Online Cell Phone Sales Triple in One Year

Press Release - 6:45 am on December 31, 2006 

A significant percentage of new cell phones purchased this holiday season were bought online, according to a recent market research survey, and the trend towards online buying is expected to expand in the new year and beyond.

“Gifting is an important part of the e-commerce wireless picture,” according to analyst, Adam Guy, of the research firm, Compete. “But people are also buying upgrades (better phones) for themselves.”

Between November 19 and December 16, a total of around 374,500 U.S. customers purchased new cell phones from an online retailer, Compete discovered, noting that this represents a 200% increase over the same period last year.

A major reason for this trend is that most users already have a cell phone plan or prepaid subscription, and have fewer reservations about buying online than first-time wireless customers.

“As the wireless market matures, more people are comfortable making purchases online,” Guy explained. “They don’t need to go into a store to touch or hold a phone,” and are happy to benefit from the significant price discounts associated with internet shopping.