How many phones are repaired in the USA every year?
How many phones are repaired in the USA every year?
Communication has been developing from an ancient age. Technology has revolutionized all over the world and has greatly influenced the communication process in our daily lives. The cell phone is one of the most amazing tools in the communication process that has brought the world into our hands. Modern technology gives us multi-practical devices just like the smartwatch and the smartphone.
Faster and easier to use
Computers are a way to communicate but smartphones make communication quicker, transportable, and more high-powered than ever before on a PC. Nowadays cell phones have the highest of importance in our daily life. Most of us cannot think of even a day without touching our beloved cell phone. Because of the cell phones increasing popularity the cell phone repairing industry is growing day by day with no end in sight.
Dramatic change and in demand
Over the years, the usage of cell phones increased dramatically. In the past five years, from 2014 to 2019, the Cell Phone Repair industry in the USA has experienced significant growth. Communication over smartphones and tablets growing significantly. The rise of the smartphone and tablet users adds significant economic value to the cell repairing industry. Turning people with no electronics repair experiences into wealthy, financially free independent owners.
Fig: Number of smartphone users in the United States from 2018 to 2024 in millions (Report from Statista)
During the period of 2014 to 2019, the annualized rate of this industry revenue rises 1.4% to $3.9 billion (Report from ibis). This trend is going upwards day by day. Many believe there is a threat to this industry due to tech companies producing stronger, more durable, and more difficult to break smartphones and tablets, but this could not be further from the truth. These devices are sensitive and humans, by nature, are clumsy and forgetful of how delicate these items are.
How many phones are repaired in the USA every year? (Important Cell Phone Repair Industry Statistics)
The cell phone repair industry generally repairs and maintains cell phones. But repairing tablets and other electronic devices is also included in this industry as secondary devices and add more revenue for the Technician. Customers come to get immediate repair of their cell phones in brick-and-mortar stores and by mobile technicians. Mail-in service is also available in this industry. People mail-in devices that need repair. However, I’m gonna show you some important statistics in this industry below.
15 Statistics, Trends, and Analysis of Cell Phone Repair
1. 30% of Americans had a cracked screen at the time of the study, by Urgagdgetdotors A cracked screen is the most common repair work in this industry. Approximately 50 million cracked and smashed phones are repaired every year in the USA. The Square Trade survey also suggested as many as 66 percent of consumers damaged their devices over the past year, including cracks, scratches, and damaged batteries. US consumers spent over $23.5 billion only in 2014 for replacing parts (Mostly cracked screen) of broken phone (Reported by Experimac)
2. The most repaired device in this industry is the iPhone and iPad. Used Apple products have more value than any other brand company. Because one can sell repaired Apple products for 6 times the price of other brands. One can get about 50% of their original value in the first re-sold transaction. (Experimac)
3. About 1 in 4 iPhone users need to repair the cracked screen of their phone at least once while using the device. About 50% of US consumers own at least one product of the Apple brand. This industry not only repairs phones but also sells defensive products like different phone accessories, screen protectors, and other related products that prevent damage to the phone in case of dropping from hand or other reasons. Around 60% of cell phone repair shops do this job. (Experimac)
4. The typical home of 2.6 people has an average of 24 gadgets, including at least one smartphone — double the number 15 years ago, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group. Washington Post
5. According to CNBC, one can easily earn $15 by doing the simple task of repairing a jammed button or malfunctioning operating system, and Americans spent $4 billion on repairs just in 2015! Although CNBC is way off on the profit price, the normal profit on a repair is $80 average, no one pays $15 to fix a phone, but at least they tried right!
6. According to LifeLine, users need to repair their phones due to some most common causes like falling into the liquid like a pool or puddle, getting knocked off a table, falling out of the user’s lap or pocket, and having liquid spilled on it, like our beloved soda pop. About 30% of iPhone damage is from these common causes.
7. According to PC Magazine, Men are 57% more likely to drop their cell phones into a toilet compared to women only 40% of women damaged their cell phones while using it in the bathroom. Good times in the Lou! 8. Men are 70% more likely to lose their phones compared to women. (PC Magazine) I picked this fact, yes, because I am a woman and feel it makes some sort of the point, don’t be mad guys!
8. IBIS World provides more facts!
9. Smartphone shipments worldwide are projected to add up to around 1.7 billion units in 2020. By 2021, 40 percent of the world’s population is projected to own a smartphone.
10. Users are frustrated for a long time using the same phone because it takes too long to load something. In this case, 20% of cell phone users need to buy a new phone or repair the old one. (Pew Research)
11. According to CNET, a total of 51% of iPhone damaged inside the house i.e. 21% of cell phone damaged in the kitchen, 18% in the living room, and 16% in the bathroom. These damages happened accidentally.
12. Water damage has remarkable significance in this industry. Each year 43% of the liquid damage repairs that are handled by the industry. This is followed by soda (19%), coffee (12%), and tea (12%). (CNET)
13. According to The Street, 1 in 4 cell phone users committed that their cell phone was damaged by their children while they were using it.
14. SquareTrade 79% of people wait more than a week to get their device fixed
15. According to Square Trade, 71% of iPhone users don’t have protection, GOOD FOR US!
How many devices are repaired in the USA each year?
So there is no specific clear number on how many devices have been repaired. If we think about what SquareTrade has said, Americans spent 10.7 billion repairing and replacing phones, you can just imagine how many repairs there are. The repair industry is so big because every single person can be a customer now or in the future.
In Conclusion
Considering the above all discussion, reports, and statistics the cell phone repair industry is expected to grow upwards trend. Though cell phone tech companies continue their research on improving their technology to make better devices, the fact that the cost of a smartphone makes it worthwhile to repair it and that humans are hardy little buggers who break things, the cell phone repair industry is going NOWHERE but up!
Manufacturers state things like ‘reinforced’, can withstand falls from 1-3 meters but then our toddler drops it on a pillow, and it cracks. Additionally, customers prefer to repair cell phones instead of buying a new one when they average $700 new!
Thank you for reading my blog!
Nicole Russell
Cell Phone Trainer and President of CellBotics
Check out these pages:
https://cellbotics.com/cell-phone-repair-training-reviews/ , https://cellbotics.com/cellbotics-partnership-and-icracked-partnership/ , https://cellbotics.com/videos-from-the-trainers/ or Register for our class here: https://cellbotics.com/cell-phone-repair-courses-all-schedules/ and be sure to signup for our Ebook and discounts: https://cellbotics.com/cellbotics-landing/