According to the latest GfK Omnibus survey results, 82% of Romanians who own a mobile phone say they bought this gadget as new. The percentage is similar for both normal mobile phone and smartphone. Preference for "new" is largely supported by the advantageous telecom operators offers for new appliances, but also by the desire to have a phone that just left the factory, as a guarantee of a long use and with no technical problems.
According to GfK Temax research, the total value for telecom market grew by 18% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period last year, by 88 million euros.
The new smartphones models launched recently have contributed to the growth of this segment by 58%, while a decrease in demand for mobile phones produced a negative growth rate of 29% for these products.
There is also a category of users with an increased price sensitivity who prefer second-hand devices, purchased mainly from other people, avoiding the interaction with the official channels (online or offline shops).
Asked about how they purchased their device, 81% of those who detain a second hand classic mobile phone had another person as provider. Among second hand smartphone owners, 75% said they preferred to buy from another person, while only 10% were turned to websites.
Those who hold phone cards are mostly oriented towards the purchase of a regular phone second hand. This is a handy solution that does not require a big financial investment in the context where, most likely, the monthly costs with the phone number are not considerable. At the opposite pole, there are people from Bucharest (96%) and subscribers (95%) who prefer the new phones.
When it comes to smartphones, men, people with low personal income (less than 1,000 RON), and young people aged between 19 and 24 years, but also phone card users are more interested in buying second hand smartphones. For these segments, the desire to keep up with advanced technology is facing budget constraints; the final benefit of having a new gadget is no longer relevant.
The trend is similar for IT products, 83% of Romanians with a personal computer (desktop or laptop) say that they have purchased it new, choice influenced by the desire to obtain warranty service, thus avoiding any problems that may arise in the case of IT equipment.
