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Glance Active User Base in India Reaches All-time High of 189 Million in Q2 2022

6 million active users were added to Glance’s lockscreen platform in Q2 2022.
Glance launched the Hyperlive content format to boost engagement.
Glance’s partnership with realme continued to drive growth in the active user base.

New Delhi, London, San Diego, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – October 13, 2022

Leading lockscreen platform Glance’s active user base in India grew to its all-time high in Q2 2022 to reach 189 million, according to Counterpoint Research’s Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker. The platform witnessed a user base growth of 25% YoY during the quarter, adding 38.5 million users. Compared to the previous quarter, 6 million new users were added. The growth was driven largely by partnerships with smartphone manufacturers, as well as new content formats aimed at driving user engagement.

Glance provides content to Android-based smartphone users on their lockscreens. With the first screen touch, users have the latest updates based on their preferred genre and language. The lockscreen platform provides personalized content via video stories, live-streaming and other modes. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to understand consumers’ preferences. The content on Glance’s lockscreen platform is available in multiple languages and covers categories like current affairs, entertainment, technology, sports, fashion and travel.

Glance launched Hyperlive content on its platform during the quarter. Hyperlive is a live format that enables users to enjoy two-way interaction with some of their favorite celebrities or creators. Hyperlive holds the potential to further boost active engagement in the coming quarters.

Glance Active User Base, Q2 2021-Q2 2022 (in millions)

Source: Counterpoint Research Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker, Q2 2022

Commenting on Glance’s lockscreen growth, Research Analyst Arushi Chawla said, “The partnership with realme, which is the third-largest smartphone brand in India, continued to drive growth in the Glance active user base in Q2 2022. Glance has become a benchmark for lockscreen innovation for Android phone users. Major OTT platforms such as Netflix, Sony Music and Warner Music have also been utilizing the Glance lockscreen platform to connect with audiences for new movies, shows, and music releases.”

In Q2 2022, Glance hosted Glance Live Fest, a live interactive festival on the smartphone lockscreen. In addition, considering the popularity of cricket among the Indian population, Glance’s lockscreen platform has provided the fans with an all-new way to watch and interact with some of their favorite IPL teams. For Bollywood fans, Glance’s lockscreen platform often schedules live sessions with stars like Rajkumar Rao, Kareena Kapoor, and Rana Daggubati. Glance has also expanded to the smart TV segment by announcing the launch of the Glance TV platform. Glance TV will be a live interactive content platform available on Android smart TV home screens.

Chawla added, “Glance’s lockscreen platform is present across different genres and local languages, and has tied up with top Android smartphone brands. It is now expanding its horizons by launching Glance TV. Besides, Glance is also expanding and strengthening its geographical footprint. Along with India, Glance is growing its presence in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, while plans are being firmed up for high-potential markets like the US and Latin America.”

Methodology

Glance’s mobile application presence is calculated from our panel database of over a million smartphone active users. Model-level Glance penetration data and active user ratios were extrapolated to our monthly smartphone installed base data using various parameters such as brand, model and price band to predict Glance’s active user base. We expect the results to have a statistical precision of +/- 5% at the confidence interval of 90%.

This is a sponsored survey to better understand the brand’s presence in the Indian smartphone market.

Disclaimer

Counterpoint Technology Market Research All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, we disclaim all warranties as to the accuracy and completeness of this report. Counterpoint shall have no liability for errors, omissions, or inadequacies in the information contained and any direct/indirect damages. All opinions and estimates herein are subject to change without notice.

Analyst Contacts

Tarun Pathak

Arushi Chawla

Counterpoint Research

50% of Current TWS Users in India Likely to Upgrade Within a Year: Survey

About 60% of the current TWS users plan to stick to TWS for their next hearable purchase.
Battery life, sound clarity and call quality will be the key buying factors for the next TWS purchase.
The average selling price (ASP) of India’s TWS market is expected to rise in the near term.

London, San Diego, Buenos Aires, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – December 21, 2021

Half of the current TWS users in India plan to buy their next TWS device in a year or less, according to a consumer survey conducted by Counterpoint Research’s Market Lens Service. Further, the ASP of India’s TWS market is expected to rise to the INR 5,000-INR 10,000 price band. About 60% of the current TWS users in India plan to stick to TWS for their next hearable purchase. Battery life, sound clarity and voice quality are the top three factors that will be considered by the respondents for their next TWS purchase.

Due to COVID-19, most parts of India experienced lockdowns or restrictions that led to extended work/study from home. As a result, a big portion of the respondents, irrespective of the type of occupation, ended up spending money on hearable devices, like TWS. The survey numbers indicate that the market will continue to get solid support even after the pandemic.

Commenting on the study’s overview, Research Analyst Arushi Chawla said, “The popularity of TWS is growing swiftly. According to Counterpoint’s India Hearables (TWS) Shipment Tracker, India saw TWS shipment of 7.9 million units in Q3 2021 with the country starting to recover from COVID-19 restrictions. Our latest consumer survey deep-dives to understand the past purchase journey of TWS along with future preferences toward hearables, particularly TWS. This study also reveals insights on the TWS design preference and outlook towards Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and health and fitness features in a TWS device.”

Source: India TWS Consumer Study, Counterpoint Research

Being the leading TWS brand in India, boAt is also consumers’ most preferred brand for a future TWS purchase. About 60% of the current TWS users prefer boAt for their next TWS purchase. boAt is followed by JBL, Samsung, OnePlus and Apple. boAt’s popularity continues to grow – from 28% of the respondents currently using boAt TWS earbuds to 58% of the respondents preferring it as their next purchase. JBL’s TWS devices also appear to be climbing up the ladder in market share – from less than 10% of respondents using JBL currently to more than 40% preferring it for the next purchase.

Chawla added, “There are a diverse set of players in both TWS and smartphone markets. With fierce competition in maturing segments like smartphones, emerging segments like hearables, especially TWS, open fresh opportunities for new players as well as smartphone brands looking to expand their portfolios and strengthen their ecosystems.”

Discussing future consumer preferences, Senior Analyst Pavel Naiya said, “TWS, despite being a newer technology in India, has a bigger list of market players and hence more options for the consumers. As a result, the market share is spread across many players. However, boAt continues to be the top player. boAt TWS is most preferred for its sound clarity, followed by battery life. Price always plays a key role in finalizing a purchase, especially in a segment that holds a lot of scope to expand and innovate. The INR 5,000 and above price band currently contributes 27% share to the TWS market. But it will have a stronger grip in future as about 40% of the respondents are planning to purchase their next device from the same price band.”

Methodology

The study was conducted in India using an online survey panel of a heterogeneous group of TWS users. A sample of 1,027 respondents was collected using the quota-sampling methodology for better representation of the universe as per the current TWS brand share in the market. We expect the results to have a statistical precision of +/- 4%.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts

Arushi Chawla

Pavel Naiya

Counterpoint Research

Glance Active User Base in India Crosses 150-mn Milestone

London, San Diego, Buenos Aires, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – September 21, 2021

Glance, a leading lockscreen content platform owned by InMobi Group, achieved the milestone of 150 million active users in India in Q2 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker. With 151 million active users, Glance grew 8% QoQ in Q2 2021. One in every four Indian smartphone users is now active on the Glance platform, which offers an interactive lockscreen experience to Android smartphone users.

Commenting on the development, Research Analyst Arushi Chawla said, “India is a mobile-first country, with over 90% of the internet users accessing it from a smartphone. As the overall smartphone market is maturing and consolidating, with top OEMs capturing most of the market, it is also a challenge to maintain hardware differentiation when the form factors remain similar. In such a scenario, the long-term value creation will depend more on delivering differentiation through over-the-top (OTT) services. Therefore, Glance, with its presence in more than half of the current user base of the top four smartphone brands in India (Q2 2021), holds a vital role.”

Exhibit 1: Glance Active User Base, Q1 2021 vs Q2 2021

Source: Counterpoint Research Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker, Q2 2021

Glance, coming as a pre-installed lockscreen application, provides frictionless onboarding to new smartphone users. Besides, it continues to devise engaging ways to create stickiness to its platform:

Glance is progressively adding a variety of engaging content, like live, interactive broadcasting.
One of the core strategies of Glance is to support multiple regional languages. Glance eases the content discovery and absorption for a larger user base by offering eight Indian regional languages.
With the use of ML (Machine Learning), Glance provides personalization of content across categories, including fashion, entertainment, sports, news, travel, tech, and more. Curated content and effective editorial control further make the platform clickbait-free.

The change in content consumption habit from search to discovery has made the activity more platform-driven. Therefore, the overall experience of an online content consumer now depends on content availability, quality and personalization. Glance has succeeded in matching this new trend of content discovery with its offering.

Exhibit 2: Price Band Split for Glance Active Users, Q2 2021

Source: Counterpoint Research Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker, Q2 2021

According to Counterpoint data, Glance continues to have a robust presence in the sub-$250 price band, which forms about 80% of its active user base. Further, more than one-tenth of the 5G smartphone installed base is equipped with the Glance platform, thus making it a future-ready test pad for the next phase of content innovation.

Senior Research Analyst Pavel Naiya said, “With the proliferation of 5G devices and the introduction of 5G network in India in the coming times, it will become more crucial for all hardware players to focus on content play for long-term survival. In this process, the $200-$400 price band will be the biggest segment in short- to mid-term smartphone growth. The strong presence of the Glance platform in the majority of active smartphones in this price band makes it a potential candidate for the OEMs for a long-term collaboration.”

Methodology:

Glance’s mobile application presence is calculated from our panel database of over a million smartphone active users. Model-level Glance penetration data and active user ratio were extrapolated to our monthly smartphone installed base data using various parameters such as brand, model and price band to predict Glance’s active user base. We expect the results to have a statistical precision of +/- 5% at the confidence interval of 90%.

This is a sponsored survey to better understand the brand’s presence in the Indian smartphone market.

Background:

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in detailed industry analysis of the TMT sectors. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analysis of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are experts in the industry with an average tenure of over 15 years in high-tech industries.

Analyst Contacts:

Pavel Naiya

Arushi Chawla

Counterpoint Research

Feel free to contact us at press(at)counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights, or for press enquiries.

Record 65% YoY Growth for India’s Smart TV Market in Q2 2021

New Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Boston, Toronto, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul – September 17, 2021

India’s TV shipments grew 46% YoY in Q2 2021, according to Counterpoint Research’s TV Tracker Service. The post-pandemic economic improvement, aided by active retail channels fulfilling the pent-up demand, was the key reason for this growth.

The smart TV market in India recorded an extraordinary 65% YoY growth in Q2 2021. Due to the increasing smart TV demand, OEMs are rapidly increasing smart TVs in their portfolios. Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and Sony held the lion’s share in the smart TV market in Q2 2021 while OnePlus retained its position in the top five with a 20% QoQ growth. The smart TV market continued to grab share from the non-smart TV market, taking an 80% share of the overall TV market during the quarter.

Non-smart TVs from Samsung and LG still have some traction in the market but have very little share in these brands’ product portfolios as some long-tail brands have rushed in to benefit from the void in this segment.

Source: Counterpoint Research Monthly India TV Tracker, June 2021

Research Associate Debasish Jana said, “India has always been a very lucrative market for TVs. With a large installed base of CRT and non-smart TVs, the country holds great potential for the growth of the smart TV segment.”

Jana added, “During the COVID-19 lockdowns, people were forced to remain at home for longer periods, resulting in a spurt in the demand for home entertainment, which in turn made the smart TV more popular in the country. Besides, OEMs are offering smart TVs with high specifications at very competitive prices, attracting consumers even more towards the smart TV.”

The sales channels, both offline and online, are playing a very important role in the market. The online channel continues to grow at a fast pace after the pandemic forced consumers to shop online while also permanently changing the shopping habit of some.

Commenting on the retail channels, Jana said, “TV brands in India are leveraging the growth of online channels. They are partnering with e-commerce websites and using them as a launch platform to attain countrywide reach. This symbiotic relationship between the brands and e-commerce websites is also benefiting the end consumer, both in terms of accessibility and affordability.”

The rise in prices of panels (or open cells) and other TV components, along with chip shortages, in the global market is keeping OEMs under pressure and we expect some price increase by a few top TV brands in the country. However, the Indian TV market is growing at a faster pace and is expected to reach pre-pandemic level by early 2022.

Market Summary

For Samsung, the entry-level T4000 series was the main volume driver in Q2 2021 and helped it to lead the overall TV market. Apart from that, the 2021 version of the Crystal series made its mark on the market. Samsung’s QLED TV business saw a 400% YoY growth in the quarter.

Xiaomi continued to lead the smart TV segment with a 23% market share. The MI TV 4A, 4A Horizon edition and 4A Pro were its best-selling models while the newly launched Redmi TVs also helped the brand grab volumes. Xiaomi is constantly pushing the boundaries towards the premium market as well, the latest effort being the launch of its QLED TV series.

LG continued to increase its share in the market with a 65% YoY growth. The brand has announced a new campaign, “Together We Can Make Life Better”, which offers exclusive deals and assured gifts.

Sony is mostly targeting the premium segment, although its affordable series is also doing well. In the premium category, the X series was in demand in Q2 2021. Sony held a sale for its TVs, targeting the IPL season with discounts and extended warranty. The promotions certainly gave some extra boost to its sales.

OnePlus and realme have established themselves in the market as strong players and are giving a tough fight, particularly in the affordable and mid-range price segments.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Debasish Jana

Tarun Pathak

Follow Counterpoint Research
press(at)counterpointresearch.com

India Smartphone Market Set for Record Shipments in 2021

India’s smartphone market will reach 173 million shipments in 2021.
More than 100 million smartphones will be shipped in H2 2021.
5G devices will make up 19% of the overall market.

India’s smartphone market shipments are set to hit a record high of 173 million units in 2021 at 14% YoY growth, according to Counterpoint Research’s India handset quarterly outlook. More than 100 million smartphones are expected to be shipped in H2 2021. The market has been experiencing strong consumer demand after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in June. The strong sales momentum will continue during the festive season from August to November.

The market has been experiencing a steady growth curve over the last five years to reach 158 million units in 2019. COVID-19 saw the market experiencing only a minor dip of 4% in 2020, showcasing its resilience as well as the emergence of smartphones in a more important role to cater to the pandemic-triggered need for digital communication and newer use cases. Even as the second COVID-19 wave hit the country in Q2 2021, the smartphone market bounced back faster than expected and registered its highest ever shipments in H1 2021.

As the number of COVID-19 cases remains under control and the vaccination program continues, the economy will bounce back and raise consumer confidence. The pent-up demand will also play a role, although its impact will be limited compared to last year as COVID-19 lockdowns were shorter this time around. The biggest factor pushing the market could be the launch of Reliance Jio’s low-cost Android phone JioPhone Next in September, which will enable migration of feature phone users to smartphones.

JioPhone Next to trigger feature phone-to-smartphone migration

India’s smartphone market opportunity is far bigger than what it seems to be. The country has a considerable installed base of 320 million feature phone users. Getting these feature phone users is the key to realizing the full potential of India’s smartphone opportunity. The JioPhone Next phone is expected to be priced below $75, a price point that hasn’t seen major activity in the last two years. If it works as expected, we might see the Indian market entering a period of hyper-growth.

5G smartphones to grow 8X in 2021

In 2020, 5G smartphones accounted for less than 3% of the market. But in 2021, the market for 5G devices will grow over eight times to reach 32 million units and make up 19% of the overall smartphone market. Intense competition among OEMs, availability of cheaper 5G chipsets and declining prices of 5G devices will lead to more 5G devices being pushed into the market. The average price of entry-level 5G devices has come down by 40% in the last 12 months. The cheapest phone with 5G now costs less than INR 15,000 (around $200). Preference for 5G devices is also high in India, with 21% of consumers claiming it is one of their top three priorities while purchasing their next phone.

Long-term outlook remains positive

India’s smartphone market is the second biggest market in the world after China. In 2020, the Indian market outperformed the North America, Latin America and Africa markets. Our outlook for India for the next five years remains positive, keeping in mind its 1.39-billion (and growing) population, upgrade of users from feature phone to smartphone, and future emergence of new use cases. The market is set to cross the 200-million mark in the next couple of years.

The comprehensive and in-depth Market Outlook is available for subscribing clients. Feel free to contact us at press(at)counterpointresearch.com for questions regarding our latest research and insights.

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