Where to put the old cell phone? The answer to this question is now ecoATM! The new dispenser at MediaMarkt replaces old mobile phones with a MediaMarkt gift card.

"With the ecoATM vending machines, we are now expanding our range of services to include a practical and, above all, sustainable alternative for convenient disposal of old mobile phones," explains Sonja Moosburger, Managing Director of MediaMarktSaturn N3XT. Customers can quickly and easily dispose of their old mobile phone at the machine - regardless of brand, condition or model. In return, they not only receive a MediaMarkt gift card immediately, but also protect the environment. After the mobile phones have been exchanged, they are either resold and reused or - if the mobile companion no longer has any value - disposed of professionally.

ecoATM is partner of the pilot project

The mobile phone vending machine will initially be tested for six months in the 10 Media Markt stores in Bonn, Düsseldorf, Erding, Eschweiler, Ingolstadt, Cologne, Landshut, Munich-Haidhausen, Munich-Solln and Rosenheim. The partner for this pilot project is ecoATM. The company was founded in the USA in 2009 and since then has recycled or reused more than 22 million mobile phones worldwide.

After seven minutes, the old mobile phone is exchanged

The exchange at the vending machine only takes about seven minutes. And this is how it works: First, the customer has to answer a few questions and then connect the switched-on mobile phone to the vending machine. The device is then checked electronically and the IMEI number is read. The machine then determines the value of the mobile phone, which depends, among other things, on the condition and age of the device. If the customer accepts the offer, he receives a receipt which he can then exchange for a MediaMarkt gift card at the store. This can then be used for the next purchase. If you still want to keep your mobile phone, the exchange process can be stopped at any time until you agree to the exchange.

Sustainability plays a major role

The automat also accepts defective devices, for example with a broken display or water damage. It accepts all types of mobile phones, but not other electronic devices or accessories. If the ecoATM mobile phone vending machine can no longer determine a value for the mobile phone, it offers the free and professional disposal of the device. This is an important point because, according to a survey commissioned by MediaMarkt, almost 70 percent of Germans consider sustainability in the disposal of electronic devices to be important to very important.

Interview with Sonja Moosburger, Managing Director MediaMarktSaturn N3XT

What added value does the new smartphone vending machine offer our customers?

Each of us has at least one old smartphone in a drawer at home. The smartphone vending machines give everyone the opportunity to find out very quickly whether their mobile phone is still worth anything and if so, how much. You get the equivalent directly. If the smartphone is worth nothing, you can at least return it to the recycling cycle.

What are MediaMarktSaturn's goals for the ecoATM pilot project?

MediaMarktSaturn pursues the principle of implementing digital innovations at high speed and testing the advantages and disadvantages of innovations in practice right away. The pilot project with ecoATM enables us to do just that: to intensively test a service innovation with regard to its acceptance by customers and its handling in the stores.

What role do trends and innovations play for MediaMarktSaturn?

A very large one. We actively search for new trends and ideas nationally and internationally in order to make the customer experience in the stores even more individual. This also includes driving forward our own in-house ideas and developing suitable concepts. We also place great emphasis on cooperation with innovative start-ups. Innovation affects all areas of our business: This involves product innovations, service innovations, innovations in the store as well as innovative business models.