India’s traditional PC market that comprises desktops, notebooks and workstations delivered another strong quarter during the January to March 2022 period shipping over 4.3 million units with a Year-Over-Year (Y-O-Y) growth of 37.7%, said International Data Corporation (IDC) on May 19.
While the notebook category continued to be the volume driver with 3.1 million units, the desktop category saw more than a million units for the first time since 3Q2014, it reported. A recovery in the government segment continued consumer demand and a channel inventory push from the vendors helped the market to remain upbeat, it said.
The demand for PCs continued to stay strong across segments as people continued to procure PCs for remote learning and working. With the financial year-end in Q1 (Jan-Mar), the government segment witnessed a significant recovery, enterprise and SME buying remained upbeat and grew 47.2% and 31.7% Y-O-Y respectively. Additionally, vendors tried to procure sufficient stock in anticipation of supply delays due to lockdowns in China, as per the data put out by IDC.
While online channels had a share of 13.4% and witnessed Y-O-Y growth of 17.5%, offline channels witnessed the bigger spike as they grew by 41.4% Y-O-Y, said the research outfit.
Bharath Shenoy, Senior Market Analyst, PC Devices, IDC India said, “The consumer segment stayed positive as it witnessed an impressive 27.9% Y-O-Y growth. While e-tail channels experienced good traction, the relaxation of COVID-19 related restrictions led to a surge in retail footfall as an increased number of people started buying PCs from offline stores, thereby leading to a strong consumer quarter.’‘
With schools and colleges reopening, vendors were back-to-school campaigns in Q2, which might extend consumer momentum. However, high inflation and rising device prices may dampen sentiment as consumers delay their purchases, he cautioned.
IDC’s top five PC players in India during 1Q2022
HP Inc. shipped over 1.4 million units and continued to lead the overall PC market with a share of 33.8% in the first quarter of calendar 2022. The vendor had its biggest ever consumer quarter and a strong commercial quarter in 1Q22 with a share of 33.2% (650,000 units) and 34.3%, respectively.
Dell Technologies secured a distant second position with a 19.4% share and 22.6% YoY growth in 1Q22. While it was ahead of Lenovo in the commercial segment with a share of 24.2%, in the consumer segment, it was a close third behind Lenovo. The vendor was second in the enterprise segment with a share of 31.5%, driven by strong momentum from its global accounts.
Lenovo continued to hold its third position behind Dell in 1Q22 with a share of 17.6%. The vendor managed a 20.5% Y-O-Y growth, primarily driven by a strong performance in the commercial segment. It clocked its second-biggest quarter ever among SMBs, shipping close to 200k units and growing at 37.5% Y-O-Y.
Acer Group retained the fourth position with a 9.8% market share in 1Q22. Driven by strong demand for commercial desktops, the vendor grew 75% Y-O-Y. It had its biggest quarter ever in commercial desktops, shipping more than 2,00,000 units for the first time. The vendor also made significant inroads in commercial notebooks, where it witnessed a Y-O-Y growth of 56.3%.
ASUS maintained the fifth position with a share of 6.2% in 1Q22, as it grew by 58.6%. Seamless supplies and expansion in offline channels helped the brand to grow in the consumer segment. It also pushed hard in the commercial segment, where it witnessed a Y-O-Y growth of 67.4%.
“The PC market saw an upswing owing to the hybrid model of working and learning. PCs becoming the most dependable tech tools, we at HP will continue our focus on consistent insights-based innovation and introduce products to address the evolving best-in-class experience to users from all segments,” said Ketan Patel, MD, HP India Markets.
