The share of domestic brands of push-button phones is growing

Based on the results of eleven months, sales of push-button phones in the Russian Federation decreased by 11% in units and by 17% in money, retailers and distributors calculated, the share of domestic brands increased significantly, amounting to 58%. Such devices can be purchased for citizens in new territories, as well as in combat zones, experts say, expecting a general drop in the market in units of 10–15% by the end of the year.

From January to November, sales of push-button phones fell by 11% in units and by 17% in money compared to the same period last year, MTS calculated at the request of Kommersant. In total, during this period, 4.7 million push-button phones were sold for 7.4 billion rubles. A representative of the operator clarified that the average price of a device sold also decreased by 7%, to 1.6 thousand rubles. “The share of Russian brands in 2023 amounted to 58% in units, while a year ago it was 47%,” the company clarified. A similar trend is observed in Fplus. According to a representative of the holding, since the beginning of the year, 4.6 million devices have been sold (a decrease of 14% year-on-year) for 7.8 billion rubles. (a drop of 13%).

At the same time, growth is observed in the Internet sales segment, as follows from the GfK report, which Kommersant reviewed. Thus, according to the company, from January to October, online sales of push-button phones in Russia increased year-on-year by 21% to 1.03 million units. In monetary terms, online sales increased by 134 million rubles, to 1.5 billion rubles. The growth is fastest for Russian brands: for F+, Maxvi, Strike it exceeded 100% in units. Sales of a number of foreign brands fell sharply – by 43% for Nokia and 44% for Panasonic.

In the fall of 2022, against the background of the announcement of partial mobilization, there was a significant increase in demand for push-button phones. Vedomosti reported that at the end of September the number of push-button devices sold in various networks increased almost manifold. However, the trend could not reverse the general trend of declining sales of push-button phones – ComNews reported that at the end of 2022 they decreased by 14% in units and by 7% in money.

Independent expert Alexander Surkov notes that most push-button phones are used as a second, service or simply spare. However, he sees no reason for an increase in sales of such devices in general: “Push-button phones are doomed, but it will be a long process.”

According to Denis Kuskov, CEO of the analytical agency TelecomDaily, by the end of the year the segment of push-button phones will show a decline of 5%. “They can be bought for people in new territories and those in the combat zone. Such phones, unlike smartphones, essentially do not need to be held in your hands when purchasing, so they are often bought online,” he says.

Business analyst at the Fplus IT holding Artur Makhlayuk suggests that by the end of 2023 the overall drop in sales of push-button phones will be 10–15% in units: “We see the continuation of a long-term trend in which the number of traditional users of push-button smartphones is gradually decreasing.” At the same time, he believes, the share of Russian devices in the falling market will continue to increase.

Alexey Zhabin