HYLA Blog

In  a move that swept the headlines late last week, all 4 top U.S. wireless carriers are back in the business of discounting devices. No, we are not returning to device subsidies the way we were so accustomed to in the past, but with the launch of the iPhone 7 we are back in business in terms of getting a “discounted” device.

Even in the midst of digital transformation trends, reverse logistics operations tend to start with manual processes. A small team designates specific employees for tasks that suit them, and these manual processes become tribal knowledge amongst the staff. 

Customers who trade-in their used mobile devices not only benefit from a little extra spending money, but more importantly, they’re truly helping the environment. The message is simple and it comes down to the basics of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. The EPA (Environment Protection Agency) has been trying to educate us on this for years. The message has even made its way to children’s pop culture, such as in Jack Johnson’s “3 R’s” song from the Curious George film. And for good reason. Sustainability of our environment is paramount to our children’s and their children’s futures. This is particularly true for electronic waste, especially for the ubiquitous mobile phone.  

There are many steps to a mobile device trade-in transaction – so many that without a proper view of the entire process, retailers won’t be able to fully assess the effectiveness of their programs.

For  full transparency of the trade-in process, all trade-in transactions need to be tracked and reported. If you’re a retailer or carrier, the best way to achieve transparency is by integrating all of your transactions into a single, comprehensive back-end management system.

Enticing and satisfying customers so that they keep coming back into your store is not a new concept. It’s as old as commerce itself, but it’s easy to lose sight of that necessary goal in the day-to-day bustle of business. 

For businesses that have a mobile device trade-in program, incentivizing customers starts with the fact that your customer engagement should not simply end with the sale of a device or a customer’s sign up for a device financing plan.

Odds are, customers aren’t beating down your door to buy mobile phone accessories. Sure, you’ll help the occasional patron who walks in only needing a protective case, but all in all, it’s new phones that draw most customers into your store. 

Aside from promoting new mobile phone sales, there is another way to boost the sale of accessories: trading in used mobile phones.

Retailers and wireless carriers could conceivably run a sales promotion every minute of the day. With scores of mobile devices to sell, and with older products constantly being replaced by newer models, carriers and retailers need to consistently move products. Creating promotional deals can help boost a retailer’s product sales.

With consumers trading-in their mobile devices more frequently when they purchase new ones, wireless carriers, retailers and OEMs have taken notice and started to include the sale of used devices in their promotional efforts.

For customers to qualify for some of the best deals for new devices, they must now have to trade-in their old devices.

 When the Apple Watch was rolled out in April 2015, it seemed almost everyone had to own one. It quickly became, at the time, the best-selling wearable device and earned rave reviews for its appeal as a fashion accessory.

More than a year later, sales have slipped but demand remains steady, drumming up anticipation that Apple will unveil a new version of the watch.. Indeed, someday soon, the original Apple Watch will be the “old” version and consumers will look to upgrade and get value for the first model.

Capturing a consumer’s attention is never easy. It’s even harder to convince them to try something they haven’t ever really thought about.

That’s the battle retailers and carriers face as they try to convince consumers of the value of trading in their used mobile devices. A majority of consumers in the U.S., Australia and other countries have been slow to embrace device trade-in programs and these consumers either hold onto their old phones or they end up in landfills.