrades Year-over-Year (YoY).

With the festive season around the corner, the e-commerce platform, Ranjit said, will continue to add value for customers through exchange offers and instant bank discount.

"We remain laser-focused on providing our growing customer base with the best online shopping experience amongst the largest selection of products at great value and convenience across the country. Apart from curated 5G selection, we are also putting in efforts to educate our customers with videos from trusted publishers and industry leaders answering the most frequently asked questions around 5G in the 5th Gear (Amazon's 5G store). With the upcoming festive season, we will continue to add value for our customers through exchange offers, low-cost and no-cost EMI and instant bank discounts along with our engagement with banks, sellers and ecosystem partners," Ranjit said.

Explaining how the choices of buyers differ in every segment, Ranjit said RAM and storage combination is the most important specification for users in the affordable segment.

"In the affordable segment (Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000), value-for-money 5G smartphones are a growing preference among customers. Better RAM + storage combination (6GB-128GB, 8GB-128GB) is also something that customers expect here. In the affordable premium segment (Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000) and premium segment (over Rs 30,000), flagship smartphones are gaining interest for technologically advanced features such as high-end processors, fast-charging batteries, gaming modes and AMOLED displays. Consumer demand further takes an uptake around the promotional periods," he summed up.