According to The NPD Group, , mobile phone handset sales to consumers in the
U.S. totaled 28 million units in the second quarter (Q2) of 2008, which is a 13
percent decline since the same period a year ago. NPD estimates total second
quarter 2008 consumer sales of nearly $2.4 billion, down 2 percent since Q2
last year. Motorola is just barely in the lead.
QWERTY smartphone sales saw the greatest increase. The average price of
phone was $84.
Following is the breakdown of the top five manufacturers'
share of units sold to
- Motorola 21%
- Samsung 20%
- LG 20%
- Nokia 9%
- RIM Blackberry 7%
As in previous quarters, phones sold in Q2 2008 were, by and large, more
feature-rich than those sold the year prior. Handsets sold with a QWERTY
keyboard saw the greatest year-over-year rise, with 28 percent of handsets sold
with this feature in Q2 2008, versus just 12 percent the year prior. Smartphone
sales comprised 19 percent of all mobile phone sales in Q2 2008, an increase of
9 percentage points since the same period a year ago. Also this quarter 81
percent of phones purchased were Bluetooth enabled (up from just 69 percent
from last year), and 65 percent of phones purchased in Q2 2008 were music
enabled (versus 45 percent last year).
The average selling prices (ASPs) paid by U.S. consumers reached $84, an
increase of 14 percent in Q2 2008 versus the same period a year ago; however,
Q2 2008 ASP declined nearly 4 percent when compared to Q1 2008 ($87) due to
price declines seen on brands like LG, Motorola, Nokia and RIM.
Carrier stores continue to lead all retail channels when it comes to handset
sales, maintaining their collective share of 63 percent of unit sales in Q2
2008, compared to just 8 percent for mass merchandisers and 6 percent for
electronic specialty stores.
Among specific carriers, AT&T expanded its unit-sales lead posting a 29
percent share, versus 26 percent for Verizon Wireless, and 11 percent for both T-Mobile
and Sprint.
ATT’s gain was owed to an increase in sales for pre-paid as well as
post-paid handsets.
NPD noted stable consumer sales from Samsung and Nokia and a jump in sales
for Sony Ericsson and RIM.
Methodology
mobile device sales data based on more than 150,000 completed online consumer
research surveys each month. Surveys are based on a nationally balanced and
demographically representative sample. Results are projected to represent the
entire population of
consumers. Note
corporate/enterprise handset purchases.