Phobio Germany Launches Cell Phone Trade-in Program

Phobio Germany is promoting the responsible and sustainable reuse of mobile devices with a new incentivized mobile trade-in program.
 
The cell phone collection program is providing consumer trade-in services at the point-of-sale for retailers, which is a model that has been active and successful in the U.S. for a few years, the company says. Phobio Germany says it has taken the best practices, software and procedures for incentivized device trade-in, based on Phobio North America's platform, and customized it for German retailers.  

Through the trade-in model, retailers offer their customers immediate in-store credit for trading in their old handsets (or "Handy's" as they are called in Germany) which are then refurbished or recycled, Phobio Germany says. For retailers, the service increases store traffic and customer retention, creating a potential cross-selling opportunity.

"Phobio is the only POS tool, which actually constitutes added value to the shop—a fact that is already being acknowledged by our customers in Germany, Australia, Italy and the U.S.," says Marc Schmidt, team lead at Phobio Germany.

One of Phobio Germany’s most well-known retail partners in this endeavor is Brodos AG, a distributor and retailer of telecommunication products. Brodos AG has a franchising system of major retailers, including the company’s independent mobile chain my-eXtra, and supplies mobile phones and enhancements to about 5,000 European dealers, of which 1,000 are based in Germany.