Gazelle's 2nd Annual CES RECOMMERCE Survey Reports Consumer Electronics Purchase and Reuse Trends in 2011 and 2012

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gazelle (www.gazelle.com), the nation's largest consumer electronics direct-to-consumer reCommerce™ service,  today released the results of a survey that polled first-day attendees at International CES and gauged likely Consumer Electronic purchase and resale trends in 2012. The survey aimed to better understand the types of electronics that CES attendees plan to purchase this year and how they differ from last year, and also to chart the annual growth of the reCommerce™ industry and how many attendees traded in or resold their used electronics in 2011 and how many plan to in 2012. 

2011 marked another big year in the growth and awareness of reCommerce™ services as 32% sold or traded in an electronic last year and used the cash to fund an upgrade. The study also pointed to an overall increase in those who plan to resell or trade in their used electronics in 2012 as opposed to 2011 with 81% more likely to trade in their gadgets this year. 

Because Gazelle accepts hundreds of thousands of consumer electronic trade-ins each year, the company serves as a unique barometer of U.S. consumer electronics consumption habits.  The more one item is resold, the higher the likelihood that a newer model of that item will sell. Gazelle is using CES to better understand the growth of consumer reCommerce™ services, how purchase and resale patterns may change in 2012 and why such changes may occur. 

Other notable findings from the 2nd annual survey include:

Mobile phones and Smartphones are the CE gadgets most likely to be resold in 2012:

• 84% of respondents plan to sell a Smartphone, while 37% plan to sell laptops and another 37% plan to sell their tablets. Only 67% planned to resell their Smartphone last year predicting a significant increase in upgrades and sales for this product category in 2012
• MP3 player and television upgrades could be weaker in 2012, with respondents planning to sell their MP3 players and televisions at a rate of 13% and 5% respectively. 65% were planning to sell their MP3 player last year showing a potential decline in sales in this market

The average respondent purchased 3 consumer electronic devices in 2011. 88% of those polled who purchased a device bought a new Smartphone

• 42% of respondents purchased 3 consumer electronic devices in 2011 while nearly 17% purchased 5 or more devices
• 88% of respondents purchased Smartphones, 55% purchased tablets, while 38% purchased a new laptop

Despite the massive increase in awareness, some are still unaware of the practice/are reluctant to trade in their gadgets:

• 65% of those who upgraded in 2011 did not trade in their gadgets to fund the upgrade and still have their electronics "in a drawer somewhere"
• 70% of respondents who did not sell a device in 2011 did not do so because either they did not think about it or did not know they could actually receive enough cash to make the trade worthwhile

"With the release of our second annual CES survey, it is gratifying and exciting to see the continued, rapid growth of Gazelle and the overall awareness and understanding that used electronics possess significant value," said Israel Ganot, co-founder and CEO of Gazelle. "While there are still consumers that are unfamiliar with reCommerce™ services, the survey confirms our belief that 2012 is going to be another high growth year for our industry.  As more and more people become aware of the opportunity to trade in used electronics for cash and are comfortable with the responsible re-sale or recycling of products and the data protection offered by reputable players in the industry, adoption of reCommerce should only accelerate further."

ABOUT GAZELLE

Gazelle (www.gazelle.com), a service of Second Rotation, Inc., provides an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted electronic devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online and provides its users with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity/data removal. To date, Gazelle has helped more than 250,000 consumers trade their used gadgets to de-clutter their lives, earn quick cash and generally lead a greener lifestyle. Based in Boston, Gazelle is backed by premier venture capital firms Craton Equity Partners, Physic Ventures, Venrock Associates and RockPort Capital Partners.

PRESS CONTACT:
Michael Schneider
RF|Binder Partners
(212) 994-7546
[email protected]

SOURCE Gazelle