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Summary of our market study
The refurbished smartphone market in France is worth over 1.2 billion euros , with significant growth of 15-20% per year.
The Covid-19 crisis has stimulated demand, with a French survey showing that 60% of respondents were ready to buy refurbished phones in 2020.
Reconditioning margins remain relatively low, at around 15-20%.
New French regulations now require the use of terms such as "reconditioned", and provide financial support for players who comply.
The global market exceeded $50 billion in 2021 and is expected to triple by 2030, with an annual growth rate of around 12%.
Dynamics of the French refurbished smartphone market
- The French market is experiencing remarkable growth, thanks in particular to French company Back Market, which has established itself as a giant in the sector.
- In 2020, while over 20 million new smartphones were sold in France, sales of refurbished smartphones were between 3 and 4 million.
- Consumers can save between 20% and 50%, and sometimes up to 80%, by buying high-tech, high-quality refurbished smartphones.
- The average price of a new smartphone, around 446 euros, encourages consumers to turn to the more economical refurbished options, whose average price was around 279 euros in 2021.
- Beyond savings, 27% of buyers cite the ecological impact of replacing a new phone with a refurbished model, which can reduce the carbon footprint by 55% to 90%.
- The COVID-19 crisis has stimulated growth in online sales, which have become the main channel for purchasing refurbished devices.
- The recent implementation of regulations aims to establish concrete definitions of the term "refurbished product" and set conditions to guarantee consumer confidence.
The main players in the French refurbished smartphone market
- Largo is best known for its complete integration of the value chain.
- smaaart and Yes Yes illustrate how companies can thrive by managing every stage of the refurbishment process.
- Certideal has succeeded in forging a reputation as a supplier of devices that meet high standards of functionality and reliability.
- BackMarket operates as a marketplace, bringing sellers and consumers together.
- Agora Place is a business-to-business marketplace.
- Recommerce is the leading refurbisher of smartphones and IT equipment in France, Italy, Spain and Romania.
- Save, the European leader, has 200 sales outlets in France
- Itancia Groupe distributes refurbished equipment through its subsidiary Itancia Again
- DPA Europe Reborn is an importer, distributor and reconditioner of equipment
- Cordon Groupe is a leader in France, with a presence in 13 countries
- Easy Cash is France's leading network for buying and selling reconditioned second-hand products
- Fnac-Darty, Cdiscount (via Cdiscount Occasion) and Boulanger (via 2nd Life) use their existing e-commerce infrastructure to offer their customers a range of refurbished smartphones.
- Apple has entered the sector with its range of certified pre-owned devices.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and presentation
The refurbished smartphone market refers to all economic activity relating to the resale of refurbished smartphones in France. A refurbished smartphone is a product that has been unpacked, even used for a period of time, then returned or resold to a professional. The smartphone is then checked, repaired, sometimes unlocked (to enable it to be used with a new mobile operator) and guaranteed by a factory specialized in reconditioning, before being put back on the market, often at advantageous prices.
The global market is growing, and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 11.45% between 2022 and 2030. The European and French markets are following the same trajectory as the global data. Between 2017 and 2023, sales of refurbished smartphones rose by 136% . Apple and Samsung smarthpones are the brands most in demand by buyers of refurbished devices, and in 2023 it was the Iphone 11 that sold the most on the French refurbished smartphone market.
This mode of purchase has several advantages, the first being that buyers are able to purchase high-tech smartphones at lower prices than on the new market. Secondly, players in the refurbished market claim to be an eco-responsible solution: in fact, buying refurbished or reselling a device bought new to give it a second life limits electronic waste and encourages second-hand use.
Despite a positive trend in demand, suppliers may find it difficult to meet this demand due to difficulties in sourcing products for reconditioning. Professionals are therefore relying on consumers to take back their old smartphones.
In recent years, the French Tech community has become aware of a French player that has become a key player in the global refurbished market: this is the French unicorn Backmarket, a company founded in 2014 and valued in 2022 at over 5 billion euros.
1.2 The global refurbished smartphone market
The global refurbished cell phone market is projected to reach over $*** billion by ****, compared with $**.** billion in ****. This market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (***) of *. **% between **** and ****.
Evolution of the global refurbished smartphone market size World, ****-****, billions of dollars Source: ****
This refurbished trend has been ...
1.3 The European market
The size of the European refurbished cell phone market was estimated at $*.** billion in ****, and is expected to reach $*.** billion in ****. By ****, this market is forecast to reach around$** billion, with a compound annual growth rate (***) of *.**% over the period **** to ****.
Trends in the European refurbished smartphone market Europe, ****-****, in ...
1.4 The French market
The refurbished phone market in France is booming, so much so that the dynamic has given international stature to French companies, including the world leader in refurbished phones, Back Market. With sales of *** million euros in ****, and growth of **%, the phones segment is the most buoyant in the sector[***].
Sales trend ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Motivations and disincentives for buying refurbished smartphones
Purchasing levers for refurbished smartphones France, ****, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, % Source: ****
The most decisive factor in the purchase of a refurbished smartphone, mentioned by **% of those surveyed, is the attractiveness of the price, underlining the fact that cost remains the overriding criterion for the majority of buyers. This finding is indicative of a trend to ...
2.2 Profile of refurbished phone buyers
Percentage of parents who have already bought a refurbished phone for at least one of their children France, ****, % Source: ****
In ****, **% of parents had already opted for a refurbished phone, demonstrating the growing acceptance of this type of product within the family setting. This figure indicates a growing confidence in refurbished phones ...
2.3 The most popular reconditioned phones: Apple in the lead
**** ranking of the most popular refurbished phone models :
Breakdown of top ** refurbished smartphone models by brand France, ****, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, % Source: ****
In ****, the refurbished smartphone market in France is largely dominated by two main brands, Apple and Samsung, representing respectively **% and **% of the top ten best-selling models.
This breakdown shows a clear preference for ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain: the stages of reconditioning
The table below gives an overview of the various stages in the reconditioning process:
Source: ****
However, the process will depend on the condition of the devices recovered. In some cases, when the product is almost new, reconditioning is limited to repackaging[***].
The reconditioning process is shaping up to be a veritable ...
3.2 A difficult supply of products for reconditioning
While the refurbished sector is developing rapidly, one of the major obstacles to its deployment is the scarcity of appliances and parts for refurbishing.
As far as devices are concerned, they are recovered in a variety of ways, as the previous section reminds us. However, a major source of phones for ...
3.3 Low margins
While the market is booming, refurbishers are struggling to remain profitable. Their margins are between **% and **%. Benoit Varin, co-founder of Recommerce, explains that his company, with a barely positive EBITDA, is barely breaking even, while its competitors are often making losses. Competition on the market is squeezing prices, especially as many ...
3.4 Distribution of refurbished smartphones
Main places of purchase for refurbished smartphones France, ****, % Source: ****
The chart above highlights the diversity of distribution channels used by consumers. The majority of purchases are still made in-store (***), underlining a notable preference for physical purchasing, probably due to the opportunity to see and try out products before purchase, as well ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 A diversified offering
The range of refurbished smartphones on the market is remarkably diverse, responding to a growing variety of consumer needs and preferences. This diversity manifests itself on several levels, including the range of brands available, the condition of the devices, the functionalities offered and the wide range of prices.
Brand diversity
Consumers ...
4.2 Sales prices
The purchase of a reconditioned electronic device allows you to acquire an almostnew product at a reduced price, between -** and -**%,and up to -**% in some cases. In the case of smartphonesthe iPhoneis the most popular product on this market. There are also the latest models, as well as ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Very recent regulations
With the rise of the circular economy and trends towards second-hand and repair, a whole area of the law is evolving, to give rise to new regulations.the February **, **** law on the fight against waste and the circular economy provides for a decree whose aim will be to delimit the right ...
5.2 Standards in force
Companies in the sector may wish to comply with a number of international standards to guarantee the consumer of the quality of their work and thus gain their trust. Compliance with the following standards may be of interest:
The American R*:**** standard (***): recyclers of electronic equipment can thus demonstrate their concern ...
5.3 The different warranties
The legal guarantee of conformity:
In France, the legal warranty of conformity is a mandatory right that protects consumers when purchasing new, used or reconditioned goods, for a period of two years. It applies when the goods purchased are unfit for the use usually expected, do not correspond to the description ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Player segmentation
The remanufacturing sector is still in its infancy, and the players in it are therefore evolving according to a sometimes blurredpositioning. Refurbishers in the strict sense of the term are players who integrateall the stages involved in refurbishingof computer hardware: collection, inspection, repair, packaging, sale and after-sales service. We propose the ...
- Back Market
- YesYes
- Largo
- Recommerce
- Cdiscount (CNova)
- Save
- Ecodair
- Itancia
- CEAT Electronique
- DPA Europe Reborn
- Keeep
- Mobile Club
- Orange Groupe
- Cordon Groupe
- ASWO
- Codeo
- Media Clinic
- Easy Cash
- Smaaart - Econocom Factory (Econocom Groupe)
List of charts presented in this market study
- Trends in the size of the global refurbished smartphone market
- Sales of refurbished products by place of purchase
- Percentage of French people who intend to sell their smartphone to a professional
- Reasons to sell their smartphone to a professional
- Places where the French sell their smartphones to professionals
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Latest news
Back Market launches a recycling service for old smartphones with Ecosystem - 18/06/2024
- - 700 smartphones collected in France in one month.
- - Partnership with Ecosystem.
- - 73 processing centers throughout France.
Refurbished phones : Back Market aims for profitability in 2024 - 30/05/2024
- Business volume of 2.2 billion euros by 2023, up 32%.
- Back Market acts as an intermediary between consumers and 1,700 reconditioners.
- Sales (margin on transactions) jump 45% to 320 million.
- 4.5 million customers by 2023, including 2 million in France
- 6.3 million orders, 60% of them smartphones.
- By 2022, Back Market had achieved sales of 200 million euros.
- Operates in 18 countries (% of sales), the USA, Germany, Spain and the UK.
- agreement with Bouygues Telecom
- According to Fevade, the French e-merchants' union, second-hand goods account for 9% of French people's online purchases
Mediaclinic doubles its store network this year - 11/04/2024
- Mediaclinic foundation: 2018
- Target number of outlets by the end of the year: 30
- Current number of workshop stores: 16
- Number of products reconditioned and resold in 2023: 12,000
- Last year's growth: 29
- Sales under the banner in 2023: over 5 million euros
- Sales generated by three directly-operated stores: 1.1 million euros
- Fundraising last year: 1.2 million euros Number of employees: 65
The Save repairer regains his independence - 05/04/2024
- - Sales: 35 million euros
- - Total number of stores: Over 200
- - Distribution of stores: 130 in France
- - Expansion planned this year: 10 to 20 new stores in France
- - Business: Smartphone repair, sale of accessories, BtoB activities (notably with mutual insurance companies)
Orange and MasMovil complete their activities in Spain - 30/03/2024
- Creation of a joint venture by Orange and MasMovil, with each company owning 50% of the merged company.
In 2023, Cdiscount's sales volume continues to decline, but its Ebitda improves - 29/02/2024
- Total activity of Cnova, parent company of cdiscount: sales volume of 2.8 billion euros.
- Net sales of 1.196 billion euros.
- the switch to a more profitable marketplace model is beginning to pay off, with Ebitda up 56%.
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The reconditioned smartphone market | France
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