Port Washington, N.Y. — Despite varying industry opinions on the iPhone 5 sales numbers Apple released last week, one thing is for certain: The new iPhone has been a boon for the accessory business, according to The NPD Group.
NPD’s just released Weekly Retail Tracking Service reports sales of iPhone accessories for the two weeks following the launch are up 29 percent, compared with the two weeks prior, and the first full week after launch was the biggest for all phone accessory sales year to date. On top of that, average selling prices for iPhone accessories have increased 17 percent compared with the two weeks following the iPhone 4S launch.
NPD’s recent “Mobile Phone Accessory Attachment Study” showed that iPhone owners spend 28 percent more on accessories than the average smartphone owner.
According to Ben Arnold, NPD’s industry analysis director, nearly all iPhone owners (86 percent) buy some type of accessory for their handset, making growth in aftermarket products a decent barometer of device sales vitality.
NPD’s Stephen Baker, industry analysis VP, pointed out that the pool of available new iPhone buyers is getting smaller, as the smartphone market matures. Significantly expanding share — either with new customers or converts from other platforms — will become increasingly difficult with each new phone launch.
“We’ll wait until Apple’s quarterly sales call later this month for the actual [sales],” said Arnold, “but if accessory sales are any indication, the iPhone 5 launch went just fine.”
