A new analysis by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) focused on phone purchasing patterns for iPhone 5S / iPhone 5C buyers, reveals that almost two-thirds of these buyers previously owned an iPhone. The report suggests that iPhone buyers increasingly come from within the Apple ecosystem, rather than from other platforms such as Android phones.
“We see a noticeable decrease in the number of iPhone buyers that seem to want the latest, most advanced phone,” said Josh Lowitz, Partner and Co-Founder of CiRP. The study shows that within the two-thirds of iPhone buyers that upgraded from an existing iPhone in September and October 2013, fewer upgraded from the year-old iPhone 5, relative to the 55% of iPhone 5 buyers in September and October 2012 that upgraded from the year-old iPhone 4S.
“Ideally, Apple attracts a significant percent of its customers from Android and other systems,” said Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. “At the most recent launch, though, Apple saw an increase in the share of customers that already had an iPhone. Perhaps because of the declining base of non- smartphone owners, a smaller percentage of iPhone buyers upgraded from a basic or flip phone, compared to the year-ago launch.”
CIRP bases its findings on its survey of 400 phone customers that activated an iPhone in the US in after the launch on September 20, 2013
