Chatter from the field

Chatter from the field

Chatter from the field

Marketsource Retail Trends

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July 23, 2019

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North Region 

“AT&T Prepaid has gotten additional signage placed for their double data promotion on their $50 per month plan. The plan usually comes with 8GB of data, but with the promotion, it now gives customers 16GB of data at LTE speeds. With the AutoPay discount in place, this brings the price of the plan down to $40. This promotion is available at AT&T stores and Walmart until July 11th.” 

“The Samsung S10 5G phone is now officially available to purchase through Verizon. It will eventually roll out to other carriers in the near future. Its starting price is $1,300 for the 256GB model or $54.16 per month for 24 months. Verizon has mentioned that their 5G network is currently only available in Chicago and Minneapolis and 5G network access is limited to customers who are on its two top tier unlimited plans, Above Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited.” 

“Sprint announced that it will begin offering its first 5G phones by the end of May. They will begin selling the LG V50 ThinQ5G and HTC 5G Hub devices to consumers by May 31st. Sprint mentioned it will make the phones available in its first four 5G markets; Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City. “ 

East Region 

“In Atlantic Coast district, WAL 1XXX, management is very excited about our Full-Time trial at location, they have verbalized loving our approach to business, how we have partnered together and how we ask permission to do events and partner with Walmart.” 

“Colton from Wal5XX in Atlanta North reported that had some language barrier issues with customers and used google translate to help customers to close sales when language was a problem.” 

“Atlanta North also had a few stores with low inventory and a remodel that affected sales this week.” 

“Verizon Pre-Pay has new Rollback pricing: Moto E5 $59.00, Moto E5 Go $39.88, Moto G6 $109.00” 

South Region 

“Sprint reps are frequenting stores more often to drive their latest promos and plans. Table events have become more common in the Florida District.“ 

“ATT is offering a “Double the Data” to their 8GB $50-dollar plan. Customers must activate new lines of service and sign up for AutoPay discount to qualify for their 16GB’s. “

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Marketsource Retail Trends

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July 15, 2019

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Source: Business Insider

 

• US carriers T-Mobile and Sprint are considering possible concessions, specifically the separation and potential sale of their prepaid businesses, in order to get their proposed $26.5 billion merger approved, according to Bloomberg.

• Critics have argued that consolidation would result in less competition, negatively impacting end consumers who would end up with fewer choices and, as a result, more expensive services.

• And while the two companies dispute this, arguing that their new company would actually bring stronger competition to powerhouses
Verizon and AT&T, this doesn’t appear to stand up when it comes to the prepaid industry.

• A merger between T-Mobile and Sprint would end up with the new company owning a significant portion of the US prepaid market: T-Mobile’s Metro brand along with Sprint’s Boost and Virgin Mobile brands account for about 42% of the market.

• It’s important to note that while these concessions may not be enough on their own to get the merger approved, they may alleviate enough concerns to keep the conversation going and the deal alive.

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The Impact of Tariffs on Major Appliances in the US

Nathan Bomey and Paul Davidson, USA TODAY

Published 12:03 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2019 | Updated 1:27 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2019

President Donald Trump signaled that he would hike tariffs on Chinese imports next month after recent talks failed to deliver a trade deal, escalating his trade war with Beijing and taking more direct aim at consumer products.

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Competition is intensifying among manufacturers of mobile infrastructure equipment. Leaders of the 3G and 4G networks face considerable disruption. New companies will join the race, the trend opens the door for existing players to catch up or overtake the leaders.

Verizon’s 5G Network Rebounds with Samsung Galaxy After Tough Start:

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Marketsource Retail Trends

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July 2, 2019

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  • April, shortly after Verizon became the first US mobile carrier to launch a 5G network that’s accessible with a compatible smartphone, negative reports concerning slower than expected network speeds and spotty coverage came out.

 

  • However, with the newly available Samsung Galaxy 5G — a Verizon exclusive for an undisclosed period — users are having an entirely new experience. When Digital Trends tested Verizon’s 5G network via a Moto Z3 equipped with the Verizon-exclusive Moto Mod in April, the highest download speed reached — according to results from the Speedtest app by Ookla — was 624Mbps. Six weeks and one new device later, download speed highs reached an impressive 1.35Gbps.

 

  • Verizon needs to move quickly to fully capitalize on its early mover advantage. Consumers are already showing that they’re interested in the Samsung Galaxy 5G, with Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg stating that “tens of thousands of customers” are buying the newly available device.

 

  • Early interest coupled with reports of a lightning-fast network will likely drive more consumers to explore the device and accompanying 5G plans. However, if Verizon is to take advantage of this, it’ll need to not only expand coverage but also continue strengthening its network. Although Verizon expects to have its 5G network available in 30 US cities by year-end, it’s currently only available in Chicago and Minneapolis. And even in those markets where the network is available, there are still major technical limitations; Verizon’s use of mmWave spectrum, which has difficulties going through structures such as walls or windows, is still leading to spotty coverage and download speeds.

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