The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) estimated that the value of consumer electronic sales in 2015 at over $220 billion. Some estimates predict that this industry will hit $1.5 trillion by 2024. Smartphones are a big part of this figure, with 1.46 billion devices shipped last year alone. But what happens to all of the old phones that these newer models are replacing?
According to Statista.com, the average life of a cell phone is 2.46 years. But the interesting thing about this figure is that it is not because the phone no longer functions. It is mostly due to the fact that the consumer opts to upgrade to one of the latest and greatest models that are being continuously introduced.
That’s where HYLA Mobile comes in. RewardExpert recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Ronis, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Customer Operations at HYLA Mobile, to learn more about how the company is helping consumers and the environment.
History of HYLA
HYLA Mobile started in 2009 as a company called eRecyclingCorps. After seeing a growing number of older, unused and sometimes obsolete cell phones lying around everywhere, David Edmondson, Scott Wagner, Ron LeMay and Gary Stone saw the need for some major recycling for these mobile devices. The founders saw more and more old phones piling up in people’s drawers and eventually winding up in landfills, and realized the need for an option that included responsible recycling.
This quickly became a win-win situation for mobile dealers as well. “By encouraging mobile carriers and retailers to be the facilitator, they could benefit from having consumers upgrade sooner,” said Ronis. “This idea turned out to be viable and created a significant opportunity globally. Every carrier has launched trade-in programs and a new multi-billion dollar niche was born within the mobile industry.”
In 2014 they were renamed HYLA Mobile. That was when they began focusing more on the software technology and services that would enable their customers to capture, extend and optimize the value of used mobile phones. “This includes the analytics behind trade-in pricing, omni-channel device collection platform, and intelligent logistics and processing, to name a few.”
Software, Service and Sales
HYLA Mobile exists to provide industry-leading technology, analytics and logistics solutions to help the mobile ecosystem maximize their sustainability efforts in a manner that builds exceptional value for customers and shareholders while benefiting the environment.
“We provide software solutions that enable our customers to operate trade-in programs whether in their stores, online or right from a phone,” explained Ronis. “We collect the devices, data clear them and then ultimately sell them into the secondary market on behalf of our customers. For those phones that cannot be resold, we responsibly recycle them.”
“Some of the problems we solve for our customers are, generating a new revenue stream from an existing asset (phone), helping them increase new sales while reducing churn and finally, providing an environmentally friendly way to dispose of these used phones by ensuring they are properly recycled and never end up in a landfill.”
What They Have to Offer
HYLA has a variety of options to help their customers such as:
- Analytics: Powerful, data-driven insights for a more profitable business
- Omni-Channel Device Collection: Innovative in-store, online and on-device collection solutions with automated device processing
- Device Trade-In Solutions: A turnkey program to run every aspect of your trade-in business for a comprehensive end-to-end operation
- Device Processing and Liquidation: Industry-leading processing and resale service to maximize the recovery value of your pre-owned device inventory
- Device Insurance Solutions: Cutting-edge technology for insurance carriers and handset protection providers
To learn more about HYLA Mobile and the way they are helping both consumers and the environment, visit hylamobile.com today.