More than 52% of Europeans declared they are willing to buy a refurbished smartphone in the future, Vodafone research showed.
The research suggested over 43% of Europeans have already owned a second-hand smartphone, compared to 42% in 2022. 35% of Europeans intend to renew their current smartphone in the coming year – with refurbished devices set to account for 27 million devices sold – the analysis showed.
The 6th edition of the Recommerce Barometer in partnership with Vodafone was revealed during Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona. The Barometer is an annual analysis of consumer trends towards refurbished smartphones at retail.
Conducted by KANTAR, the survey ran from 11-15 January 2024 among 7750 individuals in France, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Portugal, and Ireland, aged 16 to 65 years old.
Customers are now considering refurbished devices more than ever.
67% of European consumer cited affordability as their primary reason for choosing a refurbished device at retail. This trend was most prevalent in Portugal, France, and Romania, with more than 70% of respondents citing affordability.
39% cited environmental reasons as the reason, which was the second biggest driver towards purchasing refurbished smartphones. Other reasons included warranty assurance (27%), buying higher end-models (31%) and benefits from after-sale service (18%).
Nick Dutch, Vodafone Global Head of Device Lifecycle Services commented: “Customers are now considering refurbished devices more than ever so that they can get a great value phone that is better for the planet than buying a new one.
“Buying a refurbished phone from Vodafone helps customers get the phone they want for less with added peace of mind.”
In 2023, the worldwide market for second-hand smartphones expanded to 309 million units and is expected to reach more than 431 million units by 2027, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
