Port Washington, NY, March 30, 2022 – According to The NPD Group, sales of mobile phones through the national retail channel had a slow start to the year with low double-digit declines in January compared to year ago. February saw a turnaround in sales boosted by new flagship device releases. February MSRP dollar sales were up 4% while unit sales also saw 4% growth vs. year ago based on NPD’s Retail Tracking Service data, which covers a cross-section of national retailers to provide insight into the latest market trends.

In fact, from the second to the third week in February mobile phone MSRP dollar and unit sales through the national retail channel increased 142% and 33%, respectively (week of Feb. 13- 19, 2022 vs Feb. 20- 26, 2022). During this same time period mobile phone accessories (screen protection, device protection, mobile holders/stands, and other mobile accessories) saw sales increase 16% by dollars and 13% by units after seeing declines all through January.

“After a slow start to the year, February device and accessory sales were reenergized by the launch of new flagship devices, as well as extended financing programs and accessory credit promotions that were offered,” said Brad Akyuz, executive director and industry analyst for The NPD Group. “The growth we saw during the third week of February was driven by sales of the newly introduced top flagship model, as consumers took advantage of promotions and financing programs that were extended to 36 months. Additionally, accessory credit promotions drove sales of corresponding cases and more to accompany these new devices.”

Methodology
Information is collected and reported on a weekly and monthly basis from NPD’s national retail panel, which covers more than 25 million mobile units sold (as of 12ME May 2021). MSRP dollars are used for the mobile phone category to reflect an equivalized purchase condition market.

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