It’s expected that the launch of the iPhone 5 is imminent (best guess is October 5th) and with it’s release of eBay predicts up to a 70% rise in sales of previous models like the iPhone 4. Last year saw a similar trend when the iPhone 4 went on sale, lowering the price and increasing the accessibility of earlier iPhone models which led to a surge in sales.
“Our figures show that savvy shoppers are ready and waiting to get their hands on the iPhone 4 at a cut down price. The UK leads Europe in terms of smartphone adoption, which is helping to drive the triple digit growth of mobile shopping on eBay. Mobile is fundamentally changing retail as shoppers can now browse and shop on and offline in a seamless way.
Angus McCarey, Retail Director for eBay UK
More than half a million iPhones have been sold via the eBay UK since they were launched – including both brand new and used phones. In the UK last year, an iPhone was sold via eBay UK approximately every two minutes. In Q2 this year iPhone was searched for over 18 million times across eBay’s European sites alone.
eBay expects the launch of the iPhone 5 to stimulate sales growth in the smartphone market as a whole, not just for the new model. Apple are losing ground with their iPhones to Android based handsets so the new model needs to revive sales to halt the decline in market share.
eBay are predicting to strengthen, with a surge in the run-up to Christmas. During last year’s festive season, sales of the iPhone 3G exceeded the iPhone 4 as shoppers look for great deals rather than the most up-to-date model. If you can get stock of older models then get them listed on eBay ahead of the rush to achieve the best prices.
As more and more consumers own smartphones, eBay continues to see significant growth in sales through its mobile platforms. Mobile sales now account for 10% of all purchases on eBay UK and eBay mobile apps have been downloaded over 47 million times globally.
10% of all purchases is a massive amount – and unlike your own website you have no work to do to optimise eBay for smartphones – eBay does all the work for you. However it does suggest that if you’re planning an upgrade to your own website you should take accessibility from smartphones seriously to maximise on sales opportunities.
5 Responses
No thanks, id rather an iphone 5 than save 100 quid. Seeing as im prob keeping the phone several years.
I wish ebay would update their android app so you COULD sell properly ,its pretty basic with no internation postage options AT THE MOMENT