Case Study · Telecom & Tech Retail
How EE transformed a fragmented trade-in model into a seamless, multi-channel marketplace experience — launching across six device categories with speed and confidence.
⸺ About EE
EE take pride in being one of the UK's leading mobile network operators and broadband providers. Since 2010, the business has focused on delivering connected experiences that help customers get more value from their devices — whether upgrading, purchasing new tech, or trading in items they no longer use.
As EE's portfolio expanded beyond mobile into broader tech and gaming categories, trade-in emerged as a strategic lever for growth: helping customers upgrade more easily while unlocking value from devices they already owned.
⸺ The Opportunity
As EE's sales portfolio grew beyond telecommunications into broader tech and gaming categories, it became clear that trade-in could play a much larger role in delivering customer value.
EE did have some existing ways to trade-in, but none that covered all of the channels and product lines where customer demand existed. Research revealed that over half of respondents had unused devices at home, yet many had never considered trading them in — highlighting a large, untapped opportunity.
Demand for trade-in was rising, fuelled by cost-conscious shoppers and growing interest in sustainability. Few providers offered the option to buy new devices and trade-in old ones from the same place.
50%+
of respondents had unused devices at home — yet many had never considered trading them in
Rising ↑
Consumer demand for trade-in, driven by sustainability awareness and cost-conscious shoppers
06
Device categories launched at go-live, with more planned across tech and gaming
We saw trade-in as a way to make upgrading easier for customers, while supporting our expansion into new tech categories.
⸺ Solutions
A suite of capabilities designed to launch, manage, and grow marketplace businesses at every stage.
Fragmented Customer Journey
The existing trade-in capability lived on a partner-owned site, forcing customers to leave ee.co.uk to get a quote — reducing trust and conversion.
Expanding Categories
EE needed a model that could easily support a larger trade-in catalogue in line with its expanding tech and gaming categories.
Limited Visibility
EE lacked insight into the step-by-step performance of the existing journey, making it impossible to identify and address friction points.
No Ability to Optimise UX
Without visibility into where users encountered difficulties, it was hard to improve the experience and drive better outcomes for customers.
Multi-Channel Experience
EE wanted customers to have the flexibility to trade-in from within the EE app or via the website — a unified experience across both surfaces.
Bespoke, High-Effort Integrations
Partner integrations are associated with slower delivery and increased project risk — EE needed a path that minimised these operational hazards.
⸺ The Breakthrough
To unlock the opportunity, EE needed a trade-in experience it could control — one that lived inside the EE domain, supported multiple categories, and gave both EE and its partner full visibility over orders, values, and commissions.
The turning point came when the team realised that a trade-in journey works much like a return. Both involve sending a device back and issuing payment to the customer. Building on its success with Marketplacer for dropship, EE tested whether the platform's return workflow and seller tools could be repurposed for trade-in.
A simple proof of concept confirmed the approach. By creating a "Trade-In seller," EE validated catalogue management, device intake, and the use of invoice annotations for trade-in-specific data — without needing complex custom integration.
Proof of Concept
Within the EE app or website — no domain redirect required
Trade-In seller manages catalogue and intake via Marketplacer seller tools
Reverse logistics handled via Marketplacer's existing returns workflow
Invoice annotations capture trade-in-specific data with full visibility for EE and partner
"Once we realised trade-in could follow the same pattern as returns, everything clicked. It gave us a fast, low-risk path forward."
⸺ Nagendra Kanakapura, Consumer Tribe Architect, EE
⸺ Why Marketplacer
Once the approach was validated, EE brought together teams from across the business, its trade-in partner, and Marketplacer. What started with a small core group quickly expanded to more than ten squads, all working simultaneously to bring the new experience to life.
Marketplacer supported EE in setting up a dedicated instance and licensing model tailored to trade-in, ensuring the platform could handle catalogue updates, device intake, and the reverse-logistics workflows.
Because the solution reused Marketplacer capabilities EE already knew — seller portals, catalogue tools, and the return workflow — delivery was fast and efficient.
Validated the returns-as-trade-in model. Created a "Trade-In seller" to test catalogue management, device intake, and invoice annotations.
EE, trade-in partner, and Marketplacer aligned across 10+ squads. Dedicated instance and licensing model configured for trade-in workflows.
Live across the EE app and website with six device categories and a consistent, seamless trade-in journey from day one.
Call centre and retail store channels, additional categories, and deeper promotional capabilities planned for future rollout.
⸺ Results & Impact
By bringing trade-in into the EE domain and reusing proven Marketplacer capabilities, EE unlocked stronger visibility, faster delivery, and a scalable foundation for its expanding product range.
Customer Impact
Business Impact
Customer Impact
⸺ Looking Ahead
With the new trade-in experience live across app and web, EE is preparing to expand into additional device categories and extend the model into call centre and retail store channels.
The team also plans to leverage Marketplacer capabilities — such as promotions, catalogue expansion, and continuous optimisation — to embed trade-in deeper into the shopping journey.
As customer expectations evolve and EE broadens its tech and gaming range, the composable marketplace foundation gives the business a flexible, future-proof engine to scale new services quickly and confidently.
⸺ Join EE's Success
Join the world's leading retailers using Marketplacer to power sustainable growth.