Sales of laptops from the Summer of 2016 reached $2.2 billion, Apple still king

According to new research from 1010data, online sales of laptops from the summer of 2016 reached $2.2 billion and grew 12 percent year over year. 1010data uncovered how consumer purchases impacted the biggest players in the laptop space online from June – August 2016.  And it turns out that Apple is winning as a brand and as a retailer.
 
This comes from 1010data’s Ecom Insights Panel, which utilizes a number of sources of consumer spending data representing millions of consumers to provide an accurate assessment of online and offline retail sales and market share.
 
1010data also discovered that although most of Apple laptop sales happen through Apple’s own website, about 20 percent are purchased from other online retailers, such as Best Buy and Amazon. In fact, Amazon Direct and Amazon Marketplace’s combined share of sales doubled year over year, and matched Apple’s share of sales. Electronics e-retailer, Newegg, also experienced a decline in share, signifying the importance of Amazon’s growth as a retailer in the biggest sales producing category online.

Online Laptop Category Report (June – August 2016) 

When I think of the start of a new school year, images of notebooks, pencils and highlighters come to mind, but I think that’s an outdated view. Now it’s all about the new technology you’re bringing to campus, and which device is more important for students than laptops? Online sales of laptops from the summer of 2016 reached $2.2 billion and grew 12 percent year over year. Diving into this category, 1010data uncovered how consumer purchases impacted the biggest players in the laptop space online from June – August 2016.
 
Top Brands by Sales ($)

- Apple
- Dell
- ASUS
- Hewlett Packard
- Lenovo
- Acer
- MSI
- Toshiba
- Microsoft
 
Apple preserved its spot as the number one laptop brand based on sales this summer despite a 7-point loss in market share year over year. Dell also held its spot at number two, but ASUS took the third spot after growing 4 share points since last summer. Hewlett Packard and Acer also grew, resulting in higher placements amongst the top laptop brands this year. While Apple and Dell combined account for 60 percent of online laptop sales, it’s worth noting how other players in this space have grown over time and how that impacted the bigger brands’ market share.
 
Top Sites by Sales ($)

- apple.com
- dell.com
- amazon.com - market
- amazon.com - direct
- bestbuy.com
- newegg.com
- walmart.com
- costco.com
- lenovo.com
- staples.com
 
Unsurprisingly, it turns out the Apple is the number one retailer of laptops online in addition to being the number one brand. Although most of Apple laptop sales happen through Apple’s own website, about 20 percent are purchased from other online retailers, such as Best Buy and Amazon. In fact, Amazon Direct and Amazon Marketplace’s combined share of sales doubled year over year, and matched Apple’s share of sales. Electronics e-retailer, Newegg, also experienced a decline in share, signifying the importance of Amazon’s growth as a retailer in the biggest sales producing category online.
 
Top Brands by Product Views
 
- Dell
- Apple
- Hewlett Packard
- ASUS
- Lenovo
- Acer
- Toshiba
- MSI
- Microsoft
 

When ranked by product views, Dell just edged out Apple for the top spot this year. Dell actually outranks Apple when comparing units sold, but due to Apple’s premium price for the Mac line, total sales are higher. In fact, Dell’s lower price points give them an advantage in converting product views into purchases at a better rate than Apple. Additionally, brands like Hewlett Packard and ASUS, which have lower price points like Dell, improved their ability to convert views into purchases.   
 

Summary

Apple’s sales figures still reign supreme in the laptop online category, as both a retailer and a brand, but the competition is doing everything it can to reverse that trend. Dell actually sold more laptops online during back to school season than Apple did, but Apple’s MacBooks, which cost over $1000, are still the most popular laptops sold online.
 
Additionally, as Amazon grows in size, its threat to retailers in every category increases. If this growth trend continues, Amazon could eventually displace Apple and Dell as the top online seller of laptops.