Top-up Trade-In price = Top-up sales:

Objective: To boost new iPhone sales by Trade-In

Solution:

• Top-up – Top-up – extra price for old gadgets in Trade-In, subject to the purchase of specific models

• Program implementation simultaneously in all authorized resellers

• Communicational support

• Sales staff training and education

Results:

• Trade-In price for specific models corresponded to the average offer on p2p platforms (OLX, Facebook marketplace, etc) and overperformed it!

• Trade-In share in the total number of sales increased up to 3 times during the Top-up period (YoY);

• Over 2.5 thousand people have been trained;

• Trust to Trade-In increased by over 3 times and reached 98%.

Top reasons why customers appreciate the program:

• Simplicity – a customer can evaluate the gadget with an online calculator from home and exchange it for a new one – in the nearest store of partner chains of the largest official Apple resellers.

• Transparency – a clear and fair testing system for 55 indicators in a matter of minutes right in front of the client.

• Safety – official selling of equipment under a clear contract with the following purchase of a 100% original device from an authorized partner.

• Pace – the entire Trade-In process takes up to 10 minutes (diagnostics to determine the price, paperwork).

• Benefit – the cost of old gadgets can cover up to 100% of the cost of a new one.

Four of the five reasons are Trade-In competitive advantages for users compared to personal selling a phone through OLX and similar trading platforms. Selling on them is not easy at all (you need to create a product card, update, and communicate with different people sometimes at inconvenient times), far from transparent, often unsafe (you can run into scammers and loos a phone and money), and always is slow (selling takes weeks or even months).

The Top-up program works with the last but not least item – with the client's benefit.

Siarhei Birulin, Head of Retail of iSpace CIS:

«The core consumer objection to Trade-In that our sale staff addresses is the Trade-In price. People sometimes value their phones more expensive than they really cost. On the one hand, this is influenced by the “ownership effect”. This psychological phenomenon makes people overestimate their own thing while underestimating other's. Therefore, it seems your phone should cost more, even with wear and tear, and a brand-new gadget in the store could be cheaper. Platforms like OLX also grist to this mill, where sellers put in advance increased prices to bargain with the buyer and down to the real price. Usually, the bargain discount consists of 10-20%. It is also essential to understand that gadgets with unrealistic prices on such platforms can hang for months and will be sold only after a significant price reduction. But at a glance at the platform, you will not notice these hidden pricing tricks. Therefore, people have the illusion that they will earn more by selling on their own. At the same time, in 80% of cases, people are not inclined to sell gadgets but will share the phone with relatives or simply drop it in a dresser.

Top-up helps to attract customers who were stopped by the issue of Thade-In price. Thanks to the special offer, an old gadget’s price is close to OLX one. This is an essential argument in communication with buyers and significantly increases Trade-In sales»

What is a Top-up?

This is a program to increase the Trade-In price of any Apple phone model when purchasing certain new models. For example, the iPhone 14, 13 and iPhone 11 | iPhone SE 3rd generation.

How does it work?

While evaluating an old gadget in the online calculator, a customer sees information that when buying some models, a fixed amount will be added to the Trade-In price. As a result, the amount received for an old smartphone approaches the level that a buyer would receive in a self-selling while quickly, safely, and easily.

The synergy of Trade-In provider Breezy, ASBIS, and Apple helped to develop such a profitable and convenient tool. Each partner provides an additional price increase, which together adds up to a significant increase in the cost of the buyout and a super advantageous offer for the client. At the same time, Breezy first launched this mechanic in EMEA, with the implementation of complex technical issues, a clear and user-friendly interface for employees and customers, automatic online and offline pricing, as well as the necessary reporting and analytics.

Photo: Mechta.kz, Sulpak.kz, Technodom.kz

Vladislav Volzhyn, CCO Apple CIS at ASBIS:

«We aim to make revolutionary Apple products affordable to as many customers as possible. Therefore, we traditionally support the Trade-In program in our authorized partners. Taking into account high inflation and declining real income levels in many countries of our operations, we have decided to enhance the program to make it even more attractive to consumers. We are pleased to note that our partner Breezy supported this idea and took the necessary steps to ensure its implementation with maximum convenience for everyone. In just a month, Breezy upgraded the software, trained partner staff, increased the Trade-In price, and did many other things to launch the program as soon as possible. »

Andrii Kosar, GM of Breezy:

«The Trade-In price is affected by the current market value of the device and its condition. If the phone requires replacement of the glass, battery, or other elements, the update cost is taken into account when pricing.

The internal processes alignment, our own new gadget refurbishing center recently launched in Poland, direct contracts with authorized service centers, and economies of scale helped us increase the Trade-In prices. Since more and more equipment passes through Trade-In, we use parts of original gadgets, which generally can no longer be restored, to prolong the lifecycle of devices. This way, we develop a circular economy for the planet's and users' benefit.

But, of course, these savings alone would not be enough to compensate for the desired price range. Therefore, we really appreciate that our partner Apple also found an opportunity to contribute a significant share in the top-up mechanics that allows chains to make a profitable offer to the consumer.»

Everywhere at once

To allow top-up work at full scale, it was necessary to make the program's terms available in all partners' stores. Breezy software allowed sharing of the program conditions with all partners simultaneously and automatically. Thus, top-up Trade-In offers appeared in all online calculators – without the hassle for retailers and Apple.

Breezy also upgraded program accounts of sales staff so that top-up offers are clearly visible, and consultants remember to inform customers about them in time.

Backstage

An essential component of top-up success is informing consumers about the program's benefits with maximum media.

Online: Information about super benefits for customers can be found on partners' websites, Promotions pages, product cards, and online calculators. Enter the site, and passing by information about the top-up is impossible.

In-Store information: touchpoints in the checkout and entry areas, product display areas, and even sales staff uniforms – consumers are surrounded with information about a unique opportunity to benefit.

Communications are focused on the super price for the main product and accessories. A strong communication plan has been developed to support the advertising campaign, including activities on YouTube, banner advertising, outdoor advertising, advertising in cinemas and on the radio, using PR tools and influencers, promotion in social networks, and joint communications with partners.

Training

The new program details required the training of chains' staff. Breezy contributed a lot to this. As of January 2023, 2.5 thousand people have been trained with a satisfaction level of 9.7 points out of 10. Due to staff engagement, trust in the Trade-In service has grown more than 3 times and reached 98%.

Vladislav Volzhyn, CCO Apple CIS at ASBIS:

«It is too early to summarize the program, it is still working and gaining momentum. But it is already apparent that the top-up has paid off – in some chains, we see an increase in sales up to two times. Due to the efficient work of our partner Breezy in this project, we were able to implement pretty complex mechanics easily and quickly and share the program conditions with all partners. This allows us to provide a great experience of interacting with the Apple brand to our consumers and partners. We highly appreciate our cooperation and strive for partnership with us to bring only positive emotions.»

*Here and below the text, when it is mentioned Apple, it is an Apple Authorized Distributor, ASBIS company. ASBIS is appointed by Apple as an Apple Value Added Distributor in the territory of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. As the Apple VAD in the CIS states, ASBIS provides an extended range of value added services – such as authorization of new partners, development of consumer, educational, creative markets, offering of warranty and post-warranty services, and performing marketing activities in these markets in accordance with Apple programs and policies.

ASBIS Group is one of the leading distributors of Information Technology ("IT") products in EMEA Emerging Markets: Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Middle East and Africa, combining a broad geographical reach with a wide range of products distributed on a "one-stop-shop" basis.