• Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Contact
  • Log in
CCS Insight
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who We Serve
    • What We Do
    • Jobs
  • Research Areas
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Press
    • Company News
    • Media Coverage
    • Media Resources
  • Menu Menu
  • About
  • Research Areas
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Press
  • Contact Us

Refurbished Mobile Phone Market Poised for Further Growth

  • CCS Insight’s survey of mobile phone users in the UK and US reveals growing momentum for refurbished devices.
  • Multiple factors will contribute to growth, bringing opportunity for new players to gain a foothold in the smartphone market.
  • UK mobile phone users are much more likely to buy online than those in the US.
  • People switch mobile operator relatively infrequently, but awareness of text-to-switch regulation in the UK is already strong.

London, 22 January 2020: Today, technology analyst firm CCS Insight released its annual survey of how and why people buy mobile phones and service plans. The research revealed fascinating differences between UK and US consumers as the journey to buy mobile connectivity continues to evolve.

Appetite Grows for Refurbished Phones

A significant 60% of respondents in the UK and 56% in the US would consider buying a refurbished mobile phone next time they change or upgrade their smartphone.

This new-found willingness for pre-owned rather than brand-new phones reflects the steep price of many premium mobile phones released in the past two years. It also signals growing acceptance by consumers previously concerned about the condition and reliability of refurbished mobile phones, as well as greater supply of these devices from resellers. One in six people in both markets said they have bought a refurbished phone in the past.

Kester Mann, director of consumer and connectivity at CCS Insight, comments, “The market for refurbished mobile phones is firmly on the rise. Multiple factors will encourage growth, including the growing residual value of mobile phones, wider options to trade-in or part-exchange existing phones and attractive SIM-only deals. This presents opportunities to new retail players to stake a position in a device market still dominated by sales through mobile operators, both in the US and the UK”.

UK Phone Market Continues to Move Online

Nearly half (48%) of mobile phone users in the UK bought their current device online, compared with just 27% in the US. The result is evidence of the greater strength of mobile carriers in the US, where two-thirds of phones in use were bought in a store. In fact, a third of people in the UK said that nothing would encourage them to visit a mobile phone shop more often.

The role of online is even more conclusive when it comes to researching mobile phones. In the UK, 40% of respondents researched devices this way, twice the number that went into a store (20%).

“The trend toward online purchasing highlights the importance for channel players to invest strongly in their web presence. Offering a best-in-class experience could be a huge differentiator,” notes Mann. But it’s not all doom and gloom for bricks-and-mortar stores. “Our survey also identified many factors that would tempt the majority of people to visit high-street phone shops more often. These include a more welcoming environment, better options to test out mobile phones, more-helpful staff and a wider retail presence”, concludes Mann.

People Switch Mobile Operator Relatively Infrequently

Our survey showed low levels of switching in the UK and US. In both markets, 23% of subscribers have never changed their operator and a further 25% only last did so more than five years ago.

The lack of movement is the fruit of strong and successful efforts by mobile operators to retain subscribers considering leaving, some inertia within the market and generally high levels of customer satisfaction.

In the UK, an impressive 34% of people said they are aware of Ofcom’s text-to-switch regulation, which was only implemented in July 2019. Strong marketing campaigns, mostly by challenger brands and mobile virtual network operators, are likely to have boosted awareness. And significantly, about one in three respondents said they would be more likely to change mobile operator within the next 12 months because of this regulation.

Free Webinar Today

Join us today at 3:00 PM GMT as Kester Mann discusses the findings of the survey in more detail in a free-to-attend webinar with a question-and-answer segment.

Don’t miss out. Click here to register.

Notes to editors

The research into mobile buying behaviour was completed in December 2019. CCS Insight surveyed 2,193 mobile phone users, split evenly between the UK and US, representative of the population by age, gender and region or state.

The survey explored changes in the consumer journey to buy mobile phones and subscription plans. Leading topics include second-hand and refurbished phones, device trade-in schemes, online and in-store purchasing, device financing and payment and SIM-only deals. The report also explores attitudes to retail, future purchasing intentions and mobile switching.

More details of CCS Insight’s extensive mobile operators and mobile phone research services can be found at: https://www.ccsinsight.com/research-areas/mobile-phones/

About CCS Insight

CCS Insight is a global analyst company focussing on current and future trends in technology. It provides comprehensive services that are tailored to meet the needs of individual clients, helping them make sense of the connected world. Follow @CCSInsight on Twitter or learn more at www.ccsinsight.com.

For further information contact:
Tricia May
Harvard PR
Tel: + 44 (0) 020 7861 3945
E-mail: ccsinsight@harvard.co.uk

Share this Insight
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail

You might also like

Healthy Outlook for Wearables As Users Focus on Fitness and Well-Being

24 February 2021/0 Comments/by Marina Koytcheva
Read more
https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Smartwatch_Gizmowatch_s.jpg 320 600 Marina Koytcheva https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCS_Insight_logo_101.png Marina Koytcheva2021-02-24 12:37:182021-02-24 12:37:18Healthy Outlook for Wearables As Users Focus on Fitness and Well-Being

CCS Insight Prepares for Next Phase of Growth

10 February 2021/0 Comments/by CCS Insight
Read more
https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CCS-Insight_logo.png 1522 1522 CCS Insight https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCS_Insight_logo_101.png CCS Insight2021-02-10 15:00:122021-02-10 15:00:12CCS Insight Prepares for Next Phase of Growth

High-Street Phone Shops Set to Transform as Pandemic Accelerates Shift Online

25 January 2021/0 Comments/by Kester Mann
Read more
https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Phone_buying_2020s.png 373 640 Kester Mann https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCS_Insight_logo_101.png Kester Mann2021-01-25 11:13:072021-01-25 11:13:07High-Street Phone Shops Set to Transform as Pandemic Accelerates Shift Online

Shaun Collins Leads GLOMO Awards Body for Fourth Year

18 January 2021/0 Comments/by CCS Insight
Read more
https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Shaun_Collins_sq_s.jpg 540 540 CCS Insight https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCS_Insight_logo_101.png CCS Insight2021-01-18 15:41:082021-01-19 14:38:52Shaun Collins Leads GLOMO Awards Body for Fourth Year

CCS Insight’s Ben Wood Named in Top Five Tech Analysts of 2020

14 January 2021/0 Comments/by Romina Portela
Read more
https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Ben_Wood_sq_s_white.jpg 540 540 Romina Portela https://www.ccsinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCS_Insight_logo_101.png Romina Portela2021-01-14 09:14:572021-01-14 09:24:50CCS Insight’s Ben Wood Named in Top Five Tech Analysts of 2020

Links

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Follow us

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

© 2020 CCS Insight

Virtual and Augmented Reality Market Volatile But Promising Smartwatches Are Here to Stay, With Strong Growth Expected
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only