Source: Finance Association
Authors: Tang Zhixiao, Ao Jin, Chen Mei, Yu Shiqi, Guo Hui, Huang Xinyi, Zhu Ling

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” At 8 a.m. on September 22, a large number of consumers gathered at the entrance of an official Applestore in Shenzhen. The store staff counted down the time to welcome the consumers who entered the store early in the morning to pick up the goods.

On September 22, the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter went to Apple stores and authorized stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Wuhan, respectively, and discovered that there were basically queues at all officially operated Apple stores in the morning, while authorized stores were rather deserted.

Channels such as online and instant retail are still important this year. The “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter learned that pre-ordered items from multiple platforms have already arrived. Sales of instant retail platforms such as Meituan, Are You Hungry, and JD Home have all shown a high growth trend.

It is worth noting that although the actual sales situation varies from place to place, the current sale of the iPhone 15 Pro series has shown scalpers and price increases.

A channel operator in Shanghai told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter,There isn't much premium for the new Apple model this time; it depends on the model.Among them, the Pro Max 256G generally has a premium of 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan, while the blue version has less premium, about 400 yuan.

The iPhone 15 Pro series is “hard to find”

At the Apple Store in Xidan, Beijing, the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter discovered that iPhone 15 Pro series products are “hard to find,” while standard and plus iPhone 15 series products can be picked up the same day.

Afterwards, the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter called several other Apple stores in Beijing. After inquiring, they learned that each had basically the same situation. All of the Pro series were out of stock, while the Standard and Plus versions were fully stocked.

The “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter asked the Apple Store offline store staff and learned that currently the entire Beijing iPhone 15 Pro series has been scheduled for offline pickup in November.

The store clerk told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter, “If you bought an iPhone last year and also bought Apple Care+, then you can actually have a separate reservation channel to ensure that you buy the machine as soon as possible. You can check the email address you reserved at the time. You should have a reservation invitation.”

At around 10:40 today, the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter arrived at the Apple Store Shanghai Qibao. At the time, the number of people queuing up to pick up goods at the store did not exceed those outside the store, but as noon approached, the number of people queuing up to pick up the goods increased.

A store clerk said that the store started operating at 8 o'clock today, and there are always queues to pick up goods. The store does not offer on-site sales. Inventory is determined according to the order. There is nothing extra. All of them require an online reservation and payment and then come to the store to pick up the goods on time. The Pro and Pro Max should be gone, and the 15 and 15 Plus require an appointment even if they are in stock. Online purchases will take longer to be mailed to your home.

At the Apple Direct Store in Taikoo Li, Chengdu, the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter learned that some consumers went to the store the first night and wanted to see the iPhone 15 Pro in advance. As a result, they were told that the real device would not be displayed until September 22.

On the 22nd, the Taikoo Li Apple Direct Store in Chengdu was full of consumers. The on-site sales staff told the reporter that those waiting in line were consumers who picked up the machine after ordering; if they didn't get a new product, they could come in as they please.

Meanwhile, at the Apple Store in Wushang Plaza in Wuhan, staff told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter that the line to pick up goods today started queuing up at 6 a.m., and the number of people has been growing. Currently, there are still more than 100 people in line to pick up the goods.

At noon, the store was already full of customers who came to inquire about the test flight. The store staff suggested that customers could try the commercial purchase channel, so they would not be limited in the number of purchases. If the purchase amount reached 5,000 US dollars, they could also enjoy business discounts.

A senior “fruit fan” from Shenzhen told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter that it arrived at an Apple self-operated store in Luohu District after 7 o'clock this morning to pick up the goods. At this point, a group of consumers who came to pick up the goods had already gathered in front of the store.

The “fruit fan” ordered two iPhone 15 Pro Max on September 15. He told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter that at 7:58, an employee at Apple's own store shouted a slogan, the store officially opened at 8 o'clock, and at 8:09 he successfully picked up the goods. An hour later, he sold the two phones he had just arrived to the scalpers waiting at the door. “With a price increase of 700 yuan, I earned 1,400 yuan. The friend I went with grabbed was the original titanium color, which was more valuable. It was sold at an additional price of 800 yuan.”

The “Fruit Fan” told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter that the 6 iPhone 15 Pro they have scheduled can be picked up tomorrow, but they expect the Pro to break up tomorrow. “If it breaks, cancel the order and don't pick it up.”

Since they can't buy the latest iPhone 15 Pro series, some consumers in Shenzhen have instead set their sights on Hong Kong, China, which is “at a distance.”

Wang Xiaomei (pseudonym)'s family lives near Luohu Port in Shenzhen. When everyone around her was the first to reserve places at the offline Apple Store in Shenzhen, she set her sights on the Apple Store in Shatin, Hong Kong.

Wang Xiaomei told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter, “I just had to go to Shatin to do something on the day it went on sale, so I thought otherwise I would buy one along the way and leave. Who knows, the iPhone 15 Pro in Hong Kong is just as hard to grab.”

The “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter browsed Apple HK's official website, similar to the situation in mainland China. It was discovered that as of October, all iPhone 15 Pro series products had already been pre-ordered, and the official website showed that the scheduled date had been scheduled for November. As for the iPhone 15 series, they are also all in stock, so you can buy them in-store.

E-commerce sales are booming, instant retail has become a new channel

Compared with the crowding and queuing of offline stores, delivery speed between online platforms has become a battleground where each platform is competitive.

“I hadn't woken up early on Friday morning and didn't expect to receive it so soon”. On the same day, when people had to wait in line to open online stores and face phenomena such as scalpers and price increases, the first batch of users who placed orders through the Tmall platform had already received home delivery from the courier.

As of 10 a.m. on September 22, sales of JD's iPhone 15 series phones increased by 253% compared to the iPhone 14 series. At 8 a.m., it went on sale for 10 minutes, and 25,000 new devices were already being delivered.

According to data from JD Home, the number of orders from third-tier cities and below has increased sixfold compared to last year. Residents of relatively remote cities such as Lhasa in Tibet, Kashi in Xinjiang, Alashan League in Inner Mongolia, and Jiamusi in Heilongjiang have also joined the instant consumer army of new iPhones.

According to data from the Hungry Platform, within an hour from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. today, the total iPhone transaction volume exceeded 10 times that of the whole day on weekdays. Apart from the latest iPhone 15, new series such as iPhone 14 also increased significantly. The “iPhone” keyword search index across the site increased 83 times compared to weekdays.

According to Meituan flash sales data, sales of new iPhone 15 series products increased 13 times compared to the iPhone 14 series. Sales in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen ranked among the top five in the country, with an average sales growth rate of nearly 1000%, and sales in third-tier cities and below increased 23 times.

Hema, which has a fresh e-commerce label, has also joined this new iPhone sale. After Apple's new product launch conference ended last week, Hema announced that it would simultaneously sell new iPhone 15 series phones this year, and stated that it would use the “X18 Cellar” exclusive premium delivery service for delivery. Orders placed before 8:59 today and for which the “18 Minute Delivery” service was checked were all delivered before 8:19.

Based on data from various e-commerce platforms, the standard version of pink is the most popular, followed by yellow; the Pro series and Pro Max series are also very popular due to their “titanium” support.

The phenomenon of scalpers and price increases reappears

The first day a new iPhone goes on sale is often when the “scalpers” are most active.

“The scalpers just received a lot of machines.” A person on the scene at the Shanghai Apple Store Shanghai Qibao Branch told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter.

A “scalper” wandering around the store said, “Influenced by Huawei's new products this year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was sold at a price increase of only 500 yuan; in previous years, the Pro Max required an increase of 1,000 yuan; in previous years, the Pro model, which had an increase of 700 yuan, will not be collected this year. The iPhone I have received so far is still made in China.”

Another “scalper” told the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter that the 512G version of Pro Max in its original color requires an increase of 800 yuan; the blue version is cheaper; the price increase is around 400 yuan.

When the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter left on the grounds that the price increase exceeded expectations, the scalper immediately reduced the original color 512G version of Pro Max to 400 yuan, and said that currently the Pro Max model lacks the 256G version, “many customers don't want the 512G version.”

The “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter noticed that some mall workers at the scene also handed over the iPhones they had obtained to scalpers and received a transfer of 100 yuan for each device. The scalper said that he is only responsible for collecting, 100-200 yuan per unit. “If you sell it, the price will increase by at least 500 yuan.”

However, the scalpers at the Apple Store in Beijing only waited until around 8 a.m., when the first wave of iPhone 15 was picked up. When the reporter went out, they all asked if there were any iPhone Pro Max phones and intended to sell them. The other party said, “If it's an iPhone 15 Pro, it can be recycled at an additional price of 400 yuan, and Pro Max can be recycled at an increase of 800 yuan.”

However, by noon, when the traffic was highest, the scalpers had all left. The scalpers, who were previously contacted by the reporter on WeChat, told the reporter, “We only stayed on the first wave. Basically, there were too many opportunities later. Basically, they were all taken in by other families almost as well.”

The “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily” reporter learned that when the iPhone 14 series was launched last year, the “scalper market” performance was similar. Both the standard version and the Plus version of the iPhone 15 were in stock at offline stores, while at scalpers they would “break as soon as they first launch,” while most of the Pro and Pro Max versions would have a slight premium.

There were almost no queues at the Apple Store in Chaoyang Joy City in Beijing in the afternoon. At the entrance of the store, scalpers said they would only accept the blue 15 Pro Max model at the scene, with a price increase of 800 yuan. White and primary colors are still popular models. The corresponding Pro Max shipping price is 1,200 to 1300. The Pro model market is relatively unpopular, and the shipping price increase is 300 yuan.

edit/jaydeb