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Smartphone sales in Europe rose week on week in Week 26, according to Counterpoint Research, rebounding after several weeks of market-wide decline.
Amazon Prime Day promotions helped lift sales, with all major smartphone brands covered by Counterpoint's weekly tracker recording gains from the previous week.
Week 26 was the strongest week for European smartphone sales in more than a month, based on the firm's Smartphone Weekly Sales Tracker. The market had been weakening since late May, with sales falling from Week 20 through Week 23 as inflation and cautious household spending weighed on demand.
Retail activity also contributed to the slowdown. Handset makers had reduced promotions in earlier weeks to protect margins, leaving the market with few incentives to spur purchases.
Broad rebound
The improvement was broad-based rather than concentrated in one brand. Apple, Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, HONOR and OPPO all posted positive week-on-week growth during the promotional period.
Apple recorded a 4% week-on-week sales increase and delivered the largest absolute gain in unit sales among the major manufacturers tracked. Samsung also grew, while Google extended its recent sales recovery.
Xiaomi's increase was supported by the launch of its 17T series and the continuation of its June Summer Sale campaign. Retailers also reinforced the Prime Day push with direct discounts and bundled accessories.
HONOR also recorded higher weekly sales. OPPO posted the fastest week-on-week growth rate among the major brands, suggesting promotion-driven demand reached multiple parts of the market.
Timing effect
A key factor was Amazon's decision to hold Prime Day earlier than usual, shifting the event to June 23-26 from its traditional July slot. The timing coincided with a particularly weak period for smartphone demand in Europe.
The move created an inflection point for a market that had been struggling with weak consumer sentiment and limited promotional activity. In a mature market such as Europe, such events can act as a short-term release for demand that has been delayed rather than eliminated.
Jan Stryjak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, linked the rebound directly to the timing of the event.
"Amazon's decision to move Prime Day forward a few weeks to June 23 through 26, from the traditional July, to avoid conflicts with major sporting events and the summer holiday season appears to have paid off. The earlier event aligned almost exactly with the weakest point in European smartphone demand momentum, maximizing its impact as a boost for demand," said Jan Stryjak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research.
Cautious reading
Even with the rebound, Counterpoint signalled that one strong week does not necessarily mark a sustained recovery. The market entered the promotional period from a weak base, after a run of softer weekly results and reduced vendor activity.
That means the latest improvement may reflect pent-up demand released by discounting rather than a broader shift in underlying conditions. Smartphone makers and retailers are likely to watch the weeks after the promotion closely to see whether sales remain firmer once the event effect fades.
For manufacturers, the findings underline how dependent sales can become on major retail campaigns when consumers are hesitant and everyday demand is subdued. In that setting, the timing and scale of promotions can have an outsized effect on weekly market performance.
Sujeong Lim, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, said the result should be read carefully despite the improvement.
"The sales results of Week 26 represent the most encouraging weekly performance in Europe in recent times, but they must be interpreted with caution. The market was in a significantly vulnerable state leading up to Prime Day. While demand has always existed, it required the event to trigger it, a common occurrence in mature markets. Therefore, we believe that how effectively OEMs leverage these types of regional or global events will become increasingly important going forward," said Sujeong Lim, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research.