A flagship store of Apple in Shanghai Photo: VCG

US tech giant Apple has a launched a major promotion campaign with steep discounts on iPhones to boost sales during the 618 shopping festival, one of China's largest online shopping events. The company has been hit by weak sales and fierce competition in the Chinese market.

On Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com, the company offered discounts of more than 20 percent on its latest iPhones. Observers said that this strategic move hints at a possible shift in Apple's approach within the Chinese market, in order to boost sales.

On Apple's Tmall Official Flagship Store, substantial discounts are available for iPhones, including the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 series. The promotion runs from May 20 to midnight on May 28.

Discounts vary for different products. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, originally 9,999 yuan ($1,538), is now 7,949 yuan after coupon redemption, a saving of over 2,000 yuan. Likewise, the iPhone 15 Pro, initially 7,999 yuan, now costs 6,099 yuan, a reduction of nearly 2,000 yuan.

Other discounted items include the base iPhone 15, 14, and 13 models, with price reductions ranging from 900 yuan to 1,400 yuan.

According to the Tmall Apple Official Flagship Store, a total of 80,584 iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max units, 38,784 iPhone 15/15 Plus units, and nearly 7,500 Phone 13 and iPhone 14/14 Plus models are set for promotion during the 618 campaign.

Meanwhile, Apple is offering 660-yuan ($101.54) coupons for iPhone models at its JD.com store. China Mobile's JD.com store is also offering discounts on multiple iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max models, with up to 1,300 yuan off.

Apple has seen a deep sales decline in China, with domestic competitors taking a larger share of the market.

According to data released last month by research firm Counterpoint Research, iPhone sales in the Chinese market in the first three months of this year dropped by nearly 20 percent year-on-year, while Huawei smartphone sales surged by almost 70 percent during the same period.

"Since 2023, Apple has abandoned its usual high-profile, no-discount sales strategy and started promotions in third-party and flagship stores to salvage its performance in the Chinese market," Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom industry observer, told the Global Times on Monday.

"Chinese brands are now highly competitive in the high-end market. Additionally, Apple's lack of innovation has made it less appealing to users," Ma said.

The price reduction policy may help revive Apple's market in China. In early 2024, Apple slashed prices for various iPhone models in its Apple Store for the first time, while third-party platforms offered discounts of up to 10 percent. This move had an immediate impact. Shipments of foreign brand smartphones in China surged by 12 percent in March compared to the same period last year, reaching 3.75 million units.