Highlights
- The OnePlus smartphone shipments decreased by more than 20 percent across the world.
- Increased parent company structure of brand operations and decision-making.
- Retail offline presence declined in a number of markets due to channel issues.
Beyond the rumours of a significant brand merger and shift of operations, OnePlus is now in the midst of reports of a disruptive company that once had its place in the global smartphone industry. New information indicates the decline in market share, internal organisation and loss of autonomy, casting doubt on the future of OnePlus as an independent smartphone brand.
The shrinking Shipment and Market Share.
The recent reports in the industry note that the smartphone shipments of OnePlus are declining significantly, with the volumes reported across the world being down by more than 20 percent annually. Such important markets like India and China that had been a significant contribution to OnePlus sales in the past have experienced a significant contraction. The general brand shares in the worldwide smart phone market are said to have declined to low single digit serving as a measure of declining consumer strength.
Operational Restructuring and Consolidation.
OnePlus is said to be experiencing fundamental integration of its operations with the ecosystem of its parent company. This involves product planning, research and development and software teams consolidation. A number of combined internal teams have already been reported, and product launching and regional tactics have been reduced, which means that the shift to independent operations is not made.
Retail and Channel Adjustments.
Physical stores have also been reported to be weak in some areas. Several distribution agents are reported to have caused a decrease in availability of OnePlus products with the pretext of operation difficulties and low margins. This has also decreased the physical presence of the brand in the competitive smartphone retailing space.
The new narrative that surrounds OnePlus refers to a massive change based on consolidation and poor performance in the market. As the volumes of shipments decrease, as does the involvement in parent business and the retailing division becomes smaller, the role of OnePlus as a separate smartphone brand seems to fade, although it has not been officially announced that it has been shut down.
