Why Every Cell Phone store NEEDS to have Repair Service

For every business, the resource is like water and every idea for growth is clay. So, businesses need new ideas and resources to see growth. For your cellphone store growth, we have been chattering away for a while on how to take your business online and tap into the multiple revenue sources from e-commerce so that your Brick and Mortar business can continue to thrive.

While you want to get into online market places to increase your revenue stream, you also want to be reliable and trustworthy to your local customers. And one of the best ways to do this is via Repair Service. In the last 5 years, Cellphone repair industry in the US alone has seen 2.7% annual market size growth, and in 2019 the market size in the US is $4 billion. 

Repair Services come in many forms

FREE Experience:

• Start with cheap phones. Just open them up and repair some parts and get the experience this way. 
• You can just do this and sell on eBay; without even offering the service to your customers—just to get started with this side business. 
• Then over time, when you have had some experience, repaired few dozen phones, start repairing expensive phones. Buy broken ones for cheap from eBay; repair them and sell them right back on eBay for a small profit. Remember—you’re doing this to gain experience.
• There are free guided video tutorials on YouTube for almost every phone you can think of; so, take advantage of them for step by step repairs, 100% free. 
• You can do this in between serving your customers; while waiting in your store.

Get Customers Interested:

• Once you set up a little repair booth in your store; or a repair ‘place’ in a corner, customers will begin to notice and will naturally ask you if you do repairs, even if you don’t offer them.

• Once you have had a few months of experience with selling repaired phones on eBay, then you can officially put up a banner in your store (outside and inside) that you offer repair service. 
• This gives your customers peace of mind that the expensive phones they bought with their hard-earned money—will have a longer mileage due to the repair offered by the same store they bought it from!

Phone Repair Service Options:

• You can bundle a repair plan when you sell the phone to the customer. 
• Do some research on average repair costs and most broken parts and add this warranty/repair service with customers’ purchase (+ any additional fees you may want to add).
• You can also offer a Future repair credit if they come to repair the phone at your store. ($ store credit works better than % off since $ amount is usually higher; for example, $25 repair store credit sounds more enticing than 25% off repair).
• You can also give free tips to your customers regarding the usage of cellphone, like how to clean phone, how many times phone should be charged in a day or week, and that having even a cheap case significantly reduces the damage to your phone in the event of a fall.

Can’t do it—no time, or skill? 

• Are you the only person running your store? So, naturally, you may not have the time to repair, especially if you are busy. Or if you simply don’t want to deal with the tiny parts or you don’t have stable hands; whatever the case may be, you still can offer Repair service to your customers. 
• How? Find a Repair shop and partner up or affiliate with them. Get the warranty/repair service through them—without sending your customers to them. 
• Set up a relationship whereby you collect the broken/damaged phones from your customers and you handle the logistics of taking the phone to the Repair shops or local repair contractors and have them fix the phones and deliver back to you. 
• You, in turn, provide your customers with the repaired phones.

Whatever your business scenario may be, having a cell phone repair service in your store GREATLY improves your reliability and business security.

Also, educate your customers about the fact that Electronic waste in the US is 70% of the hazardous waste that is deposited in landfills, which is causing extreme damage to our environment. In this way, your repair business won’t only grow your business but will also contribute to the US economy and in minimizing Global warming.

Sources:

• https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/market-size/cell-phone-repair-united-states
• https://www.thebalancesmb.com/e-waste-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878189