Chinese laptop manufacturers are gradually beginning to expand into the Russian market, which is freeing itself from Western brands. According to Izvestia, the Chinese brand Thunderobot has already begun to officially supply computer equipment in cooperation with a domestic partner, M.Video – Eldorado.
Image Source: El Dorado
According to the publication, laptops from other Chinese companies are also sold in Russia, as manufacturers need new sales markets, and competition in the Russian market has noticeably decreased once morest the backdrop of Western sanctions. Domestic experts expect that Chinese manufacturers will be able to partially compensate for the departure of Western vendors from Russia, many are sure that officially imported Chinese equipment is more attractive than options imported under “parallel” schemes.
It is known that while Thunderobot laptops will be sold only in M.Video-Eldorado networks and in their online stores. In addition, residents of Russia can purchase Thunderobot mobile computers in the manufacturer’s online store. So far, we are talking regarding importing gaming laptops that have already arrived at retail, and later other electronics, including desktop computers and monitors, will appear on sale.
Thunderobot is part of the Chinese Haier Group, which has long been present on the Russian home appliances market. According to industry experts, it has not yet been possible to establish large-scale parallel imports of laptops, with the exception of Apple models, for a number of reasons – from currency fluctuations to problems with assessing the popularity of certain models.
At the same time, the demand for computer equipment is declining in the country, in particular, in the second quarter of this year, 40% less laptops were sold in unit terms and 45% less in money terms compared to the first quarter. According to other data, in the second quarter sold 15% less laptops than in the same period last year. The decline in demand is due to both the relative shortage of laptops themselves and the fall in the purchasing power of the population.
According to some experts, not only the Thunderobot brand, but also other Chinese vendors have begun to explore Russia. According to the expert community, small companies are not afraid of Western sanctions, and it is difficult even for the US authorities to track their sales and impose restrictions on manufacturers, especially because in the United States themselves they sometimes literally do not know regarding the existence of these manufacturers, and they are not present on the markets, where they can be pressured.
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The industry believes that parallel imports will not be able to cover all the needs for laptops and other electronics in any case, and the official import of Chinese technology is cheaper and faster than bypass schemes. At the same time, buyers will be able to receive an official warranty and service from manufacturers.
According to the latest data, sales of laptops Huawei in the first half of 2022 more than tripled compared to the first quarter of last year, with other Chinese brands present in all segments of the laptop market, and their products are often not inferior in quality to Western brands. Citilink has already announced the sale of Realme, Chuwi and Infinix laptops, and in the near future they intend to add regarding ten new Chinese brands.
A noticeable increase in the supply of Chinese electronics is also observed on online marketplaces. In particular, Ozon recorded a sharp increase in sales of Chinese laptops last quarter and, as the site representative expects, there will be enough offers to cover demand.
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