The Unbelievable Spending Spree: Vietnamese Consumers Splash Out a Whopping 2,000 Billion VND on 26 Million of These Items in the Last Year

While consumers are feeling fatigued by the removal of chargers from premium smartphone packages, a paradox is unfolding on e-commerce platforms: dull items like chargers are experiencing the highest growth in the entire electronics accessories sector.

According to market reports released by the intelligent data platform Metric.vn, the charger product group achieved sales of over 2,000 billion VND in 2024, a 49% increase compared to the previous year, outpacing the consumption rate of headphones, watches, keyboards, and monitors. Baseus, a popular brand in the mid-range GaN charger segment, even recorded a fourteenfold growth, surpassing all competitors to dominate the bestseller list.

Smartphone Chargers: A Necessary Purchase for Consumers

What may seem like an insignificant detail, the decision by Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and others to exclude chargers from their device packages is reshaping the entire electronics accessory market.

The exclusion of chargers from smartphone packages has not only sparked debates among users but has also quietly created a new accessory market with consistent and steady demand. Each time a consumer upgrades their device, purchasing a separate charger is almost mandatory, and this repeated purchase behavior has sustained the business of many accessory brands through successive device upgrades.

Observing sales trends on platforms like Shopee, TikTok Shop, Lazada, and Tiki, one can see the “sell phone, upsell charger” model in smooth operation. Many retailers even bundle iPhone 15 with a Baseus 20W or Anker GaN 30W charger to boost sales and ensure customers don’t have to rush to a physical store to buy a charger.

A notable trend is the rise of Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology in the charging industry. Products like the Baseus GaN5, Ugreen Nexode, and Anker Nano are not only more compact but also offer superior charging performance, ranging from 30W to 100W, and some even feature laptop, iPad, and iPhone charging ports.

On TikTok Shop, 3-port GaN chargers are readily available in the price range of 300,000 to 500,000 VND, a range that consumers are increasingly willing to spend for added convenience. Today’s consumers are not just buying chargers to plug into a wall socket; they are investing in a versatile “all-in-one” solution for their travel, work, and study needs.

The sales growth in the 100,000 to 500,000 VND price segment further reflects this trend, with increases ranging from 28% to over 150% compared to the previous year.

Additionally, Metric.vn’s data for 2024 reveals that chargers were the accessory with the highest consumption volume in the entire consumer electronics industry on e-commerce platforms, with a total of 25.8 million units sold, a remarkable 61% increase from the previous year. On average, Vietnamese consumers purchased nearly 71,000 chargers per day, making this seemingly mundane item more popular than headphones, watches, or even laptops.

Chargers: The Ace up the Sellers’ Sleeves

From a commercial perspective, the charger product group is delivering superior profit margins and sales performance compared to smartphones. In fact, Metric.vn’s report noted that there were 26,656 shops selling chargers, nearly four times the number of shops selling smartwatches, indicating the intense competition and attractiveness of this product category.

It’s no coincidence that numerous sellers are strategically investing in the charger category to boost their overall sales: chargers are easy to import, have low defect rates, quick inventory turnover, and are perfect for promotions like “free charger with Type-C cable purchase” or “charger, cable, and earphone combo deals.” Even some “localized” accessory brands like Habitek and GD Power have emerged and witnessed sales growth of severalfold within a year.

Vietnamese consumers are increasingly recognizing the value of a good charger, and this “neglect” by smartphone manufacturers has inadvertently created a niche yet resilient market.