Black is back, and it is hotter than ever. We are talking, of course, about the jet black iPhone 7, which new data from Slice Intelligence shows is far and away the most popular color for new iPhone consumers in the first few days of availability. Slice Intelligence, a company that grabs raw data from e-receipts, claims to be the “only direct measurement of all digital commerce activity and customer loyalty.” And when it comes to the iPhone 7, that activity points to some new trends.
As per the latest Slice Intelligence report, the Plus models of Apple’s new smartphones are much more popular this time around than they were during the reign of the iPhone 6. New data shows that “among those preordering the iPhone 7, in the first 48 hours of availability, 55 percent ordered the Plus model.” For context, more than 50 percent of iPhone orders for the 6 and 6s were for the standard model during the first couple days of their debut.
While this may be a departure from the norm, Slice Intelligence notes that the same people appear to be ordering iPhones. “As is typical, those who re-ordered the iPhone 7 tend to be Apple loyalists,” the company said. “55 percent of iPhone 7 buyers purchased an iPhone online in the past two years.” This differs from Samsung Galaxy Note 7 buyers, many of whom are new to the company — though they seem to have bought in at a bad time. Only two percent of Galaxy Note 7 shoppers bought a Samsung phone in the last two years.
New color options in the new iPhone also mean new trends, with 69 percent of consumers opting for the black or jet black iPhone 7. “The color of choice for iPhones past has traditionally been space gray,” the data company said.
Finally, it seems consumers are still in the middle of the road when it comes to data storage options. “For the past three September launches, over 60 percent of phones purchased over the first two days were on the middle storage option,” Slice Intelligence found. “This time, over two-thirds of iPhone 7s purchased online have been the 128 GB model.”