U.S. Cell Phone Owners Spend an Average on $60 Per Handset on Mobile Accessories

From batteries to bedazzled cases, cell phone accessories are hot among handset-toting U.S. consumers.

 

New data unveiled Monday from ABI Research shows mobile phone owners in the United States are spending an average of $60 per handset on accessories. The wireless accessories market is worth $63 billion in 2009, according to ABI.

What is the most popular accompaniment to spruce up the cell? “Chargers – car chargers, standard chargers and additional chargers – led the field,” said ABI Research (News - Alert) industry analyst Michael Morgan, who told TMC he wasn’t too surprised by the results of the survey, which was conducted in July 2009.

 

Carrying cases (and protective cases) were the next most-popular accessory, followed by batteries and memory cards. The survey also included hands-free kits, headsets and cosmetic enhancements.

 

For the survey, ABI researchers asked 1,000 adult consumers which of the many available accessories they acquired at the time their latest handset was purchased, and where they sourced the accessories they bought later. An accessory is defined as anything that you find out of the box, said Morgan, noting that typically a battery and a phone charger come with most handsets.

 

“What’s surprising is that the car charger is one of the most purchased accessories to go with the handset,” Morgan told TMC (News - Alert). “When you think about accessories, what you think about is a Bluetooth headset, or a silicone case for your iPhone. But what people don’t realize is that what consumers bought the most is the car charger.”

 

That said, charger purchasing patterns are likely to change dramatically in the next couple of years as the GSMA’s (News - Alert) universal charger interface penetrates the market, according to ABI.

 

And though the average U.S. consumer spends $60 on accessories, some spend a lot more.

 

Professionally installed car kits that work with your phone (and are integrated your car’s existing speaker system) can cost upwards of $600, Morgan said.