Emart24 Sees Surge in Budget Phone SIM Chip Sales... Rising Popularity Amid High Inflation

Average 5-Fold Increase Annually from 2019 to 2022

As more people seek budget phones in the era of high inflation, Emart24 announced on the 20th that sales of USIM chips have surged.

According to Emart24's review of budget phone USIM chip sales from 2019 to 2022, sales increased on average fivefold (400%) each year. Budget phones are services that do not build their own mobile communication networks but lease existing networks from mobile carriers and resell them, characterized by the same call quality but lower fees. Emart24 sees the recent high inflation as driving more people to choose budget phones to save on communication costs. Customers can purchase USIM chips at convenience stores and then select a budget phone provider and plan to easily activate the service themselves. While purchasing USIM chips through online channels takes 1-2 days for delivery, buying them at convenience stores is immediate and convenient.

A customer is purchasing a budget phone USIM chip at an Emart24 store.
[Photo by Emart24]

Emart24 has expanded its USIM offerings from two types in 2019 to nine types currently, and plans to strengthen its USIM product lineup further by introducing exclusive products in the convenience store industry. An Emart24 representative said, "Sales have surged due to customers purchasing USIM chips at nearby convenience stores for budget phone use or preparing for overseas travel," adding, "We expect continued interest in frugal spending strategies due to high inflation, and we plan to keep introducing related products in the future."