Wired Island has been working with Back Market since it launched its marketplace for renewed electronics in the U.S. in 2018. This Paris-based start-up was a rising star and gained wide acclaim selling professionally refurbished devices and appliances to French and European consumers who appreciated the cost savings and waste-reduction aspects of the offer. Coming to America, Back Market learned quickly that while U.S. consumers don’t have quite the same sensibilities and appreciation for reused electronics, they do appreciate a good bargain and purpose-driven brands.   

We partnered with Back Market to help it position itself in the US market.  Not only does this include  expanding its business operations but it also means educating consumers about the bigger picture: a world where buying renewed devices are a first choice.    

Q: What’s does it mean that Back Market is creating a movement – how is it doing that and how do you support that in the PR program?   

The business model of Back Market is intrinsically tied to its vision and mission. In fact, they were developed at the same time. The story goes that Thibaud Hug de Larauze – one of the three founders – was touring a refurbishing plant and surprised by  the level of quality and precision that went into the process and care of refurbishing iPhones. He immediately recognized the opportunity to create a marketplace for these items to be sold that gave these items the respect and visibility they deserved. He also understood the environmental benefits and thus Back Market was born.  This is why we say Back Market is a purpose-driven company. Its purpose is part of its business imperative – to be successful in moving the industry towards a circular economy it needs to create demand and desire for refurbished electronics.  When we talk about building a movement it is with this in mind – Back Market knows it must appeal to consumers on a variety of levels to get the kind of market shift they want to see happen. 

PR plays an important role for companies like this – the more awareness and visibility Back Market has as a company as a marketplace and a sales channel – the more it can educate consumers on the benefits of refurbished electronics.  

Q: What’s the background on Wired Island’s relationship with Back Market. How long have they been a client? How has that relationship changed over the years? 

We were one of the first businesses to welcome Back Market to the US.  We started working together in 2018. Our goal was to help the company gain awareness and evangelize the benefits of refurbishes.  Unlike the Europeans in Back Market’s other markets, American consumers were not as far along in their attitudes and concerns about e-waste and the environmental impact of our use of electronics. Through careful and proactive messaging we set out to make every communication with a journalist or influential an education opportunity.  We referenced facts and figures and tried to put some of the environmental impact stats into context.  We quickly helped them gain visibility and credibility though earned media coverage.  They went from having virtually no awareness in the US to being listed along side Amazon and Ebay on some listings.  Also the attitude towards buying refurbished electronics also started to shift from being seen as a cheap option to a good compromise compared to buying something new. PR results over the past three years have helped establish Back Market as the leading marketplace for refurbished electronics. We are proud of the feature coverage in mainstream publications, allowing consumers to get a full view of what the company is all about and their mission to make buying refurbished safe and fun.  We worked hard to use earned media to showcase the expertise behind the marketplace so consumers can understand the quality of the renewed devices and the extreme efforts Back Market takes to ensure customer satisfaction.   

As part of the success of our work, we continue to see Back Market included in conversations and coverage evaluating consumer options from some big established names like Amazon Renewed, EBay and Best Buy. This not only shows they are a major player in the space, but they often come out on top when quality assurances are factored in.  Wired Island has helped the brand achieve this elevation by introducing them to key journalists and industry analysts. Our team continues to be involved in helping Back Market refine its message for customer segments through additional content such as contributed articles, social media, awards and more. 

Q: Given Back Market has such a wide audience – anyone can buy from the platform – how do you help them effectively communicate?  

It’s true, Back Market’s target audience is massive and includes both businesses and consumers as it needs to reach companies that may want to resell on the platform and consumers looking for renewed devices. This has required a dual B2B and a B2C communication strategy with different messages for each audience.  For efficiency, we have focused our efforts on publications and outlets that cover the popular products on the platform and weave a singular story about the value Back Market brings to these audiences. We concentrate on targeting areas where the benefits of Back Market matter most – such as smartphones, laptops, gaming and personal electronics.  

Q: Back Market talks a lot about the importance of a circular economy and “fair” tech yet it fundamentally sells electronics.  Do you think the company’s messaging around this is helpful and supportive of them as a marketplace? 

Back Market’s vision is integrated in its business… Back Market wants to change the way people frame renewed electronics.  Back Market’s fundamental goal is not just to meet a sales target and to grow at all costs, they want to establish buying new as the first choice for consumers. Buying used as the first choice is as important to Back Market as sales numbers are.  

Q: The Wired Island team has been involved in several funding announcements for Back Market – can you tell more about these rounds and they have helped position Back Market in the industry? 

Back Market raised $120 million during the pandemic and then another $335 million a year later. This is a big deal and really speaks to the maturity and unique value proposition of Back Market and the huge potential of the refurbished electronics industry. Due to the size of this deal, collaboration among investors, as well as Back Market’s international communication team were extremely important and well-coordinated in terms of messaging, timing of the announcement, press outreach, interview prep, and more.  We took a leadership role in outreach to English speaking journalists. This resulted in positive coverage from mainstream media in Europe and the U.S. such as Reuters , MSN, INSIDER, Le Figaro, Venture Beat, TechCrunch, Fortune, Les Echos, Forbes, trade and regional pubs such as BuiltInNYC and Sifted, and broadcast coverage on Cheddar. 

In total there were 40 articles about the funding announcement, which got in front of 18.3 million (UVM) with the media equivalent of $475 million.