Motivating consumer-to-business smartphone returns: Evidence from a factorial survey experiment

In light of short replacement cycles and low recycling rates of smartphones, establishing effective return mechanisms for unused smartphones is crucial to prolong product use phases and thereby reduce the environmental impact of smartphones. Consumer-to-business return options provide a novel, accessible way to return unused devices but require consumer acceptance to fulfill their ecological potential. However, thus far, disposition is a largely understudied aspect of consumer behavior. We address the need for research on disposition behavior and smartphone returns by examining influences on consumers' intentions to use consumer-to-business return options for smartphones in a factorial survey experiment with 1192 smartphone users in Germany. We find that environmental awareness and price consciousness are both associated with higher return intentions. Although financial rewards are generally preferred to non-financial rewards, non-financial rewards gain popularity among environmentally aware consumers and when lower financial rewards are offered. Neither marketing smartphone returns with different appeal types nor linking the smartphone return to purchasing a replacement device influence participants' return intentions. In contrast, return mechanisms and device condition do significantly affect return intentions in our experiment. We discuss our findings’ implications for practitioners offering consumer-to-business return options and formulate practical recommendations, in particular regarding the use of non-financial rewards, the integration of return and refurbishing services, and potential benefits of physical drop-off stations. •Smartphone returns are linked to environmental awareness and price consciousness.•Financial rewards are preferred to non-financial rewards for smartphone returns.•Popularity of non-financial rewards increases as reward levels decrease.•Environmentally aware consumers are more likely to accept non-financial rewards.•Return mechanisms and device condition affect smartphone return intentions.