Smartphone adoption is on the rise, but these pricey devices still make up only a fraction of all mobile phones being purchased. According to ABI Research, smartphones accounted for 19 percent of all handsets shipped during the second quarter of 2010. While market share for these mobile devices is on the rise, many consumers are still shying away due to the cost and perceived fragility. Mark Marion, a T-Mobile USA, Inc. Retail Sales Consultant in St. Charles, Mo., has found OtterBox® protective cases are the ideal solution to connect customers to these higher end devices. 

“As the cases become available for more phones, it becomes a frequent option when selling devices to customers,” Marion said. “Some people want just a cheap gel skin to protect their phone, but others realize that a phone purchase is no longer just a purchase but an investment and it needs to be protected. For those people, we suggest the OtterBox solution.”

Marion recently helped a truck driver who was about to return his HTC HD2™ smartphone. The gentleman relies on his smartphone for scheduling deliveries and as a GPS device; however, because he works around heavy equipment and is constantly getting in and out of his big rig, his device was at high risk for damage. Through insurance, each of his phone replacements would require a $130 deductible, which could only be claimed three times in one year. Additionally, once a claim was filed it could take up to 48 hours to procure a new device.

“The truck driver came into the store ready to return the phone and cancel his service because he had such an expensive handset but was not able to protect it properly,” Marion said, “One of the reps at my store came and grabbed me from the back so that I could show him the OtterBox case. He was very impressed with the protection that the Defender Series® provides and left the store to get home on his computer and order it immediately.” 

Marion, himself, uses an OtterBox case for his HTC HD2. At his store, three of the five sales consultants are sporting OtterBox cases. Prior to OtterBox, the T-Mobile reps at the same location were using a simple protective film on their smartphones designed to resist scratches. 

“OtterBox cases are far superior to any other device-specific case,” Marion said. “A plastic shell can crack from a drop, and a gel skin can tear after being dropped multiple times. With OtterBox combining the two types of cases and making them fit the phone as tightly as they do, protection level is through the roof. I have not found a case that can match the protection of the OtterBox Defender Series.”