By Subhrojit Mallick
Copyright indiatimes
NEW DELHI: Refurbished smartphone players such as Cashify and ControlZ are borrowing from ecommerce platforms’ festive playbook, offering deep discounts on their websites in a bid to convert up to 10% of new smartphone buyers to refurbished handsets this season. Market trackers also expect flash sale formats and other ecommerce strategies to be adopted by refurbished smartphone sellers to compete head on with the likes of Amazon and Flipkart in attracting customers.Mature Play”Organised players prioritise stocking more recent refurbished models during this period because they have higher demand and the potential for better margins,” said Glen Cardoza, who is an analyst at Counterpoint Research.”Companies are becoming more mature in their sales approach, implementing better sales formats, more attractive pricing, and aligning with general ecommerce sale themes.”Demand for refurbished phone sales has plateaued in 2025 and Cardoza does not expect the steep growth seen in the last two-three years to return. But there would be a bump in sales in the next two quarters due to fresh demand triggers from the income tax relief and GST rate cuts, he said.Live EventsCashify sees about 60% of its annual sales happen during the festive period.”We expect to strategically liquidate most of our existing inventory in the run-up to the festive season,” said Nakul Kumar, chief operating officer at Cashify. “This will help avoid depreciation as new phone brands will introduce major price drops and discounts on older models.”Discount offers on refurbished phones will often mirror those on new phones, especially for the older models to ensure a clear value proposition for customers, he said. ControlZ founder Yug Bhatia expects a 50% surge in sales during the festive period, as compared to last year, on the back of stronger demand for iPhones in the refurbished sector. “A key objective is to make refurbished phones a consideration for customers during the festive buying period. We aim for 5-10% of new phone buyers to convert to refurbished phone users,” Bhatia said.Supply GrowthThe festive season is also a time for the sector to stock up on inventory of older devices as many consumers trade their older phones for latest models. Most players see a 50-60% growth in supply, which they can refurbish and sell through the year.Cashify’s Kumar said this year’s festive season will see more units of the iPhone 14 flooding the market with many users upgrading to the latest models. “Demand for refurbished devices is consistently high, often exceeding the rate at which inventory can be refreshed,” he said. “The overall demand is higher this year compared to the previous festive season.”Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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