Sales of the iPhone have been given a big kick after its tariffs were refreshed in January and a massive advertising push in recent weeks, O2 and Carphone staff have told Mobile.
Interest in the device had dropped significantly after the much-hyped launch led to an early spike, but changes to the contract prices appears to have re-sparked consumer interest.
An O2 staffer said: ‘Sales have dramatically picked up and the buzz is back – it’s become a much tastier option.
‘When we go over the tariffs with customers now, it’s much less of a stumbling block. The new prices have put it on a much more level playing field with phones like the Nokia N95.’
The changes occurred at the end of January, when O2 responded to criticism of the iPhone’s high tariff costs by tripling the minutes and doubling the number of texts available to the device’s users.
O2 told Mobile it is ‘very happy’ with the device’s sales, and also claimed that the iPhone’s store presence has a positive effect on sales of other phones. It said:
‘Since launching the iPhone back in November we have seen a marked increase in footfall in our stores, which has also lent itself to improving sales of other handsets.’
Carphone Warehouse staff also said they have seen a positive change in sales since the tariff refresh. One staffer said: ‘We’ve seen a big increase after things had gone a bit stale after the launch. It’s still worth a lot of margin to us and Carphone is encouraging us to push it as much as ever.’