ID Number		2598
Study Type		Social Sciences
Model		In-depth interviews with consumers (n = 20) of new and refurbished phones provided insights into consumers' considerations that play a role in the choice of a refurbished product over a new product.
Details		AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Weelden et al. 2016 (IEEE #6390): In the transition towards a circular economy, refurbishment can be applied to regain value from used products, and to reduce waste. Refurbishment is a process in which a professional company collects and restores used products in order to resell these products to new consumers. Building on insights from the remanufacturing literature, this research is the first to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence consumer acceptance of refurbished products, and in specific refurbished mobile phones. We adopted a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with consumers (n = 20) of new and refurbished phones to gain rich insights into consumers' considerations that play a role in the choice of a refurbished product over a new product. This paper maps out the main factors that influence consumer acceptance of refurbished mobile phones. Our findings uncover that the majority of consumers do not take a refurbished product into consideration as a consequence of a lack of awareness and a misunderstanding of what refurbishment actually entails. In addition, refurbished products are often rejected as a consequence of a negative trade-off between perceived risks and benefits. Personal, contextual and product-related factors have been identified that influence consumers' assessment of a refurbished product's risks and benefits. Finally, the findings have been translated into practical guidelines for designers and marketers to positively steer consumer perception of refurbished products.
Findings		Not Applicable to Bioeffects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator
Funding Agency		?????
Country		NETHERLANDS
References		Weelden, E et al. Journal of Cleaner Production., (2016) 113:743-754
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