Apple is now the top mobile brand in China
Apple, not Samsung, is now the top mobile brand in China, according to the China Brand Research Center’s 2014 China Brand Power Index. This is the first time since 2011 that Samsung didn’t lead the list, according to CNET.
According to the report, Samsung lost the crown because its focus on market share led to falling consumer loyalty. “If companies (are) focusing too much on market share, while ignoring the concerns of consumers, it will cause a problem in brand management,” the Research Center said.
The China Brand Power Index polled 13,500 Chinese across 30 cities, aged 15 to 60, from August 2013 to January 2014, about brand awareness and loyalty.
Last month, CEO Tim Cook noted that Apple plans on opening 25 new retail locations in China during the next two years.
There are currently 12 Apple retail stores in China, according to Apple’s official retail store list. These include four outlets in Shanghai, another four in Beijing, one in Chengdu, one in Shenzhen, one in Chongqing, and one in Wuxi, the newest Apple store in the country.
Cook’s comment means that Apple intends to at least triple its official retail presence in China, which has become its largest market.
See also: Apple’s iPhone 6 set to be big hit in Samsung’s home turf of South Korea, Tim Cook calls meeting with Chinese officials ‘very open,’ and Demand for iPhone 6 Plus in China prompting Apple to shift production away from iPhone 6.