HTC’s sales woes continued into October with apparently no end in sight. Last month, the company saw sales of $200 million. The figure, however, represents a decline of 25.8% over the same month a year back. It is one of the few companies which regularly releases sales figures for each month, which makes these comparisons easier.
Sales also decreased by 6.8% compared to the last month, though it could be down to the anticipation of several high-profile launches including the company’s own flagship phones. The share price dropped a bit after the announcement of the figures.
In a more long-term scenario, the company has sold 18.18% fewer smartphones between January and October this year than it did in the same period last year. The revenue stands at NT$52.44 billion during this period.
A Silver Lining?
Still, compared to the drops experienced in August and September compared to the year before, the figure can be seen as an unorthodox silver lining. Those months, the company saw sales decline by 54% and 30% when compared with 2016’s statistics.
It appears almost certain that the sales figures in 2017 will be lower than those of 2016. If the negative trend continues, it will be the sixth straight year of sales decline for HTC, which was the first Android manufacturer and now one of the prime examples of older players falling from their pedestal.
New Phones Coming Soon
HTC predicts that things might finally improve in the upcoming holiday season, one of the more important ones in terms of sales, following the release of the new U11+ flagship and the upper mid-range U11 Life smartphones. It remains to be seen by how much though, as the starting figures for the period don’t look too healthy.
