Romanian startup Flip.ro uses US launch of the new iPhone to promote refurbished smartphones

As Apple launched its new iPhone 14 on September 7, Romanian startup Flip.ro used the occasion to relaunch the older, refurbished models. It promoted reused phones through messages displayed in front of the American tech giant’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, as well as on advertising screens in Times Square, New York City.

Flip.ro is a marketplace founded in 2019 by Romanian entrepreneurs Alin Luca, Alex Burghelia, and George Moroianu. It buys, refurbishes, and sells smartphones, with Apple being the most popular brand on its website.

During the launch event in the Apple campus in Cupertino, a LED screen TV truck went around displaying messages encouraging customers to buy refurbished phones instead of new ones, out of hundreds of thousands of already existing models. They read: “We’re already celebrating the relaunch,” “This is not a launch. It’s a relaunch for reused phones,” or “The model is just a number.”

Moreover, on the same day, similar messages were also displayed on the advertising screens in Times Square, NYC. Sentences such as “We are celebrating the relaunch of older models at a better price” caught the eye of passers-by in the center of the Big Apple.

“We support a circular economy, so the launch of the new iPhone was the perfect moment for us to encourage users to do some smart shopping, especially since choosing a refurbished smartphone is more sustainable for both their wallets and the planet,” said the Flip.ro founders.

Flip.ro, part of the eMAG group, has so far bought and sold over 170,000 smartphones to over 100,000 clients. In the first semester of 2022, it recorded a fiscal value three times higher than for the same period of last year.

The Romanian startup got investments of EUR 8 million from eMAG Ventures to strengthen its expansion plans. It recently expanded to Bulgaria, eyeing Hungary next.

“We are expecting a similar growth of our fiscal value for the second semester of 2022, supported by our regional expansion plans and our establishment as leaders in the refurbished electronics market in Central and Eastern Europe,” the founders said.

(Photo source: Flip.ro)