Samsung Electronics is paying close attention to inventory control with regard to the Galaxy S6, which has attracted a huge volume of pre-orders from mobile carriers worldwide.
According to industry sources, the Galaxy S6 is estimated to be chosen by more than 50 million customers this year, and pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge are double that of the Galaxy S5. Still, Samsung Electronics is maintaining a rather prudent stance. It is said that this is because the actual sales of the Galaxy S5 were much less than expected, despite the bright outlook before the release of the model.
In November last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the sales volume of the Galaxy S5 stood at just 12 million units during the three months after the release date. The number was four million less than that of the Galaxy S4, and 40 percent less than the previous estimates. This means the number of Galaxy S6s actually supplied to consumers in general matters more than the volume of supply to distributors, which is estimated to reach 55 million this year.
“We are planning to adjust the Galaxy S6 production volume while monitoring the market conditions instead of manufacturing a large amount in advance,” Samsung Electronics explained, adding, “Also, we will release the new model in 20 countries first, whereas the Galaxy S5 and S4 made their debuts in 120 and 60 countries, respectively.”
Still, Samsung Electronics increased the number of the stores where the Galaxy S6 is displayed before the release. Specifically, the Galaxy S5 was available at 2,200 stores in 120 countries before the release date, but the Galaxy S6 is put on display at 22,000 stores in 20 countries.