In 2023, demand for premium smartphones in Ukraine will return to pre-war levels, Ukrainian retailers are confident. "Apple" equipment made money for gadget sellers, especially after the autumn presentations of new models. When to expect the start of sales and what the prices of the iPhone 15 will be, I figured out Forbes Ukraine.
"Don't forget that the new iPhone is half of Mavik," he writes Kostyantyn Koshelenko, deputy head of the Ministry of Social Policy on his Facebook about the new iPhone 15. The Great War changed the priorities of Ukrainians, but it seems that this trend no longer applies to Apple products.
"Many people adapted to the new conditions associated with the war and returned to the usual conditions of consumption," - says Vadym Lysyuk, CEO of Citrus. Dynamics of demand for premium smartphones increased by 2022% compared to 12, says manager of the "Smartphones, accessories and audio" department of the "Allo" network Yevhen Valier. In the incomplete year 2023, the network sold almost as many iPhones as the year before. Where do retailers get such optimism from?
How much can iPhone 15 cost in Ukraine?
Apple's new smartphone has not too many differences from the iPhone 14. The main modification is a European-style charging port. Unlike its predecessors with Lightning, the iPhone 15 has USB Type-C. The reason for the changes is the corresponding law of the European Parliament, which obliges equipment manufacturers to switch to a single type of chargers from 2024.
Prices for the iPhone 15 in the US have not changed much - from $799 and from $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus. The new iPhone Pro and Pro Max will cost from $999. There are no official prices for Ukraine yet. "We expect them to be at the same or somewhat more expensive than the current iPhone 14 line," says Oleksandr Hayvoronskyi, head of Rozetka's "Electronics" department.
For the iPhone 15 in Ukraine, you will have to pay from UAH 45 for the standard model to UAH 000 for the iPhone 68 Pro Max, predicts Foxtrot marketing director Oleg Nikolskyi.
Pre-orders in the US open on September 15, sales start on September 22. "We can predict the start of sales in Ukraine approximately in the third or fourth week after the presentation," - Nikolsky is based on the experience of previous years. "Apple" novelties are already on the websites of major electronics chains with the note "on sale soon". However, it is still not possible to place an order - at most, you can subscribe to the notification about the start of sales.
Smaller players are faster and more willing to announce prices. For example, the Yabluka network offers the new iPhone 15 with 128 GB for almost UAH 43, Estore – for UAH 000. At Icoola.ua, only iPhone 40 Pro worth up to UAH 000 is available for pre-order.
Why retailers expect a surge in demand for premium smartphones
Demand for Apple products at Rozetka is quite stable, says Hayvoronskyi. Rozetka sells more than 10 iPhones every year. For comparison: sales of "Citrus" are many times more - 000 units from the beginning of 116 until August 000.
However, in the first five sales of the marketplace of Vladyslav and Iryna Chechotkiny, the democratic models of Xiaomi, Samsung and Motorola on Android. In 2021 and 2022, the first place was held by Xiaomi Redmi 9A with a price of up to UAH 4000.
In the summer of 2023, among the leaders will be gadgets in the price segment of UAH 5000–10 and budget models up to UAH 000, says Valier from Allo. Apple technology is in fifth place.
Interest in premium smartphones in Ukraine unexpectedly fell at the beginning of the great war. "But in about half a year the situation stabilized a little, and in a year the demand reached the level of 2021," says Lysyuk.
Similar statistics in Rozetka - sales of expensive gadgets went up already at the beginning of 2023. With the release of the 15th iPhone, the share of premium smartphones will return to the pre-war level of 2021, Hayvoronsky believes. By the end of 2023, in monetary terms, they will occupy 35–37% of the market, according to Nikolsky's internal analytics.
In general, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Apple to sell its equipment. The iPhone is the only product whose sales will grow by 2023% in 1,5, or more than $51 billion, according to the company's quarterly report. During July - September, the company earned $94,8 billion. This is more than $11 billion more than in 2022, when Apple also managed to achieve record revenues thanks to the iPhone.
"After the presentation, as usual, the demand increases sharply," says Lysyuk. He hopes to improve the statistics of "apple" gadgets in the high season of "Black Friday" and New Year's holidays.
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