SEATTLE-Consumers in some of the world’s fastest-growing wireless markets are the most likely users to upgrade to cutting-edge new phones, according to a new study from global market research firm GMI.
The poll found that nearly 75 percent of respondents in India and China said they upgraded their handsets more frequently than any other technology, and 67 percent of South American users said the phone is their most often-replaced device. Only 47 percent of American and 38 percent of French subscribers said they replaced their phones more frequently than any other technology.
High device turnover rates can damage the environment, GMI said, as users throw out old handsets made of heavy metals like lead and mercury. And while ecological concerns had little impact on consumers’ choices to replace phones with new models, the issues present an opportunity for environmental-conscious marketers, the firm said.
“A lot of the international attention on waste focuses on legislation when the answer could be in product design,” said Dr. Mitchell Eggers, chief operations officer of GMI. “There is an opportunity for marketers to tap into ‘Generation Eco,” the young green early adopters that are tech savvy and planet conscious. Marketers should explore designing responsible products that will retail at a premium.”
