Do You Know What A Dumbphone Is? Here’s Why You Should!

Those of you working in the tech industry with lots of the latest gadgets on sale might actually want to regress a little and go back to basics, at least where phones are concerned. Why so? Because apparently sales of dumbphones – handsets not connected to the internet and which only allow people to send texts or make calls – are now on the rise as more and more consumers out there look to disconnect from the tech that’s increasingly ruling our lives these days.

According to the Independent, sales of these handsets rose by five per cent last year, while smartphone sales increased by just two per cent in comparison… so if you don’t already have a few Nokia bricks on your shop shelves, now might be the time for a bit of a rethink.

The Nokia 3310 comes with a bit of nostalgia attached to it (who doesn’t remember enjoying a game of Snake here and there, after all?), so with just a bit of UK sales training your staff members are sure to be able to tout the benefits of being disconnected… In fact, it’s possible that selling this kind of old-school phone could actually help them sell more tech-heavy smartphones in the future, since it’s potentially more difficult to flog a 3310 than it is to shift a Samsung Galaxy S9+.

Author of Stop Staring at Screens Tanya Goodin told the news source: “I’m not surprised at all by these latest figures. I’ve seen more and more people over the past year switching, at least partially, to a dumbphone to get some respite from the relentless onslaught of the digital world.

“As software platforms work harder and harder to keep our eyeballs glued to our screens and willpower simply doesn’t work, it seems we’ve all become aware that switching off completely is the only way of getting a break.”

Research from Ofcom, released at the start of the month (August 2nd), revealed that the majority of people in the UK are now dependent on digital devices and feel the need to be constantly connected to the internet. One in five spend over 40 hours a week online, with 78 per cent of people now owning a smartphone. Among those aged between 16 and 24, this rises to 95 per cent!

On average, people check their smartphones every 12 minutes of the waking day, with 40 per cent of adults looking at their phone within five minutes of waking up. For those aged under the age of 35, this increases to 65 per cent.

Interestingly, from a sales perspective, the amount of time spent making phone calls on our mobiles has fallen for the first time because people now use Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to communicate. Some 92 per cent considered web browsing to be important, whereas 75 per cent said the same for phone calls – so you’d better make sure your website is up to scratch and most certainly mobile optimised!