Feature

Accessories to generate more revenue than smartphones

The market for mobile phone accessories will generate over $32bn in revenues in 2007, says ABI Research -- more than the $28bn expected from the high-profile smartphone business.
Around three quarters of those revenues will come from after-market sales, the rest from in-box accessories. ABI analyst Shailendra Pandey says “The number of mobile phone accessory products is expanding with new products driven by technology as well as by customer fashion and personalization needs appearing in the market. Handset vendors and mobile operators are showing greater interest as accessories provide high margins and also opportunities to promote their brand and expand their product offerings.

“The growing interest among mobile operators is also driven by the realization that mobile phone accessories can lead to higher ARPUs.”

ABI Research expects the accessories market to grow steadily, topping $80bn in 2012.