iQmetrix Releases Back-to-School Mobile Phone Sales Stats…

-- BlackBerry Sales Down from 27.6 to 1.5 Percent Market Share Since 2010, Android Sales Holding Steady, Prepaid Plans Favored in the South --

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Sept. 26, 2012 – iQmetrix, the leading provider of retail management software for the North American wireless industry, today released statistics on Back-to-School mobile phone purchasing trends over an eight-week period from July 23 through September 14, 2012. iQmetrix sampled data from nearly 7,000 independent wireless retailers across the United States revealing year-over-year (YOY) buying trends from 2010, 2011 and 2012. (See full infographic below.)

As Apple prepared to release its newest handheld device, iQmetrix statistics reveal that Android is still holding its own, while feature phones and BlackBerry devices have taken a significant downturn. Additionally, prepaid plans reveal the cost-conscious mindset of students and Back-to-School shoppers when broken out regionally.

iQmetrix collects data from its RQ4 Wireless Retail Management Software, that is utilized by independent wireless retailers across North America to process more than 15.5 million handset transactions each year. Information gathered from this significant database provides a unique look into mobile phone, plan, add-on and accessory purchasing trends.

“At iQmetrix, we have built comprehensive business analytics that provide wireless dealers and C-level executives with the ability to effectively analyze patterns and monitor consumer buying trends,” said Christopher Krywulak, CEO, iQmetrix. “While we are not an analytic firm, our RQ Retail Management System reaches across the U.S. wireless market to deliver powerful statistics like these, allowing us and our users to stay ahead of the competition in a rapidly changing industry.”

Key Findings (Full infographic at bottom)

OS – Android vs. iOS

It’s a close race, with Android and Apple’s iOS going head-to-head. Android captured a 59.1 percent share of consumer spending, while iPhone purchases were significant at 39.2 percent, prior to the release of the iPhone 5.*

BlackBerry and Windows Phone OS – Sales significantly decrease

BlackBerry sales took the biggest hit this year. 2012 figures reveal a 1.5 percent share of the market as compared 10.5 percent in 2011 and 27.6 percent in 2010, a 26.1 percent drop in two years.
Windows Phone falls to the back of the pack at 0.2 percent in 2012 as compared to a 2011 market share of 1.7 percent and 0.1 percent in 2010, a stunning indication that consumers are looking to iOS and Android for their mobile device needs.

Smartphones vs. feature phones

Consumers have finally adopted the smartphone with a 33 percent increase YOY since 2010. Overall, smartphone sales increased to 77 percent, as compared to 59 percent in 2011 and 44 percent in 2010. Feature phones have steadily decreased from 56 percent in 2010, 41 percent during the same period in 2011 and a mere 23 percent in 2012.

Prepaid plans – A clear regional choice

Additional data revealed interesting buying trends for prepaid plans in the United States. YOY prepaid plan sales indicate that 28 percent of all wireless plans activated during the Back-to-School period were prepaid for 2012, up from 17 percent in both 2011 and 2010.
Regionally, prepaid plans are favored in the South at 36 percent, with the Northeast coming in second at 30 percent. In the Midwest, 24 percent of the plans purchased in the Back-to-School period were prepaid plans. Meanwhile, only 16 percent of consumers in the West purchased prepaid plans.

Below is the full infographic from iQmetrix (click to expand):

Back-to-School Mobile Phone Sales Stats An Infographic by the Team at iQmetrix Mobile POS Software

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Media Contact:
Kim Dearborn
Nadel Phelan, Inc.
831.440.2407
kim.dearborn@nadelphelan.com

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About iQmetrix

At iQmetrix, we are passionate about retail. Our purpose is to create great experiences for retailers, their employees and the end consumer. Our products bridge the gap between physical and virtual retail channels, offering the latest in retail management and customer experience technology. XQ Interactive Retail brings elements of online and mobile shopping experiences into the physical store to engage and educate shoppers during the purchase process. RQ4 Retail Management is a complete system for managing all aspects of a store chain operation, including POS, ERP, inventory and HR. When integrated specifically for wireless retailers, XQ and RQ allow users to effectively manage back-of-house operations and the in-store customer experience. Founded in 1999, iQmetrix is a privately-held software as a service (SaaS) company with offices in Canada and the United States. www.iQmetrix.com

*YOY statistics for the iPhone captured in 2011 and 2010 did not include sales data from a variety of carriers, including Verizon and Sprint, which didn’t begin carrying the iPhone until February 2011 and October 2011 respectively. To date, T-Mobile does not carry the iPhone, while Virgin Mobile and Cricket both began offering prepaid iPhone plans in June 2012.