4 reasons why businesses are choosing refurbished IT

We currently live in a world where technology is shaping the future at a pace that has never been experienced before. Digital natives (those born after the technology revolution) are now outnumbering digital immigrants (those born into a world before the technology revolution), and companies that are not technology enabled will struggle with profitability in the future.

 Investment in technology is one of the biggest challenges that companies need to currently address. it is an expensive undertaking for businesses that are facing a disrupted market and significant levels of attrition when it comes to customer behaviour.

 This, however, does not mean that there are no opportunities for companies to become profitable. There is a significant movement towards using refurbished computers as a viable alternative. Some important factors are driving this.

 Hybrid models of work

Hybrid work models that were introduced by Covid have dramatically increased the demand for refurbished laptops as workers need to be equipped with portable devices.

 As businesses were faced with stock shortages and the large expense of procuring multiple devices, many have tried to reduce costs by purchasing refurbished devices. Many of these businesses have continued to purchase refurbished devices as a preference.

 Professional refurbishment

A major barrier to the adoption of preowned devices is trust.

 The professionalism of the device refurbishment sector has played a major role in the growing number of preowned devices that are being utilised. Professional refurbishment facilities ensure high standards of refurbishment, including stringent checking and testing. Further, they offer competitive warranties, first-class support, and industry leading return periods.

 Because the quality of devices and service emerging from these facilities is genuinely very high, businesses have the comfort that the devices they use will keep them productive and will last.

 Awareness

Awareness that preowned, refurbished devices are a viable option is rapidly gaining traction as businesses and consumers try them out and are convinced of their benefits.

 With cost savings of between 20% and 50% relative to new devices, and the assurance that refurbished phones, laptops, and desktops are reliable and will last, the business case is compelling and existing users are actively encouraging others to try them out.

 Sustainability

The sustainability movement is rapidly gaining momentum as we hurtle towards damaging levels of global warming.

 Sustainability is driving the growth in refurbished devices from two perspectives. First, more conscious corporates and consumers are actively measuring and improving their sustainability contributions and are choosing refurbished devices as part of their drive to reduce their impact on the environment. Second, increasingly stringent environmental and eWaste regulations in developed economies are demanding that corporates manage their device life cycles more responsibly.

 Using refurbished devices is an important part of this. Gauteng is the economic hub of the country and there are plenty of great deals when it comes to second hand laptops

 The numbers that frame the growth in refurbished devices

The global market for refurbished laptops and computers was $9,34 billion in 2020. In the same year, $331,45 billion worth of new computers were sold.

While refurbished computers represent a much smaller proportion of total devices sold (3%) it is also a quickly growing market. Research and Markets suggest that the market is set to grow by an compounded annual growth rate of 11.2% between 2017 and 2025. This is compared to 2.7% growth in the sales of new devices in 2019.

The digital revolution is truly becoming a reality in South Africa and there are plenty of opportunities for companies to remain profitable if they use refurbished devises.