According to a report released today by the Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation (ZARF), Nokia still dominates the local market in terms of handset type ownership. The brand, which is on the decline globally, but continues to rule in developing countries. In Zimbabwe, the report says, about 65% of the handsets are Nokia devices. The report is for the second quarter (April to May 2013).
Not only is Nokia dominating the market, its share has actually risen from 60% in the Q4 2012. Unfortunately, they didn’t capture the exact distribution of the Nokia devices between smart, feature phones and dumb phones.
The next most popular mobile phone brand locally is Samsung, which, according to the report, has about 18% of the market share. Next is LG with 2%, and tied at 1% is G-tide, Sony Ericsson and, for some crazy reason, Vodafone. Crazy because Vodafone is not a device brand, so we’re guessing these are just mobile phones sent in to the country by relatives in the UK. Still, I haven’t seen anyone lately with a Vodafone device so not sure how reflective of data on the ground this is.
On the other hand, I have seen lots of people with GTel devices (me included – I have owned 2 GTel devices just this year alone), and yet GTel is not on the list. But assuming they have it listed as G-Tide (it’s old name from about 4 years ago), it’s still kind of suspicious that they have the same 1% market share as the Vodafone branded devices, and that their market share is dropping.
According to ZARF executives at the event, the results are just what the people they surveyed told them. This, they said, therefore represent what they people perceive, which might not necessarily be fact. The sample size was 2,000 people, 60% in the urban areas and 40% in the rural areas. They also said that if they had more resources, they’d increase the sample size to maybe 5,000 or more.
According the ZARF website, the organisation was established in 1997 to undertake independent market research on behalf of advertisers, the media, publishers, advertising agencies, public relations’ consultants, and the like. the organisation says thy initially adopted the South African All Media and Products Survey model because it seemed the most factual research of its kind.
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11 comments
GTel ndiyo GTide zve nhai
Zvakaoma
Three men on a boat?
I hope they left their phones in the car as very few are water freindly
That shows and measures our development as a nation!!
In mature markets Nokia is struggling to sell its phones and relegated to market crumps.
Bt it hav a division for manufacturing cheap phones that are simple and featureless. These are target for poor developing world and Zimba buying these in truckloads shows where we are.
Wrong. I have a $900.00 Samsung smartfone but I do not use it – it breaks down each time I drop it. My Nokia dump fone separates into four pieces when I drop it but I put it together and fone – at once – does not need a fone doctor – – thats a fone for me.
If you still got use for dump fones thats great for you because personally l dont.
My note 2 have droped quiet a few times and its still working
I think maybe because Gtel is not a brand but a copy
Far from true. Unless you are counting the Chinese grey handset that happens to have a Nokia sticker on it. 65% is tooo much, def.
I assume ‘Others’ and SMADL are the constituents of all grey handsets on the market, and that gives you only 13%, really 13% of Zimbabwean phones?? You must be kidding me!
Handiti Gtel is GTide.
This a seriously flawed research. Am not too sure whether the researchers are averse with mobile phone devices. Most Zimbabweans use grey phones, some knowingly and some unknowingly. Why ask people instead of observing usage, sales from dealers, activations (OEM server) activation and third party analysts. You can’t tell me with Econet and Telecel doling out all those smart devices, we don’t have a fair share of iPhone in Zimbabwe. Are we that poor?