Mystery phone, “premium” quality: Back Market reveals its plans for the next 10 years
18 countries, 3 continents, 30 million orders, 1.6 million tons of CO2 avoided… For the 10 years of Back Marketits CEO Thibaud Hug de Larauze has rained down figures attesting to the company's good health. After a start to 2024 marked by controversies surrounding the firm's after-sales service, Back Market wanted to turn the page and look ahead to the next decade of repair, reconditioning and second-hand goods in general.
In an exercise in marketing anticipation, the young manager has drawn the outlines of a year 2034 where, like the automobile market, 9 out of 10 telephones are sold second-hand, 5 billion people have already bought reconditioned items and where “the entire regulatory landscape“has evolved to encourage second-hand consumption. With, of course, the creation of jobs that goes with it.
To prove his determination to last another decade, the CEO also announced that Back Market has become profitable, for the first time in its history, in 2024. He also gave an overview of the brand's upcoming initiatives to put refurbished products at the center of our daily, regulatory and commercial concerns.
“Premium” refurbished mobiles for even more quality
The first is a house label nicknamed “Quality Pact” which aims to impose more transparency on the reconditioning process and on the condition of the devices. On the program, a clear vision of the 25 control criteria imposed by Back Market on its partners, guarantees on the quality of spare parts and a single point of contact to manage all warranty issues, after-sales service, etc. To prove the seriousness of the approach, Back Market even goes so far as to admit that “only 1 in 3 sellers meets the requirements for access to the platform“.
On paper, the initiative seems very close to what French reconditioners have already tried to impose with the Qualicert or RecQ labels, already adopted by Orange, Recommerce Or Smaaart. Less catchy, RecQ has the advantage of being harmonized at the European level and monitored by DEKRA, an independent auditing body. According to Alexandre Tanay, Back Market's head of public affairs, RecQ nevertheless suffers from certain shortcomings in its implementation, which has pushed Back Market to go it alone on this new initiative.
To stand out even more from the competition, Back Market will also introduce a new quality grade above the well-known “Perfect condition”. The “Premium” label, which has just appeared on the store, guarantees the presence of original parts, a minimum battery capacity of 90% and absolutely no signs of wear.Premium devices may be lightly used or open box returns“, indicates Back Market. Let us recall, for all useful purposes, that discrimination between aesthetic grades is unfortunately still not governed by strict specifications at national or international level.
In the coming months, the company will also introduce several new features to its application, such as comparing refurbished products via AI, tips for extending the life of your devices, or instant evaluation of the value of the device in the context of a trade-in. An “express replacement” service will also allow you to receive a new device within 24 hours in the event of a problem with your refurbished phone. Enough to compete with new product offers… but also to encourage renewal as soon as a problem appears.
“TEL”, a mystery parcel program for €300
Finally, in a “one more thing“Worthy of Apple's historic keynotes, the firm also announced the launch of”SUCH“, a marketing operation making available to customers a mystery refurbished phone for €299. Necessarily from the last three generations of devices put on the market and equipped with 128 GB of minimum storage, the PHONE contained in the box could randomly be an iPhone 12, a Galaxy S23, S22 or Z Flip 4. The company nevertheless specifies that the mobiles made available will be “still advantageous in terms of price“. Interested customers will only be able to choose the operating system of their mystery mobile.
Back Market hopes with its announcements to start a “cultural transformation“in favor of reconditioned, arguing that the only disruption that is worth it is that which consists of making innovation accessible to all and to”embracing sobriety as a desired choice and not an imposed one“. A position already defended by a good number of French reconditioners. who do not always view with a very good eye the important place that Back Market has taken on the reconditioned market.
