Fairown and BlueMovement launched a one-of-a-kind product buyback solution in Germany. With Flexcare, consumers can now own household appliances in an affordable and sustainable way. The solution endorses product reuse, unlocking the recommerce market for brands like BlueMovement.
BlueMovement is part of BSH Home Appliance Group, one of the world's leading companies in its industry. The group represents global brands like Bosch and Siemens, and is the largest household appliance manufacturer in Europe.
Product Buyback Brings Unseen Value to Brands in Germany and Beyond
Flexcare gives consumers access to household appliances from refrigerators and dishwashers to washing machines to dryers. Consumers can use these products during an agreed usage cycle and then choose to upgrade or keep using their products. Returned products are refurbished and resold, and the consumer makes a new purchase. The cycle repeats.
What sets this newly launched product buyback solution apart, is its repetitive nature that delivers on the sales, consumer loyalty, and sustainability fronts. For example, in the rental model, merchants don’t want to break the product usage cycle and extend it to a maximum, because they don’t want to lose revenue. Nothing guarantees that the consumer returns.
With product buyback, consumers agree to upgrade products at the end of the usage cycle, ensuring recurring revenue for merchants. It’s also beneficial for the environment, since products are returned at a time when they're in a proper condition for refurbishing and reselling. Using products over and over again helps save resources that are needed for production.
The Household Appliances Industry Is Shifting
The household appliances industry is experiencing a strong shift, impacted by key drivers. Firstly, an unprecedented speed of innovation and the ushering in of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things, which will experience 2.5x growth in devices over the next 10 years. Alongside lifestyle changes, increased consumer awareness, and vast digitalisation, this spurs more frequent updating and replacement of products.
Flexcare addresses this industry shift. The partnership of Fairown and BlueMovement aligns perfectly with both companies’ mission of empowering the circular economy. The goal of Flexcare is to endorse product reuse, refurbishing, and recycling, so no product goes to waste and their lifetime value is maximised.
Hendrik Roosna, CEO at Fairown, commented, “Our collaboration targets consumers who always value affordable prices of household appliances, flexible ownership, and circular product reuse. This solution is designed on a financially innovative Fairown product buyback platform that helps BlueMovement scale its value proposition in the rapidly growing consumer appliances market, reaching Germany and beyond.”
E-Lin Tan, Global Head at BlueMovement, said, “For us at BSH and Bosch, it’s important to make high-quality and efficient appliances accessible to even more consumers. In this circular model, consumers pay a fixed monthly fee and get the Bosch appliance, as well as services like extended warranty and buyback. Our customers have the flexibility to upgrade or cancel the plan based on their changing needs. When the appliances are returned to us, we recycle or refurbish them, and make them available to other consumers."
Product Buyback Captures the Changing Market Momentum
The business recommerce is booming, exceeding the retail market growth by 20x. This surge is driven by consumer demand: 93% consumers in the EU say that inflation impacts their decision to buy and sell pre-owned goods, accelerating the growth. That is supported by platforms that specialise in selling second-hand, refurbished, and repurposed items.
The reality is that prices and production costs are increasing, while consumption power is falling. Product buyback captures this exact market momentum and empowers BlueMovement in offering products, affordably. That is creating monthly pricing and marketing plans that make products more accessible to a broader range of consumers, without compromising on quality or brand value.
Affordability is achieved through two main factors: product financing and trade-in.
Fairown offers embedded product financing by partnering up with a local bank to carry the risk. There is no credit risk for the merchant. They can unlock cash flows by getting paid upfront for their products and driving repetitive purchases. In addition, consumers get reasonable monthly price points.
Product buyback relies on forward trade-in. That allows consumers to trade in their current product at a future date on previously agreed terms with the merchant.
Fairown enables BlueMovement to easily scale a more affordable and sustainable consumer experience across sales channels and markets. Roosna explained, “Our circular product buyback with embedded financing enables BlueMovement to use their existing network and scale this innovative way of owning products. Not only can they meet customer demand, but also expand their value proposition and drive sustainable growth.”
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