Latest research data shows that majority of American customers opt to purchase their iPhones from carriers instead of purchasing them directly from Apple, and since the company’s smartphones are carried by all major carriers in the country, it’s not customers have to worry about not getting the latest iPhone on their carrier of choice. Apple has been taking steps to boost iPhone sales through its stores but they don’t appear to be working the way it would like them to.
The Wall Street Journal reports with latest data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners that between 2013 and 2015 the number of customers in the United States who purchased an iPhone through carriers went up from 65 percent to 76 percent.
During the same time period, Apple’s share in iPhone sales through its online and brick-and-mortar stores declined from 16 percent to 11 percent. The remaining 13 percent of iPhones were purchased through retailers like Target and Best Buy.
It’s not the end of the world for Apple because it’s not like the company is seeing a rapid decline in iPhone sales. The iPhones continue to fly off shelves but most of those shelves don’t belong to Apple and that has a financial impact on the company since it makes more profit when it sells an iPhone directly to customers.
There are obvious advantages of selling to customers through Apple Stores. The customers can be sold on accessories, plans like AppleCare and the iPhone Upgrade Program. The most important factor is that in its own store, customers can’t really compare the iPhone with rival smartphones, which often get prime real estate in carrier stores.
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