BOSTON—Place your finger on the pulse of U.S. consumers desperately seeking a mobile phone this summer and you find all the attributes that makes anything a success in America: It’s got to standout from the crowd and it must be stylish and/or “free”—after subsidies and rebates, naturally. Under pressure to choose between stylish at a price and “free,” free is key. Convenience, represented by Bluetooth capabilities, is desirable as well.
Top-10 Most Shopped for Phones*
Rank Phone Name (Carrier) Bluetooth Free**
1. Motorola RAZR, All Colors YES NO
(Cingular, T-Mobile, Verizon)
2. Samsung t509 (T-Mobile) YES NO
3. Samsung e635 (T-Mobile) NO YES
4. Nokia 6101 (T-Mobile) NO YES
5. Sony Ericsson Z520a (Cingular) YES YES
6. Motorola V557 (Cingular) YES YES
7. T-Mobile Sidekick II (T-Mobile) NO NO
8. Verizon PN-215 (Verizon) NO YES
9. Motorola PEBL (T-Mobile) YES NO
10. Sony Ericsson W600i (Cingular) YES NO
Outside the free phones that comprise half the list, the phones exhibit a unique form factor: the Razr and t509 are thin, the Pebl has a unique hinge and finish, while the Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. W600i and Danger Inc.’s Sidekick II possess swivel hinges and music features.
To convert consumer interest in these models into purchases, Compete suggested that carriers and handset vendors must craft their pricing and promotional efforts.
Compete uses an online survey that taps more than two million Internet users to measure demand for specific handset models.
